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Glossary






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Class Insecta

Subclass Pterygota:
Pterous (winged) insects, develop by metamorphosis

Division Exopterygota
(exo = outer; pteron = wing)

Hemipteroid orders
(hemi = half; pteron = wing)


Order Psocoptera
(psoc = rub small; pteron = wing)

COMMON NAMES: barklice, booklice, psocids

QUICK DESCRIPTION: Barklice and booklice have small bodies, proportionally large heads, large eyes, large chewing mouthparts and long antennae that lie back along the side of the body. Some species have wings and and some do not. As their names suggest, barklice live in the bark of trees, and booklice live in houses where they feast on a diet of glue and starch from book bindings.

MINUTE DETAILS: Small or minute soft-bodied insects; head with long filiform antennae and specialized chewing mouthparts, compound eyes usually prominent but reduced in some species; prothorax small, wings present or absent, legs with two- or three-segmented tarsi; external genitalia of both species concealed, cerci absent.


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