Nov 9, 2023
A bookworm (Liposcelis sp., actually a kind of beetle). The macro zoom on the phone is rather impressive: it's the size of a punctuation mark.
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seen from United States
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seen from United States
seen from China
A bookworm (Liposcelis sp., actually a kind of beetle). The macro zoom on the phone is rather impressive: it's the size of a punctuation mark.
booklouse swarm
#1126 - Liposcelis sp. - Booklouse
The minute insect, resembling a pin-sized termite, is a booklouse. This particular one was found in a pantry, which is not surprising since Liposcelis is a pest of stored food, books, and museum items, but especially of stored grain. Severe infestations can resemble a carpet of moving dust.
Liposcelis bostrychophila is particularly common, and found worldwide, but despite being first described in 1931, a male wasn’t found until 2002. The females usually reproduce parthenogenically, which no doubt helps them build up to the aforementioned gigantic numbers.
Perth