Animalia: Arthropoda: Insecta: Psocodea: Psocidae: Psocinae: Metylophorus: Metylophorus novaescotiae (Walker, 1853)

Meet the June barklouse. Don’t worry, I know what you’re thinking, but despite the name these small soft-bodied insects are not parasitic like most lice. Within Psocodea, the members that are found on trees are referred to as barklice. They are typically found in large masses, and sometimes display gregarious behavior, where they move in synchrony in response to a disturbance. Some species are capable of silk production, and they make protective web structures in which they live under. Their appearance may be similar to the destructive tent caterpillar, but barklice won’t kill or destroy their plant host. Rather, they are helpful, by cleaning up decaying plant matter, fungi, and algae. So, next time you see the word lice, don’t fret, it could be a helpful barklouse. #Canada150 #Biodiversity150

Here’s the barcode sequence information for this species:

Process ID:  JSOIE038-12

nucleotide sequence

AACCTTATATTTTATTTTCGGTATTTGAGCAGGAATAGTTGGTTCAAGCTTAAGTATATTAATTCGATTAGAATTAAGTCAACCAGGTTTATTTTTAGAAGACGACCAAACATATAATGTTATTGTTACAGCTCATGCATTCATTATAATTTTTTTTATAATTATACCTATTATAATTGGAGGATTCGGAAATTGATTAGTACCTTTAATATTAGGAGCCCCTGATATAGCATTCCCTCGAATAAATAATATAAGTTTTTGACTACTTCCTCCTTCATTAACTCTTTTATTATCTAGAAGTTTAGTTAATACCGGAGCAGGAACTGGATGAACAGTATATCCTCCTTTAGCAAGAACCATTGGACATCCTGGTGCATCAGTTGATTTAGCTATTTTCTCTCTTCATTTGGCTGGAATCAGTTCTATTTTAGGAGCTGTAAATTTCATTACAACAATCATTAATATACGTTCACAAGGATTAACTTTTGAACGTATACCGTTATTTGTTTGATCGGTACTTATTACAGCTATTTTACTGTTGTTATCATTACCAGTACTAGCGGGTGCTATTACAATATTATTAACAGACCGAAATTTAAATACTTCATTCTTTGACCCAGCTGGAGGAGGGGATCCAATTCTTTACCAACATTTATTT

amino acid sequence

TLYFIFGIWAGMVGSSLSMLIRLELSQPGLFLEDDQTYNVIVTAHAFIMIFFMIMPIMIGGFGNWLVPLMLGAPDMAFPRMNNMSFWLLPPSLTLLLSSSLVNTGAGTGWTVYPPLASTIGHPGASVDLAIFSLHLAGISSILGAVNFITTIINMRSQGLTFERMPLFVWSVLITAILLLLSLPVLAGAITMLLTDRNLNTSFFDPAGGGDPILYQHLF

Learn more about it’s BIN (Barcode Index Number): BOLD:AAH3225

Title Image: Specimen BIOUG01237-H03 – Elizabethtown, Ontario – 17-Aug-2010 – Malaise Trap
Photo Credit: CBG Photography Group, Centre for Biodiversity Genomics