Psocodea 'Psocoptera' sp. (order)

Unidentified plant louse at Capalaba, QLD

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Identification history

	Psocodea 'Psocoptera' sp. (order)	14 May 2025	MichaelMulvaney
	Psocodea 'Psocoptera' sp. (order)	1 Dec 2023	TimL

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User's notes

A large mass of these insects was originally sighted in a long drawn out line, moving down a tree. They initially looked like foraging ants but on closer inspection appeared to be Plant Lice. They were behaving a bit like a cycle peloton in that the insects to the rear kept moving to the front and taking over the lead. The mass eventually split up into several different streams before reaching the base of the tree. The individual streams would come to a rest every now and again and the insects generally group into a tight circle with their heads down, tails up, typically facing inwards, as can be seen in some of the images of following sightings. After a short time the individual groups would set off again in drawn out streams. When they reached the base of the tree the individual groups stopped, rested, and then started back up the tree until they were too high to photograph. Unsure what this behaviour was as I haven't seen it before.

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Location information

Coordinates 153.217280 -27.547133
Altitude 25.0m
Places Capalaba, QLD

Sighting information

16 - 100 Abundance
9 Nov 2023 11:02 AM Recorded on
TimL Recorded by
Collections
TimL NatureMapr Greater Brisbane Plant Lice (Psocodea, Pscoptera, several families) Other insects Insects

Additional information

5mm to 12mm Animal size
Alive / healthy Animal health

Species information

Psocodea 'Psocoptera' sp. (order) Scientific name
Unidentified plant louse Common name
Not Sensitive
Local native
Non-invasive or negligible
Up to 902m Recorded at altitude
Machine learning
External link More information

Record quality

Images or audio
More than one media file
Verified by an expert moderator
Nearby sighting(s) of same species
GPS evidence of location
Description
Additional attributes

Australian Capital Territory

New South Wales

Queensland

Northern Territory

Western Australia

South Australia

Victoria

Tasmania