Archipsocus nomas

A species of Archipsocus

Both adults and nymphs of A. nomas are soft-bodied insects resembling aphids, with long narrow antennae. The mandibles are designed for chewing and the central part of the maxilla is modified into a slender rod which is used to brace the psocid while it grinds away with its mandibles. The forehead is enlarged and there are prominent compound eyes and three ocelli. There are glands in the mouth from which silk can be spun. The eggs are pale gray or white, oblong and wider at one end than the other. The first instar nymphs are recognisable by the fact that their heads are wider than their bodies. They are wingless, miniature versions of the adult and have a pale brown head and creamy white thorax. It is unclear how many moults the nymphs undergo but in the closely related species, Archipsocus floridanus, the females moult six times whereas the males usually moult five times. Later instars are darker in colour and the third instar female exhibits wing pads for the first time. There are five times as many adult females as there are adult males but parthenogenesis has not been observed in this species. The adults are darker in color than the nymphs and are about three millimetres long. Not all adults have wings, but when they do, these are transparent and held in a tent-like position above the body. Some females have longer wings than others but when the males have wings, these are always short.