I wasn’t even aware of the existence of barkflies until a few years ago and I’ve not yet seen more than a handful of the 100 species to be found in Britain. Like most insects, they can be difficult to identify, and today’s little beastie is no exception. In fact, three species – Ectopsocus briggsi, E. petersi and E. meridionalis – have been lumped together into one aggregate name Ectopsocus briggsi agg. for recording purposes. I’ve seen these tiny (just 1.5 – 2mm) barkflies several times before this latest sighting on 30 January but I’ve not managed any good images before now.

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