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Many lice are specific to a single species of host and have co-evolved with it. In some cases, they live on only a particular part of the body. Some animals are known to host up to fifteen different species, although one to three is typical for mammals, and two to six for birds. Lice generally cannot survive for long if removed from their host. [5]
Head lice are wingless insects that spend their entire lives on the human scalp and feed exclusively on human blood. [1] Humans are the only known hosts of this specific parasite, while chimpanzees and bonobos host a closely related species, Pediculus schaeffi. Other species of lice infest most orders of mammals and all orders of birds.
At least three species or subspecies of Anoplura are parasites of humans; the human condition of being infested with sucking lice is called pediculosis. Pediculus humanus is divided into two subspecies, Pediculus humanus humanus , or the human body louse , sometimes nicknamed "the seam squirrel" for its habit of laying of eggs in the seams of ...
Most adult species are light tan to brown in color and are usually 1–4 mm in length, although some livestock species can grow to be 5–7 mm, and some wild bird species can even get to 10 mm. [2] Mallophaga are often adapted to live on a specific part of their host and typically spend their entire lives on a single host.
Sea lice, particularly L. salmonis and various Caligus species, including C. clemensi and C. rogercresseyi, can cause deadly infestations of both farm-grown and wild salmon. [3] [30] Sea lice migrate and latch onto the skin of wild salmon during free-swimming, planktonic nauplii and copepodid larval stages, which can persist for several days.
Haematopinus is a genus of insects in the superfamily Anoplura, the sucking lice. [1] It is the only genus in the family Haematopinidae, [2] known commonly as the ungulate lice. [3] All known species are of importance in veterinary medicine. [2] These lice are some of the most economically important ectoparasites of domestic animals. [4]
Genera and species within the family Menoponidae are identified by their short antennae, concealed in grooves behind the eyes. [4] To the untrained eye, it may appear as though they have no antennae. [4] Most lice also further specialize to specific regions on their hosts such as the fluff at the base of the tail, the head, and the shaft. [5]
Depending on species and temperature, the life cycle of one of these lice can take about 2 to 4 weeks. Each species tends to favor a different part of the host animal's body; for example, Antarctophthirus ogmirhini lives on the back flippers and tail and Lepidophthirus macrorhini favors the flippers, including the digits and the webbing between ...