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The average number of lice per host tends to be higher in large-bodied bird species than in small ones. [11] Lice have an aggregated distribution across bird individuals, i.e. most lice live on a few birds, while most birds are relatively free of lice. This pattern is more pronounced in territorial than in colonial—more social—bird species ...
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.
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]
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.
Bird lice may feed on feathers, skin, or blood. They have no wings, and their biting mouth parts distinguish them from true lice, which suck blood. [1] [2] Almost all domestic birds are hosts for at least one species of bird louse. Chickens and other poultry are attacked by many kinds of bird lice. [2]
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 ...
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]
Sea lice (singular: sea louse) are copepods (small crustaceans) of the family Caligidae within the order Siphonostomatoida. They are marine ectoparasites (external parasites) that feed on the mucus, epidermal tissue, and blood of host fish. The roughly 559 species in 37 genera include around 162 Lepeophtheirus and 268 Caligus species.