Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Louse (pl.: lice) is the common name for any member of the clade Phthiraptera, which contains nearly 5,000 species of wingless parasitic insects.Phthiraptera has variously been recognized as an order, infraorder, or a parvorder, as a result of developments in phylogenetic research.
Head lice, like other insects of the order Phthiraptera, are hemimetabolous. [1] [10] Newly hatched nymphs will moult three times before reaching the sexually mature adult stage. [1] Thus, mobile head lice populations may contain eggs, nits, three nymphal instars, and the adults (male and female) . [1]
The body louse (Pediculus humanus humanus, also known as Pediculus humanus corporis) or the cootie is a hematophagic ectoparasite louse that infests humans. [1] It is one of three lice which infest humans, the other two being the head louse, and the crab louse or pubic louse.
Sucking lice (Anoplura, formerly known as Siphunculata) have around 500 species and represent the smaller of the two traditional superfamilies of lice. As opposed to the paraphyletic chewing lice, which are now divided among three suborders, the sucking lice are monophyletic. The Anoplura are all blood-feeding ectoparasites of mammals.
Head lice feed on blood several times each day and tend to reside close to your scalp, which explains the itchiness and why it’s sometimes so difficult to tell that you have head lice. Unlike ...
The Mallophaga are a possibly paraphyletic [1] section of lice, known as chewing lice, biting lice, or bird lice, containing more than 3000 species.These lice are external parasites that feed mainly on birds, although some species also feed on mammals.
Head lice are about 2 to 3 millimeters long, and they usually infest the head or neck and attach their eggs to the base of the hair shaft, according to the CDC.
Troctomorpha are now known to also contain the order Phthiraptera (lice), and are therefore paraphyletic, as are Psocoptera as a whole. Some Troctomorpha, such as Liposcelis (which are similar to lice in morphology), are often found in birds' nests, and it is possible that a similar behavior in the ancestors of lice is at the origin of the ...