Community identification
Human Lice (Head, Body, or Crab Lice)
Pediculus humanus or Pthirus pubis
- Order & Family
- Order: Psocodea (suborder Phthiraptera), Families: Pediculidae or Pthiridae
- Size
- 1mm - 3mm (similar to a sesame seed or smaller)
Natural Habitat
The human body, specifically hair (head), clothing (body), or coarse pubic and body hair (crab/pubic).
Diet & Feeding
Strictly hematophagous; they feed on human blood several times a day.
Behavior Patterns
They are wingless, crawling insects that cannot jump or fly. They attach their eggs (nits) to hair shafts or clothing fibers with a glue-like substance and depend entirely on a human host for survival.
Risks & Benefits
They cause intense itching (pruritus) and social distress. While head lice do not transmit diseases, body lice can transmit typhus and trench fever. There are no ecological benefits to humans.