Pubic louse (or crab louse)

Natural Habitat

Primarily coarse human body hair, most commonly in the pubic region, but also occasionally armpits, beard, or eyelashes.

Diet & Feeding

Obligate hematophage, feeding exclusively on human blood several times a day.

Behavior Patterns

They are sedentary and move very slowly; they spend their entire life cycle on a human host. Eggs (nits) are glued to the base of hair shafts and hatch after about a week.

Risks & Benefits

Risks include intense itching (pruritus due to an allergic reaction to saliva) and blue spots at feeding sites. Benefits are none; they are strictly parasitic, though they are not known to transmit major pathogens like body lice do.

Identified on: 5/13/2026