Community identification
Body Louse
Pediculus humanus humanus
- Order & Family
- Order: Psocodea (formerly Phthiraptera); Family: Pediculidae
- Size
- 2.3 to 3.6 mm in length
Natural Habitat
Typically found on human clothing and bedding, only moving to the skin to feed
Diet & Feeding
Hematophagous; survives exclusively on human blood
Behavior Patterns
They are highly dependent on human warmth and live in the seams of clothing. They follow a hemimetabolous life cycle featuring eggs (nits), three nymphal stages, and adulthood.
Risks & Benefits
Risk: They are vectors for serious diseases including epidemic typhus, trench fever, and louse-borne relapsing fever. Benefit: None to humans or the ecosystem.