Pubic Louse (Crab Louse)

Found primarily in human pubic hair, but can also inhabit other coarse body hair such as eyelashes, eyebrows, beard, or chest hair.

Obligate hematophages; they feed exclusively on human blood several times a day.

They are sedentary pests that cling to hair shafts with specialized claws. They do not jump or fly and are primarily transmitted through close body contact (usually sexual) or occasionally through shared clothing/bedding.

Risks include intense itching (pruritus due to allergic reaction to saliva) and secondary bacterial skin infections from scratching. They are not known to transmit systemic diseases but are often an indicator of other STIs.