Illustration showing the three types of human louse. At top right is the crab or pubic louse Phthirus pubis, on the left the body or clothes louse Ped

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Illustration showing the three types of human louse. At top right is the crab or pubic louse Phthirus pubis, on the left the body or clothes louse Pediculus humanus corporis and at bottom right the head louse Pediculus humanis capitis. They are all blood-sucking lice which live only on man. The crab louse lives in the pubic hair but can also colonise the armpit hair, beard, eyelashes & eyebrows. Body and head lice are both sub-species of P. humanus. The head louse lives in the hair of the head & the body louse inhabits clothing, only moving onto the skin to eat. The head and crab lice glue their eggs (nits) to hairs whereas the body louse uses the seams in clothing.

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Size: 4141px × 5113px
Photo credit: © SALLY BENSUSEN (1987)/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 2, 3, animal, body, crab, head, human, humanus, insect, insecta, invertebrate, invertebrates, louse, nature, pediculus, phthirus, pubis, types, wildlife, zoology