Phthiraptera
Anoplura (sucking lice)
Rhyncophthirina
Ischnocera (avian lice)
Amblycera (chewing lice)
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Lice (singular:
louse) (
order Phthiraptera) are an order of over 3000
species of wingless
parasitic insects.
They are all obligate
ectoparasites of
mammals and
birds, excluded the
Monotremes (the duck-billed platypus and spiny ant-eater) and
bats.
The order has traditionally been divided into two suborders; the
sucking lice (Anoplura) and
chewing lice (Mallophaga), however, recent classifications suggest that the Mallophaga are
paraphyletic and four suborders are now recognised:
Lice are highly host specific and many species even prefer specific sites on their host's body. As lice spend their whole life on the host they have developed adaptations which enable them to maintain a close contact with him. These adaptations are reflected in their size (0.5
mm to 8
mm), stout legs and claws in order to cling tightly to hair, fur and feathers, wingless and dorsoventrally flattened.
They feed on skin (epidermal) debris, feather parts, sebaceous secretions and blood. Their colour varies from pale beige to dark grey. If feeding on blood they may be considerably darker.
The picture depicts the chewing louse
Damalinia limbata found on
Angora goats.
