Human body louse
| Body louse | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Phthiraptera |
| Family: | Pediculidae |
| Genus: | Pediculus |
| Species: | P. humanus |
| Subspecies: | P. h. humanus |
| Trinomial name | |
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Pediculus humanus humanus Linnaeus, 1758 |
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The body louse (Pediculus humanus humanus, sometimes called Pediculus humanus corporis) is a louse that infests humans. The condition of being infested with head lice, body lice, or pubic lice is known as pediculosis. Body lice are vectors for the transmission of the human diseases Epidemic typhus, Trench fever and Relapsing fever The body louse genome sequence analysis was published in 2010.
Pediculus humanus humanus (the body louse) is indistinguishable in appearance from Pediculus humanus capitis (the head louse) but will interbreed only under laboratory conditions. In their natural state, they occupy different habitats and do not usually meet. In particular, body lice have evolved to attach their eggs to clothes, whereas head lice attach their eggs to the base of hairs.
The life cycle of the body louse consists of three stages: egg (also called a nit), nymph, and adult.
The body louse diverged from the head louse at around 100,000 years ago, hinting at the time of the origin of clothing. Body lice were first described by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae. The human body louse had its genome sequenced in 2010, and at that time it had the smallest known insect genome.
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