Family overview
Wingless, dorsoventrally flattened. Claws specialized to grip hair shafts. Two human-specific species.
Body lice vector typhus, trench fever, and louse-borne relapsing fever. Head lice are mostly harmless.
At a glance
Family facts.
Distribution
Worldwide
Habitat
Parasitic
Approx. species
5
Notable members
Human head louse (Pediculus humanus capitis), body louse (P. h. humanus)