Louse taxonomy, anatomy & identification workshop

Vincent Smith & Ricardo Palma

Agenda

Overview• Systematics & taxonomy• Generalised anatomy

Keys• Chewing lice• Sucking lice

Show & Tell• Exemplar specimens• ID queries• Slide making

Book lice (Psocoptera)

Lice (Phthiraptera)

AmblyceraAmblycera IschnoceraIschnocera RhynchophthirinaRhynchophthirinaAnopluraAnoplura[ [ Liposcelis Liposcelis

sp.]sp.]

Chewing Lice “Mallophaga”

Sucking Lice (Anoplura)

• 50+ phylogenies!

• Now cover 80% of louse genera

• Mix of molecules & morphology

• Beginning to reconcile differences

• Still a long way to go!

• Some of the biggest studies unpublished

Systematics & taxonomy- Four years on

Generalised Morphology

Head- dorsal

Head- ventral

Antennae

Thorax- dorsal

Thorax- ventral

Abdomen- dorsal characters

Abdomen- tergal plates

Abdomen- sternal plates

Abdomen- nymphs

- males Internal Genitalia

- females Internal Genitalia

Suborders & Families Key Couplet 1a

Rhynchophthirina

Suborders & Families Key Couplet 1b

Suborders & Families Key Couplet 2a

Anoplura

Suborders & Families Key Couplet 2b

Suborders & Families Key Couplet 3a

Amblycera

Suborders & Families Key Couplet 3b

Ischnocera

Suborders & Families Key Couplet 4a

Gyropidae

Suborders & Families Key Couplet 4b

Suborders & Families Key Couplet 5a & b

III

VIII5a 5bTrimenoponidae

Suborders & Families Key Couplet 6 a & b

Suborders & Families Key Couplet 7 a & b

MenoponidaeBoopiidae

Suborders & Families Key Couplet 8 a & b

RicinidaeLaemobothriidae

Suborders & Families Key Couplet 9a

Trichodectidae

Suborders & Families Key Couplet 9b

Philopteridae

Anoplura Families KeyCouplet 1a & b

Anoplura Families KeyCouplet 2a & b

Anoplura Families KeyCouplet 3a & b

Anoplura Families KeyCouplet 4a & b

Anoplura Families KeyCouplet 5a & b

Anoplura Families KeyCouplet 6a & b

Anoplura Families KeyCouplet 7a & b

Anoplura Families KeyCouplet 8a & b

Anoplura Families KeyCouplet 9a & b

Anoplura Families KeyCouplet 10a & b

Anoplura Families KeyCouplet 11a & b

Anoplura Families KeyCouplet 12a & b

Anoplura Families KeyCouplet 13a & b

Anoplura Families KeyCouplet 14a & b