Pediculus (Noun)
Meaning
Type genus of Pediculidae: true lice infecting humans.
Classification
Nouns denoting animals.
Examples
- Pediculus humanus, the human louse, is a species of louse that infests humans and is known to transmit diseases such as typhus and trench fever.
- The genus Pediculus includes two species of lice that infect humans, Pediculus humanus and Pediculus capitis.
- Pediculus humanus is divided into two subspecies, the body louse and the head louse, which are morphologically identical but differ in their behavior and ecology.
- The Pediculus genus is thought to have originated in Africa, where the earliest known fossils of human lice have been found.
- Pediculus humanus is a highly specialized parasite that has evolved to live on the human body, with adaptations such as claws and a flattened body shape that allow it to grasp and feed on human skin.