What do lice look like when combed onto paper? - briefly
When transferred to paper with a fine‑tooth comb, lice appear as tiny, oval, gray‑brown insects about 2–3 mm long, often clustered together. Their flattened bodies show six legs and a pair of short antennae, visible under modest magnification.
What do lice look like when combed onto paper? - in detail
Lice transferred to a sheet with a fine‑toothed comb appear as tiny, flattened insects measuring 2–4 mm in length. Their bodies are segmented into head, thorax, and abdomen, each clearly delineated by thin, pale lines. The head bears a pair of antennae, each about 0.5 mm long, and the mouthparts are visible as a small, protruding structure near the front. Six legs extend from the thorax; the legs are slender, with clawed tarsi that often cling to the paper fibers. The abdomen is oval, slightly broader than the thorax, and may show faint dark specks corresponding to the digestive tract or residual blood.
Key visual details:
- Color: generally gray‑brown to light tan; live specimens may appear slightly darker due to blood ingestion.
- Transparency: cuticle is semi‑transparent, allowing internal structures to be seen under magnification.
- Leg positioning: legs are splayed outward, each ending in a tiny hook that can grip the paper surface.
- Antennae: thin, jointed, often positioned forward and slightly curved.
- Movement: live lice may twitch or crawl across the paper, leaving a faint trail of excrement or blood spots.
- Nits vs. lice: nits (eggs) are oval, 0.8 mm long, firmly attached to hair shafts; they appear as solid, white or yellowish ovals, lacking legs and antennae.
When multiple insects are collected, they may overlap, creating clusters that obscure individual outlines. Blood droplets, skin scales, and debris from the scalp often accompany the insects, adding darker specks and occasional reddish stains to the paper surface. The overall impression is a dense array of minute, brownish, segmented bodies with visible legs and antennae, each retaining its characteristic morphology despite the flattening effect of the paper.