What do lice teeth look like? - briefly
Lice have minuscule, hook‑shaped mandibles roughly 0.1 mm in length, each ending in a sharp point for piercing skin. These tiny teeth allow the insects to anchor themselves and extract blood.
What do lice teeth look like? - in detail
Lice possess a set of short, stout mandibles that function as tiny cutting tools. Each mandible measures approximately 15–20 µm in length and tapers to a blunt tip, enabling the insect to pierce the host’s skin and ingest blood. The surface of the mandibles is smooth, lacking serrations or teeth-like projections; instead, microscopic ridges run longitudinally along the edges, providing grip on the epidermis.
The maxillae are similarly reduced, forming narrow, curved blades about 10 µm long. Their interior faces are lined with a thin cuticular layer that appears translucent under light microscopy. When viewed with scanning electron microscopy, the edges reveal a faint, scalloped pattern that aids in anchoring the louse to hair shafts but does not resemble true dentition.
Key morphological features:
- Size: mandibles 15–20 µm; maxillae ~10 µm.
- Shape: blunt, slightly curved, tapering toward the tip.
- Surface texture: smooth cuticle with fine longitudinal ridges; no distinct serrations.
- Color: translucent to pale yellow under standard illumination; appears darker when stained.
These structures are adapted for rapid, repeated biting rather than chewing, distinguishing lice from insects that possess true chewing mouthparts with pronounced teeth.