What do wet lice look like? - briefly
When soaked, lice turn darker and more translucent, their bodies swell and take on a glossy, slightly enlarged appearance.
What do wet lice look like? - in detail
Lice that have been exposed to moisture display several distinctive visual traits. Their bodies become markedly more translucent, allowing internal structures to be seen through the cuticle. The overall length remains within the typical range of 2–4 mm for adult individuals, but the softened exoskeleton may appear slightly elongated as it expands with water absorption.
Key characteristics of moist lice include:
- Color shift: from a dull gray‑brown when dry to a lighter, almost gray‑white hue when wet.
- Surface texture: the cuticle loses its matte finish and gains a glossy, slightly sticky surface.
- Leg visibility: the three pairs of legs, each ending in claw‑like tarsi, become more defined against the translucent background.
- Antennae and head: the head capsule remains proportionally small, but the antennae stand out as faint, hair‑like projections.
- Abdominal segmentation: segments are discernible as faint lines, with the posterior spiracles appearing as tiny, pale openings.
Nymphal stages exhibit similar changes, though the overall size is reduced to 1–2 mm and the coloration is even paler. The increased translucency in immature forms often reveals the developing internal organs, which can be useful for microscopic identification.
When lice are removed from a wet environment and begin to dry, the cuticle rapidly reverts to its original opacity, and the glossy sheen diminishes. This reversible transformation is a reliable indicator that the observed specimen has recently been in contact with water.