What does a head louse look? - briefly
A head louse is a tiny, wing‑less insect about 2–3 mm long, gray‑brown, with a flattened body and six clawed legs that cling to hair shafts. Its head is broader than the thorax, bearing short antennae and compound eyes.
What does a head louse look? - in detail
A head louse is a small, wing‑less insect measuring 2–4 mm in length. Its body consists of three main regions: head, thorax, and abdomen, each covered by a fine, translucent exoskeleton that gives the insect a gray‑brown hue. The head bears a pair of compound eyes and a set of short, slender antennae, usually less than 1 mm long, which are highly mobile and used for sensing environmental cues.
The thorax supports three pairs of legs, each ending in a claw‑like claw that grips hair shafts tightly. Legs are adapted for rapid crawling rather than jumping; they lack the powerful hind legs seen in many other insects. The abdomen contains the reproductive organs and a series of tiny, hair‑like structures called setae, which aid in sensory perception.
Key visual characteristics:
- Size: 2–4 mm (about the width of a grain of rice).
- Color: translucent gray‑brown; may appear darker after feeding.
- Body shape: elongated, slightly flattened dorsally.
- Head: small, with compound eyes and short antennae.
- Legs: six, each ending in a sharp claw for anchoring to hair.
- Abdomen: segmented, with fine setae.
The louse’s mouthparts are piercing‑sucking, designed to penetrate the scalp and draw blood. When engorged with blood, the abdomen expands, making the insect appear larger and more opaque. These morphological details enable identification under magnification and differentiate head lice from other ectoparasites.