Pthirus
Encyclopedia
Pthirus is a genus
of lice
. There are only two extant species. Pthirus gorillae
infests Gorilla
s, and Pthirus pubis
afflicts humans, and is commonly known as the crab louse or pubic
lice.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of lice
Louse
Lice is the common name for over 3,000 species of wingless insects of the order Phthiraptera; three of which are classified as human disease agents...
. There are only two extant species. Pthirus gorillae
Pthirus gorillae
Pthirus gorillae or gorilla louse is a species of parasitic sucking louse that afflicts gorillas. It is found in the African continent specifically in Rwanda and Democratic Republic of the Congo...
infests Gorilla
Gorilla
Gorillas are the largest extant species of primates. They are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies...
s, and Pthirus pubis
Crab louse
Crab lice are parasitic insects notorious for infesting human pubic hair. The species may also live on other areas with hair, including the eyelashes. They feed exclusively on blood...
afflicts humans, and is commonly known as the crab louse or pubic
Pubic hair
Pubic hair is hair in the frontal genital area, the crotch, and sometimes at the top of the inside of the legs; these areas form the pubic region....
lice.