752 



MALLOPHAGA AND ANOPLURA {LICE) 



ORDER ANOPLURA Leach, 1815. 



Synonyms. — Pediculina Burxneister, 1835; Siphunculata Meinert, 

 1891; Pseudorhynchota Cholodkowsky, 1903; Lipognatha Borner, 

 1904; EUipoptera Shipley, 1904. 



Definition. — Hexapoda with labrum and labium joined together 

 to form a rostrum or proboscis, which is armed with recurved 

 booklets, and contains a hollow extensile sucker formed by the 

 mandibles and maxillae. Eyes without facets. Antennae five- 

 jointed. Thorax with little traces of segmentation. Wings absent. 

 Legs with hook-like terminal joints, suitable for clinging. Last 

 abdominal segment rounded in male, notched in female. Meta- 

 morphosis incomplete. Habitat, epizoic on mammals. 



Historical. — The sucking lice were known to the ancients, for Aristotle 

 was acquainted with the pubic louse, while references can be found in the works 

 of Theophrastus, Dioscurides, Galen, and Pliny. 



The more modern writers are Moffat, 1634, Camerarius, 1652, Redi, 1668, 

 Leuwenhoek, 1697, and Swammerdamm in 1737, several of whom give excel- 

 lent figures of these parasites. 



In 1758 Linnaeus, in his ' Systema Naturae,' gathered a heterogeneous collec- 

 tion of species, including some of Mallophaga and Anoplura, in his genus 

 Pediculus ; and in 181 5 Leach gave the more commonly used name to the order, 

 which included the Mallophaga as well as the sucking lice. 



We have already seen how the species of Mallophaga were separated from 

 this composite genus Pediculus, and it now remains to point out that Leach 

 in 1 81 5 created the genera Phthirius for Pediculus pubis and HcBWiatopinus 

 for Pediculus vituli, P. asini, and P. suis. 



Later important investigations were made by Nitzsch, 181 8, Burmeister, 

 1835, Denny, 1842, Giebel, 1874, Piaget, 1880, and especially by Enderlein 

 in his ' Lause Studien,' published in 1904, and by Delia Torre in 1908. 



We have seen that Mjoberg and Kellogg consider that the Anoplura are 

 derived from ancestors common to them and the Mallophaga, being separated 

 by the alterations induced by sucking blood. 



Morphology. — The anatomy will be dealt with under the heading 

 Pediculidae, and need not detain us here, except to invite atten- 

 tion to the characters of the mouth parts, which are so modified 

 as to form a sucking mouth, while the pharynx performs the role 

 of a sucking pump. 



Classification. — The order is divided into four families, some of 

 which are capable of being subdivided into subfamilies. The number 

 of genera is 15, and the known species are about 100, which are all 

 parasitic on mammals. 



The following table, taken from Delia Torre, enables the families 

 to be differentiated: — 



A. Head not prolonged into a nozzle-like projection. Antennae 

 three to five segments. Tibia with a thumb-like process. 

 Tibia and tarsus very short and thick. Legs clinging 

 in character. 



L Body flattened. Mesothorax and three to eight 

 abdominal segments, with stigmata. Antenna three 

 to five segments. Tibia with thumb-hke process. 



