The crab louse (Pthirus pubis, frequently misspelled as Phthirus pubis), also known as the pubic louse, is an insect that is an obligate ectoparasite of humans. It is typically found in pubic hair, but may also live on other areas with hair, including the eyelashes. They feed exclusively on blood. Humans are the only known hosts of this parasite, although a closely related species, Pthirus gorillae, infects gorilla populations. The species passed to humans 3.3 million years ago.
Read more about Crab Louse: Description, Life Cycle, Infestation of Humans, Epidemiology
Famous quotes containing the words crab and/or louse:
“I love no roast but a nut-brown toast, and a crab laid in the fire;
A little bread shall do me stead! much bread I do not desire;”
—William Stevenson (1530?–1575)
“A louse in the locks of literature.”
—Alfred Tennyson (1809–1892)