What is Louse? A Basic Definition

Louse \Louse\ (lous), n.; pl. Lice (l[imac]s). [OE. lous,
         AS.
   l[=u]s, pl. l[=y]s; akin to D. luis, G. laus, OHG.
         l[=u]s,
   Icel. l[=u]s, Sw. lus, Dan. luus; perh. so named
         because it
   is destructive, and akin to E. lose, loose.]
         (Zool.)
   1. Any one of numerous species of small,
         wingless, suctorial,
      parasitic insects belonging to a
         tribe (Pediculina),
         now
      usually regarded as
         degraded Hemiptera. To this group
      belong of the lice
         of man and other mammals; as, the head
      louse of man
         (Pediculus
         capitis), the body louse
      ({Pediculus
         vestimenti}), and the crab louse (Phthirius pubis),
         and many others. See Crab
         louse, Dog
         louse,
     
         Cattle louse, etc.,
         under Crab, Dog, etc.
  
            [1913
         Webster]

   2. Any one of numerous small mandibulate
         insects, mostly
      parasitic on birds, and feeding on
         the feathers. They are
      known as Mallophaga, or bird
         lice, though some occur on
      the hair of mammals. They
         are usually regarded as degraded
      Pseudoneuroptera.
         See Mallophaga.
    
          [1913 Webster]

   3. Any one of
         the numerous species of aphids, or plant lice.
      See
         Aphid.
      [1913
         Webster]

   4. Any small crustacean
         parasitic on fishes. See
      Branchiura, and
         Ichthvophthira.

              [1913 Webster]

   Note: The term
         is also applied to various other parasites;
         as, the whale louse, beelouse, horse louse.
         [1913 Webster]

   Louse
         fly (Zool.), a parasitic
         dipterous insect of the
      group Pupipara. Some of them
         are wingless, as the bee
      louse.

   Louse mite
         (Zool.), any one of numerous species of mites
      which
         infest mammals and birds, clinging to the hair and
     
         feathers like lice. They belong to Myobia,
     
         Dermaleichus,
         Mycoptes, and several
         other genera.
     
         [1913 Webster]

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Off-site Louse Links, User Submitted

The following links have been collected through user bookmark submission in the Louse category. Please note, because these resources are off-site we cannot guarantee the accuracy or quality of any information.

Sat Dec 20

• Fig-28-Phthiri us-pubis-or-cr ab-louse.png (PNG Image, 233x255 pixels)

Fri Nov 21

• Ugly Overload: Louse Tongue: Cymothoa exigua has the dubious distinction of being one of the only parasites on the planet that actually replaces one of the host animal's organs. Upon entering the spotted rosesnapper� 39;s mouth, the nubile sea louse attaches itself to the fish's tongue and starts feeding off the tongue's blood. As C. exiqua grows, the tongue atrophies and falls off. But the sea louse remains, firmly grasping the stump of the tongue. The fish is actually able to move and use the sea louse as if it were its own tongue, and sustains no additional harm.

Mon Nov 3

• Head Lice Site: Lice aren

Mon Oct 20

• CHOICE - Head lice treatments: is there a quick fix? (archived): treatment lice head lice nits

Sun Sep 7

• Hair Lice Treatment Guide: Back to school means head lice spreading

Mon Aug 4

• louise morgan illustrator - home

Sun Jun 22

• Kongregate: Play free games online

Sun Jun 15

• Pictures of Head Lice

Tue Jun 10

• Tongue-eating louse found on supermarket snapper | Practical Fishkeeping magazine

Wed May 14

• Creepy Crawlers That Need to Suck Your Blood: These creepy crawlers have more in common with humans than you might imagine. They are disgusting and they need to suck you blood! Check them out-I dare you!

Fri May 2

• Home: cool head lice videos to watch.

Sat Mar 29

• Remedy Head Louse: No one likes to think about it but head lice is a growing parasite epidemic around the world. Head louse are not caused by being dirty. These little hair bugs can infect even the cleanest person simply from trying on a hat or using someone else's comb

Fri Jan 25

• Tropic of cancer, louse, singular form of lice, singular lice, states north of tropic of cancer, lice singular: Tropic of cancer, louse, singular form of lice, singular lice, states north of tropic of cancer, lice singular

Sun Jan 20

• the Natural History Museum - Walking with woodlice

Sun Dec 16

• Words- Simulfix - vowel shift that alters meaning. eg man->men, louse->lice: a simulfix is a type of affix that changes one or more existing phonemes in order to modify the meaning of a morpheme. Examples of simulfixes in English are generally considered irregularities , all of which left over from pluralization rules that existed

Off-site Louse Research Links

If you still need additional information on Louse then we suggest the following off-site resources. Please note, because these resources are off-site we cannot guarantee the accuracy or quality of any information.