Haematomyzus

The genus Haematomyzus includes three species of lice that differ so markedly from all other lice that they have been placed in a suborder of their own. These unusual lice are ectoparasites of elephants and warthogs. Their mouthparts are elongated to form a drill-like structure that allows them to penetrate the thick skin of their host.

Haematomyzus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Psocoptera
Family: Haematomyzidae
Genus: Haematomyzus
Piaget, 1869
Species

Haematomyzus elephantis
Haematomyzus hopkinsi
Haematomyzus porci

Taxonomy

The three species, Haematomyzus elephantis (elephant louse), Haematomyzus hopkinsi (warthog louse) and Haematomyzus porci (red river hog louse) belong to a single family, the Haematomyzidae.[1]

Host records

H. elephantis is known from both the African and Asian Elephant.[2]

Notes

The first spelling of "Rhyncophthirina" by Ferris was a lapse, and in subsequent use of the term he spelled it "Rhynchophthirina" adding the second "h". Ordinal names are not covered by the International Code of Nomenclature and thus the name and spelling comes down to a matter of personal preference. The majority of phthirapterists spell the suborder as "Rhynchophthirina" as did Hopkins and Clay, 1952, and Price et al., 2003.

References
  1. Perspectives in Insect Systematics ISBN 978-8-121-00018-5 p. 155
  2. Price, et al., 2003


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