The Amblycera are a large clade of chewing lice, parasitic on both birds and mammals. The Amblycera are considered the most primitive clade of lice.
Description
These insects are very much like the familiar advanced sucking lice, except they do not stay on their host permanently. They roam freely over the surface of their host and, unlike other lice, do not form permanent attachments. They feed by chewing soft areas of skin, causing an area of localized bleeding from which they drink.
Species of this group have antennae but they cannot readily be seen because they lie in grooves in the side of the head. Usually the antennae of Amblycera composes 4-5 segments. The maxillary palps may, however, be present and these may be visible in mounted specimens but may be confused with the antennae. Palps of amblycerans ranges in segments from two to five. The mandibles of Amblycera bite horizontally. The head is often broader and rounder anteriorly than of Anoplura but this morphologic difference is not reliable. The tarsi of species that parasitise birds have two claws, while of those that parasitise mammals have one only.
Families
The Amblycera are divided into the following families: Ancistronidae Boopidae Mjoberg, 1910 Colpocephalidae Eichler, 1937 Gliricolidae Gyropidae Kellogg, 1896 Laemobothriidae Mjoberg, 1910 Menoponidae Mjoberg, 1910 Pseudomenoponidae Mjoberg, 1910 Ricinidae Neumann, 1890 Somaphantidae Eichler, 1941 Trimenoponidae Trinotonidae Eichler, 1941
Significant species
Notable Amblycera that parasitise birds: Holomenopon leucoxanthum (Burmeister, 1838) – cause of "wet feathers" of ducks Menopon gallinae (Linnaeus, 1958) – the "shaft louse" of poultry, pale yellow in color Menopon phaeostomum (Nitzsch, 1818) – usually occurs on peafowl Menecanthus stramineus (Nitzsch, 1818) – the yellow "body louse" of poultry Trinoton anserinum (J.C.Fabricus, 1805) – may be found on ducks and swans
Notable species that parasitise mammals: Gliricola porcelli (Linnaeus, 1758) – on guinea-pigs Gyropus ovalis (Nitzsch, 1818) – on guinea-pigs Heterodoxus longitarsus (Piaget, 1880) – on Macropodidae (wallabies and kangaroos) Heterodoxus macropus (Le Souef & Bullen, 1902) – on Macropodidae Heterodoxus spiniger (Enderlein, 1909) – common on dogs in warm countries (between latitudes 40° north and 40° south) Trimenopon hispidium (Burmeister, 1838) – on guinea-pigs