Crab Louse, Pthirus Pubis (Linnaeus) (Insecta: Phthiraptera (Anoplura) : Pediculidae)

EENY-103
Crab Louse, Pthirus pubis (Linnaeus) (Insecta:

Phthiraptera (Anoplura): Pediculidae)1
H. V. Weems, Jr. and T. R. Fasulo2
Introduction
Sucking lice are small wingless external parasites that feed
on blood. Three types of sucking lice infest humans: the
body louse, Pediculus humanus humanus Linnaeus, also
known as Pediculus humanus corporis; the head louse,
Pediculus humanus capitis De Geer; and the crab louse or
pubic louse, Pthirus pubis (Linnaeus).
The head louse and the body louse are morphologically
indistinguishable, but are easily distinguished from the
crab louse. The crab louse usually infests the hairs of the
pubic and perineal regions, but may move to the armpits,
beard, or mustache. It occurs rarely on the eyelids and in
a few instances has been found in all stages on the scalp of
unusually hairy individuals. It is relatively immobile when
on the host, remaining attached and feeding for hours or
days on one spot without removing its mouth parts from
the skin.
Although they are irritating pests, crab lice are not known
to be vectors of human diseases, whereas body lice and
head lice are known to be vectors of at least three human
diseases: epidemic or louse-borne typhus, caused by
Rickettsia prowazeki de Rocha-Lima; trench fever, caused
by Rochalimaea quintana (Schmincke) Krieg (long known
as Rickettsia quintana); and louse-borne relapsing fever,
caused by Borrellia recurrentis (Lebert) Bergy et al. (PAHO
1973).
Crab lice most commonly inhabit adults and are not found
on children prior to puberty. Infestation with crab lice is
said to result most often from contact during coitus. As
with body lice and head lice, but less so with crab lice,
transmission may occur from crowding of infested clothing
with uninfested clothing in locker rooms and gymnasiums,
by sleeping in infested beds, or from contact with badly
infested persons in a crowd. Pubic lice tend to remain on
their hosts throughout their lives unless dislodged, taken off
with clothing, or controlled.
Little is known about the incidence of infestation with
Pthirus in a human community, but generally it seems
to be much lower than with Pediculus. Humans differ in
their sensitivity to the bite of Pthirus. To most it causes
less irritation than that of Pediculus humanus, but some
experience severe pruritus. The consequent scratching
produces a localized eczematous condition of the pubic or
axillary regions. Blue spots which may result from the
bite of the crab louse are 0.2 to 3.0 cm in diameter, with an
irregular outline, are painless, do not disappear on pressure,
and appear to be in the deeper tissues. They appear some
hours after the crab louse has bitten and last for several
days (Buxton 1947). This bluish-gray discoloration of the
skin, due to poisonous saliva injected by the crab louse, is
similar to the melanoderma caused by the body louse (Riley
and Johannsen 1938).
Louse eggs are usually referred to as nits.
1. This document is EENY-103 (IN260) (originally published as DPI Entomology Circular 211), one of a series of Featured Creatures from the Entomology
and Nematology Department, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date: July 1999. Revised: June 2007 and November 2013 . Visit the EDIS website
at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.
2. H. V. Weems, Jr., Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry, and T. R. Fasulo, Entomology and Nematology
Department, UF/IFAS Extension, Gainesville, FL 32611.
The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to
individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national
origin, political opinions or affiliations. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A&M University Cooperative
Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Nick T. Place , Dean
Synonymy
1758. Pediculus pubis Linnaeus, Systema Naturae, Edition
10: 611.
1815. Pthirus inguinalis Leach, Edinburgh Encyclopaedia
9: 77.
1816. Pediculus ferus von Olfers, De vegetativis et
animatis corporibus in corporibus animatis reperiundis
commentatius, p. 83. (Definitely a synonym of Pthirus
pubis (Linnaeus).)
1904. Pthirus pubis (Linnaeus), Enderlein, Zoologischer
Anzeiger 28: 136.
1918. Phthirus pubis (Linnaeus), Nuttall, Parasitology 10:
383.
1935. Phthirus pubis (Linnaeus), Ferris, Contributions
toward a monograph of the sucking lice, part 8: 603.
Figure 1. Crab louse egg (left); body louse egg (right).

Credits: Division of Plant Industry
The female lays two to three whitish eggs during a 24 hour

period. Each female may lay 15 to 50 eggs over her lifetime.
The eggs hatch within six to eight days. The first instar
nymphs feed for about five to six days before molting. The
second instar is completed within nine to ten days and the
third instar takes about 13 to 17 days. The mature adults
live for about 15 to 25 days.
1935. Pthirus chavesi Escomel and Velando, Cronicas de

Medicina (Lima, Peru) 52: 335.
1936. Phthirus pubis (Linnaeus), Bedford, Onderstepoort
Journal of Veterinary Science and Animal Medicine 7:
105.
1939. Phthirus pubis (Linnaeus), Buxton, The Louse, p.
93.
Hosts and Distribution

The crab louse occurs in many parts of the world and is
almost exclusively a parasite of man. Ferris (1951) noted
that it had been recorded from a chimpanzee from the
French Congo.
Biology and Morphology
Figure 2. Head louse (left) and crab louse (right).

Credits: Division of Plant Industry
Most of what is known of the biology of Pthirus is due to

two authors (Nuttall, 1918, and Payot, 1920) who confined
small numbers beneath a stocking or in a small enclosure
on the skin and observed them daily. From these studies the
complete life history was obtained. A quantitative knowledge of the biology of Pthirus is still unavailable. In general,
the biology of Pthirus and Pediculus are similar. Buxton
(1947) gave a brief account of the biology of Pthirus. He
indicated that the egg resembles that of Pediculus, but is
smaller. The mass of cement which secures the egg to the
hair is larger in Pthirus, and its shape is somewhat different.
Figure 3. Crab louse, Pthirus pubis (Linnaeus).
Credits: University of Florida
Crab Louse, Pthirus pubis (Linnaeus) (Insecta: Phthiraptera (Anoplura): Pediculidae)
Neither nymphs nor adults move about very much. While

feeding a crab louse grabs human hairs with at least one of
its second or third legs which are adapted for this purpose.
Lice do move about slowly after molting. The louse
inserts its mouth parts into the skin of the host, and takes
blood intermittently for many hours. Neither larvae nor
adults can survive more than twenty-four hours without
feeding. Nymphs resemble adults, and metamorphosis is
incomplete.
The crab louse may be distinguished readily from the body
louse or head louse by the following: forelegs delicate, with
long, slender claws; other legs very stout, with short, stout
claws: thumblike process of tibia short and stout; abdomen
very short and broad; segments 1-5 closely crowded, thus
the stigmata of segments 3-5 apparently lying in one lateral
process. All legs of the body louse or head louse are stout;
thumblike process of tibia very long and slender, bearing
strong spines, forelegs stouter than the others; abdomen
elongate, segments without lateral processes.
Management
Adequate sanitation, including frequent changes of clothing, and laundering of clothing and bedding in hot water,
or dry cleaning, may be effective for decontamination of
these articles, but lousicides must be used to control lice
on human hosts because lice are not killed by ordinary
shampoos or bathing.
Selected References
Anonymous. 1975. Basic information about human lice.
Pharmecs Div., Pfizer Inc., New York, New York. 12 p.
Borror, D.J., C.A. Triplehorn and N.F. Johnson. 1989. An
introduction to the study of insects. 6th Ed. Harcourt Brace,
New York. 875 p.
Bosik, J.J, et al. 1997. Common names of insects and related
organisms (1997 revision). Ent. Soc. America, Special Publ.
Buxton, P.A. 1947. The louse. An account of the lice which
infest man, their medical importance and control. 2nd ed.
Edward Arnold & Co., London.
The presence of eggs (nits) is the most important indication

of a problem because they are inactive and easier to see,
whereas the lice are near the skin feeding.
Clay, T. 1973. Phthiraptera. In: K.G.V. Smith (ed.), Insects

and other arthropods of medical importance. British
Museum (Natural History), London. 561 p.
Delousing methods practiced for many years prior to and

during the early part of World War II were cumbersome
and usually expensive. Methyl bromide, a fumigant which
would destroy all stages of the louse, was developed in the
interval between the two World Wars, but was found to be
dangerous.
Fasulo, T.R. 2002. Bloodsucking Insects. Bug Tutorials.

University of Florida/IFAS. CD-ROM. SW 151.
Usually treatments effective against head lice are also

effective against crab lice. The liquid or powder must be
applied to the pubic and anal regions, underarms, and
wherever the body is hairy. In particularly hairy persons,
the lousicide should be applied from neck to foot, perhaps
also to the eyebrows and beard. The material should be well
distributed and should reach the skin.
Over-the-counter preparations containing insecticides are
normally used for treatment. Detailed instructions are on
the label and usually require about two applications over
a week. This is due to the six to eight day hatching period
of the eggs. Two applications over this time usually ensure
that all the adults and nymphs are killed. Contact with an
infested person usually will require retreatment..
Insect Management Guide for Body Lice and Pubic Lice
Fasulo TR, Kern W, Koehler PG, Short DE. 2005. Pests In

and Around the Home. Version 2.0. University of Florida/
IFAS. CD-ROM. SW 126.
Ferris, G.F. 1951. The sucking lice. San Francisco: Pacific
Coast Ent. Soc., Mem. 1. 320 p.
Furman, D.P., and E.P. Catts. 1970. Manual of medical
entomology. 3rd ed. National Press Books, Palo Alto,
California. 163 p.
Hase, A. 1931. Siphuncalata; Anoplura; Aptera; Lause. In:
Schulze (ed.), Biologie der Tiere Deutschlands 30: 1-58.
Herms, W.B., and M.T. James. 1961. Medical entomology.
The Macmillan Co., New York. 616 p.
Horsfall, W.R. 1962. Medical entomology. Arthropods and
human disease. The Ronald Press Co., New York. 467 p.
Martini, E. 1923. Lehrbuch der medizinischen Entomologie. Gustav Fischer, Jena. xvi + 462 p.
Mallis, A.. (ed.) Handbook of Pest Control. 7th Edition.

Franzak & Foster Co. Cleveland. 1990. 1152 p.
Nuttall, G.H.F. 1918. The biology of Phthirus pubis. Parasitology 10: 383-405.
Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). 1973. The
control of lice and louse-borne diseases. Proc. International
Symposium on the Control of Lice and Louse-borne
Diseases, Washington, D.C., 4-6 December 1972. World
Health Organization, Washington, D.C. Scientific Publ. 263.
311 p.
Patton, W.S., and F.W. Cragg. 1913. A textbook of medical
entomology. Christian Literature Soc. for India, London,
Madras & Calcutta. 763 p.
Payot, F. 1920. Contribution a letude du Phthirus pubis
(Linne, Leach). Bull. Soc. vaud. Sci. nat. 53: 127-161.
Richards, O.W., and R.G. Davies. 1977. Imms general
textbook of entomology. 2 vol. 10 ed. John Wiley & Sons,
New York. 1354 p.
Riley, W.A., and O.A. Johannsen. 1938. Medical entomology. A survey of insects and allied forms which affect the
health of man and animals. 2nd ed. McGraw-Hill Book Co.,
Inc., New York. 483 p.
Roy, D.N., and A.W.A. Brown. 1954. Entomology (medical
& veterinary) including insecticides & insect & rat control.
2nd ed. Excelsior Press, Calcutta, India. 413 p.
Smart, J. 1965. A handbook for the identification of insects
of medical importance. 4th ed. British Museum (Natural
History), London. xiii + 303 p.
Weems, Jr., H.V., and C.N. Smith. 1977. Human lice (Anoplura: Pediculidae), their detection and control. Div. Plant
Industry, Florida Dept. Agric. & Consumer Serv. Ent. Circ.
No. 175. 2 p.

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EENY-103

Crab Louse, Pthirus pubis (Linnaeus) (Insecta:

Figure 1. Crab louse egg (left); body louse egg (right).

The female lays two to three whitish eggs during a 24 hour

1935. Pthirus chavesi Escomel and Velando, Cronicas de

Hosts and Distribution

Biology and Morphology

Figure 2. Head louse (left) and crab louse (right).

Most of what is known of the biology of Pthirus is due to

Crab Louse, Pthirus pubis (Linnaeus) (Insecta: Phthiraptera (Anoplura): Pediculidae)

Neither nymphs nor adults move about very much. While

The presence of eggs (nits) is the most important indication

Clay, T. 1973. Phthiraptera. In: K.G.V. Smith (ed.), Insects

Delousing methods practiced for many years prior to and

Fasulo, T.R. 2002. Bloodsucking Insects. Bug Tutorials.

Usually treatments effective against head lice are also

Fasulo TR, Kern W, Koehler PG, Short DE. 2005. Pests In

Crab Louse, Pthirus pubis (Linnaeus) (Insecta: Phthiraptera (Anoplura): Pediculidae)

Mallis, A.. (ed.) Handbook of Pest Control. 7th Edition.

Crab Louse, Pthirus pubis (Linnaeus) (Insecta: Phthiraptera (Anoplura): Pediculidae)

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