Encyclopedia > Ischnocera

  Article Content

Ischnocera

The Ischnocera are a large suborder of lice mostly parasitic on birds but including a large family (the Trichodectidae) parasitic on mammals. The genus Trichophilopterus is also found on mammals (lemurs) but probably belongs to the "avian Ischnocera" and represents host switch from birds to mammals. Many of the avian Ischnocera have evolved an elongated body shape. This allows them to conceal themselves between the feather shafts and avoid being dislodged during preening or flight.

The taxonomy of the group is in need of revision. Currently four families are recognised but one of these, the Philopteridae, is almost certainly paraphyletic. The families are:

  • Heptapsogasteridae
  • Goniodidae
  • Philopteridae
  • Trichodectidae



All Wikipedia text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License

 
  Search Encyclopedia

Search over one million articles, find something about almost anything!
 
 
  
  Featured Article
Father Damien

... to keep them warm or fed. After twelve years of ministering to the patients at the leper colony (see Kalawao County, Hawaii), he contracted the disease, from which h ...

 
 
 
This page was created in 34.1 ms