Image of book louse

Description:

This was one of five scanning electron micrographic (SEM) images (PHIL# 9243 – 9247), successively magnified at higher and higher values, which focused on the head region of a female body louse, Pediculus humanus var. corporis from a ventral perspective. At a high magnification of 1228x, this SEM revealed some of the insect’s exoskeletal morphology exhibited by the cephalic region. Highlighted in this view is the insect’s cone-shaped mouth, which is surrounded by a number of setae, or sensorial hairs, which provide the organism with informational feedback about its environment such as chemistry and temperature.
Created: 2006