Dorypteryx Booklouse vs Human Body Louse

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Dorypteryx Booklouse Human Body Louse
Scientific Name Dorypteryx domestica Pediculus humanus humanus
Order Psocoptera Phthiraptera
Family Psoquillidae Pediculidae
Size 1.5-2.0 mm 2.5-3.5 mm
Habitat Indoors Indoors
Diet Fungus Feeders Blood Feeders
Regions Europe, North America Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Dorypteryx Booklouse

A winged domestic psocid found in houses, especially in roof spaces and lofts. It is attracted to light and sometimes swarms indoors.

💡

Did You Know?

This booklouse frequently appears at windows and lights in old houses, often being mistaken for a tiny moth.

Human Body Louse

Closely related to the head louse but lives in clothing rather than on hair. It is the vector for epidemic typhus, trench fever, and relapsing fever.

💡

Did You Know?

Body lice are believed to have evolved from head lice when humans first began wearing clothing roughly 70,000 to 170,000 years ago.