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Echinophthiriidae Enderlein, 1904

Seal lice

Emilie Bess and Kevin P. Johnson
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taxon links [up-->]Proechinophthirus [up-->]Antarctophthirus [up-->]Latagophthirus [up-->]Echinophthirius [up-->]Lepidophthirus [down<--]Anoplura Interpreting the tree
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Containing group: Anoplura

Introduction

Echinophthiriidae are medium-to-large lice and are parasites of aquatic carnivores in the Pinnipedia (seals, walruses, and sea lions) and Mustelidae (river otters).

The five genera in the family Echinophthiriidae contain a total of ten species.

Characteristics

Host Associations

Echinophthiriidae species are parasites on river otters, seals, walruses, and sea lions.

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Walrus (Odobennus rosmarus), host of Antarctophthirus trichechi.
© 2003 Jon B. Hlidberg

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River otter (Lontra canadensis), host of Latagophthirus rauschi.
© 2005 Dmitry Azovtsev

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Harbor seal (Phoca vitulina), host of Echinophthirius horridus.
© 2003 Jon B. Hlidberg

Other Names for Echinophthiriidae Enderlein, 1904

References

Durden, L. A. and G. G. Musser. 1994. The mammalian hosts of the sucking lice (Anoplura) of the world: a host-parasite list. Bulletin of the Society for Vector Ecology 19: 130-168.

Price, M. A. and O. H. Graham. 1997. Chewing and sucking lice as parasites of mammals and birds. US Department of Agriculture Technical Service Bulletin No. 1849, 309 pp.

Title Illustrations
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Scientific Name Antarctophthirus trichechi
Comments LouseBase accession number: GLA.M12
Specimen Condition Dead Specimen
Identified By V. S. Smith
Sex Female
Life Cycle Stage adult
Body Part head, thorax
View dorsal
Collection Specimens from the collection of V. Smith
Copyright ©
Scientific Name Echinophthirius horridus
Specimen Condition Dead Specimen
Identified By V. S. Smith
Life Cycle Stage nymph, 2nd stage
Copyright © British Museum of Natural History, London
Scientific Name Lepidophthirus macrorhini
Specimen Condition Dead Specimen
Sex Female
Copyright © The Pacific Coast Entomological Society, San Francisco
About This Page

Emilie Bess
Illinois Natural History Survey, Champaign, Illinois, USA

Kevin P. Johnson
Illinois Natural History Survey, Champaign, Illinois, USA

Correspondence regarding this page should be directed to Emilie Bess at and Kevin P. Johnson at

All Rights Reserved.

Citing this page:

Bess, Emilie and Kevin P. Johnson. 2006. Echinophthiriidae Enderlein, 1904. Seal lice. Version 11 October 2006 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Echinophthiriidae/13661/2006.10.11 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/

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