Linognathus vituli

Scientific Classification

Class	Insecta
Order	Phthiraptera
Suborder	Anoplura
Family	Linognathidae

Identification

L. vituli is a elongated dark blue louse around 2mm in length. The forelegs are smaller than both the midlegs and the hindlegs.

The eggs are dark, and often cannot be seen on the host by the naked eye alone.

Life Cycle

The female lays eggs on the host, and these hatch generally within 2 weeks into nymphs. Like many other cattle louse, the nymph is similar in appearance to the adult, just slightly smaller. The nymph then undergoes three further transformations before becoming a mature adult.

The adults are capable of living for around one month, and the lifecycle of L. vituli is between two and three weeks.