| Haematopinus asini
|
| Class
|
Insecta
|
| Order
|
Phthiraptera
|
| Family
|
Haematopinidae
|
| Also known as:
|
Horse sucking louse
|
Identification
The adults are dark yellow, and around 3mm long. Their mouth is adapted with piercing parts for the sucking of blood. The thoracic sternal part is dark and very well developed in this species.
Life Cycle
The eggs are white, and hatch into nymphs in 1-2 weeks. They require a further 12 days to develop into adults. The complete cycle from oviposition to complete development of the adult louse requires around 28 days.