Image of book louse

Description:

From a ventral perspective, and at a low magnification of 151x, this 2006 scanning electron micrograph (SEM) depicted an enlarged view of the chitinous, exoskeletal surface of a female louse, Pediculus humanus var. corporis, in the region where the organism’s forelegs and hean attached to its thoracic region. In this particular view, the exoskeleton seems to be composed of interlocking plates, which is not far from the case, in order to provide flexibility to this patent joint, the chitinous components were arranged in a plate-like manner, attached to one another with thin, by strong layers of exoskeletal chitin. Chitin is a molecule made up of bound units of acetylglucosamine, which is joined in such a way as to allow for increased points at which hydrogen bonding can occur. In this way chitin provides increased strength, and durability as an exoskeletal foundation.
Created: 2006