Image of human body louse

Description:

This 2006 scanning electron micrograph (SEM), under a low magnification of only 76x, revealed the distal tip of the abdominal region of a female body louse, Pediculus humanus var. corporis from a dorsal perspective. Some of the morphologic characteristics seen in this image include the two gonopodia, which are located dorsal to the larger two setae-bearing claspers. It is into this notch that the male would insert the aedeagus, or penis during the process of copulation. This notch, identifying the louse as a female is observable to the naked eye, whereas, in the male louse, the distal abdomen is rounded, and not concave.
Created: 2006