Galapagos Species Database
The Galapagos Species Database shares the information about the species from our Natural History Collections.
Polyplax spinulosa
Piojo, Rat louse
Ectoparasite on rats
Domain
Eukaryota
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Arthropoda
Class
Insecta
Order
Psocodea
Suborder
Troctomorpha
Family
Polyplacidae
Genus
Polyplax
Species
spinulosa
Taxon category: Accepted
Synonym: Pediculus spinulosus (Burmeister, 1839)
Origin: Introduced - established
Year of first record: 1992
Mode of introduction: Accidental
Introduction Pathway: Contaminant
Subpathway: Parasites/pathogens on animals
Introduced status: Coexists with introduced species
Invasive status: No data
- Linsley, E.G. Usinger, R.L. (1966) Insects of the Galápagos Islands. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences Fourth Series 33(7): 113-196.
- Palma, R.L. Peck, S.B. (2013) An annotated checklist of parasitic lice (Insecta: Phthiraptera) from the Galápagos Islands Zootaxa 3627 (1): 001–087
- Peck, S.B. Heraty, J., Landry, B. & Sinclair, B.J. (1998) Introduced insect fauna of an oceanic archipelago: The Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. Am. Entomol. 44: 218-237.
- Smith, V. (ed.) (2012) Phthiraptera.info. Website published by the International Society of Phthirapterists. http://phthiraptera.info/
You are welcome to download and use the information found in this page, acknowledging its source.
This page should be cited as follows:
"Galapagos Species Database, Polyplax spinulosa", dataZone. Charles Darwin Foundation, https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/en/checklist/?species=13468. Accessed 4 November 2026.