Galapagos Species Database

The Galapagos Species Database shares the information about the species from our Natural History Collections.

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Pediculus humanus capitis (De Geer, 1767)

Piojo, Human head louse

Ectoparasite on humans.

Taxonomy

Domain
Eukaryota

Kingdom
Animalia

Phylum
Arthropoda

Class
Insecta

Order
Psocodea

Suborder
Troctomorpha

Family
Pediculidae

Genus
Pediculus

Species
humanus

Subspecies
capitis

Taxon category: Species with Infraspecific Taxa

Origin: Introduced - established

Introduction

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: Unlikely to become invasive

References

Palma, R.L. Peck, S.B. (2013) An annotated checklist of parasitic lice (Insecta: Phthiraptera) from the Galápagos Islands Zootaxa 3627 (1): 001–087

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This page should be cited as follows:

"Galapagos Species Database, Pediculus humanus capitis", dataZone. Charles Darwin Foundation, https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/en/checklist/?species=16812. Accessed 2 November 2026.