Studies on populations of head-lice (Pediculus humanus capitis: Anoplura)

Abstract

1. In three previous papers (1936, 1938b, 1940a) the author has discussed the distribution of head-lice among their human hosts, his material being nearly 3000 complete crops of hair. The present paper deals with the strictly entomological side of the inquiry, that is to say, with the study of the populations of head-lice themselves. The total amount of material is the lice from 858 infestations from six places; from each of four places there were less than 100 infestations.2. In about two-thirds of the infestations there were ten lice or less, the proportion of low infestations varying considerably from place to place (Table 1). Infestations over 100 never formed more than 10% of all the infestations in a place.3. In a single head the proportion of the sexes is often far from equal; indeed, in light infestations it is common to find that all the adults are of one sex. Taking all the heads from one place, the total number of males and females differs significantly from equality, an excess of males occurring in one place, of females in another (Table 2). In all heads from one place the coefficient of correlation between the number of males and females is high, about 0·8–0·9. As the density of the louse population, does not generally affect the sex ratio, the correlation is approximately linear. But when the density is unusually high, as it is in some heads from Colombo, the proportion of males rises progressively. This is the only case known, in spite of much searching, in which sex ratio of the louse is affected by an environmental factor.4. In the matter of the number of larvae per female, there are great individual differences between heads, though the coefficient of correlation, worked on all the heads from one place is as high as 0·7 or 0·9. Taking all the heads from one place, the mean number of larvae per female ranges between 5·4 and 10·9; many of the differences between places are significant. I have failed to find any explanation of these differences, and they do not seem to be affected by any environmental factor. The fact that the larvae are always more numerous than the females, indicates that there is a high mortality during the course of larval life; the author has failed to make a more precise estimate of the proportion which die.5. A small part of the material was specially examined, and every larva referred to its instar. In this sample of 502 larvae it was found that the death-rate was higher in the third instar than in the other two, a state of affairs the reverse of what occurs in body-lice reared in boxes.