Amblycera
Ricinus bombycillae (Ricinidae) from a Bohemian waxwing
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Psocodea
Suborder:	Troctomorpha
Infraorder:	Nanopsocetae
Parvorder:	Phthiraptera
Clade:	Amblycera Kellogg, 1896
Families[1]
Ancistronidae Boopidae Colpocephalidae Gliricolidae Gyropidae Laemobothriidae Menoponidae Pseudomenoponidae Ricinidae Somaphantidae Trimenoponidae Trinotonidae

The Amblycera are a large clade of chewing lice, ^[1][2] parasitic on both birds and mammals. The Amblycera are considered the most primitive clade of lice.

These insects are very much like the familiar advanced sucking lice, except they do not stay on their host permanently. They roam freely over the surface of their host and, unlike other lice, do not form permanent attachments. They feed by chewing soft areas of skin, causing an area of localized bleeding from which they drink.

Species of this group have antennae but they cannot readily be seen because they lie in grooves in the side of the head. Usually the antennae of Amblycera composes 4-5 segments. The maxillary palps may, however, be present and these may be visible in mounted specimens but may be confused with the antennae. Palps of amblycerans ranges in segments from two to five. The mandibles of Amblycera bite horizontally. The head is often broader and rounder anteriorly than of Anoplura but this morphologic difference is not reliable. The tarsi of species that parasitise birds have two claws, while of those that parasitise mammals have one only.^[3]

The Amblycera are divided into the following families:^[1]

• Ancistronidae
• Boopidae Mjoberg, 1910
• Colpocephalidae Eichler, 1937
• Gliricolidae
• Gyropidae Kellogg, 1896
• Laemobothriidae Mjoberg, 1910
• Menoponidae Mjoberg, 1910
• Pseudomenoponidae Mjoberg, 1910
• Ricinidae Neumann, 1890
• Somaphantidae Eichler, 1941
• Trimenoponidae
• Trinotonidae Eichler, 1941

Notable Amblycera that parasitise birds:

• Holomenopon leucoxanthum (Burmeister, 1838)^{[verification needed]} – cause of "wet feathers" of ducks
• Menopon gallinae (Linnaeus, 1958)^{[verification needed]} – the "shaft louse" of poultry, pale yellow in color
• Menopon phaeostomum (Nitzsch, 1818)^{[verification needed]} – usually occurs on peafowl
• Menecanthus stramineus (Nitzsch, 1818)^{[verification needed]} – the yellow "body louse" of poultry
• Trinoton anserinum (J.C.Fabricus, 1805)^{[verification needed]} – may be found on ducks and swans^{[verification needed]}

Notable species that parasitise mammals:

• Gliricola porcelli (Linnaeus, 1758)^{[verification needed]} – on guinea-pigs
• Gyropus ovalis (Nitzsch, 1818)^{[verification needed]} – on guinea-pigs
• Heterodoxus longitarsus (Piaget, 1880)^{[verification needed]} – on Macropodidae (wallabies and kangaroos)
• Heterodoxus macropus (Le Souef & Bullen, 1902)^{[verification needed]} – on Macropodidae
• Heterodoxus spiniger (Enderlein, 1909)^{[verification needed]} – common on dogs in warm countries (between latitudes 40° north and 40° south)
• Trimenopon hispidium (Burmeister, 1838)^{[verification needed]} – on guinea-pigs

• Media related to Amblycera at Wikimedia Commons
• Data related to Amblycera at Wikispecies