Editing Amblycera (section)

== Characteristics ==
Like all chewing lice, Amblycera are permanent ectoparasites of their hosts, in that they spend their entire life living off of their individual host.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last1=P. Johnson |first1=Kevin |last2=H. Clayton |first2=Dale |title=THE BIOLOGY, ECOLOGY, AND EVOLUTION OF CHEWING LICE |url=https://phthiraptera.myspecies.info/sites/phthiraptera.info/files/41865.pdf |access-date=May 11, 2025 |website=phthiraptera.myspecies.info}}</ref> Almost all Amblycera exclusively parasitize [[Bird|birds]].<ref name=":0" /> In a section of their throat called the [[Crop (anatomy)|crop]], Amblycera contain developed comb structures at the base.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Louse {{!}} Description, Features, Life Cycle, Species, & Classification {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/animal/louse |access-date=2025-05-11 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> The structures are used to prevent feathers and other debris from progressing further into the digestive system.<ref name=":1" /> All species are wingless, and have a broad head with a pair of mandibles.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Order Phthiraptera – ENT 425 – General Entomology |url=https://genent.cals.ncsu.edu/insect-identification/order-phthiraptera/ |access-date=2025-05-11 |language=en-US}}</ref> The antennae are broken into three to five joints depending on the species, and they do not have any eyes. Anmblycera also have two small segmented claws at the end of their limbs.<ref name=":2" /> Species are small and [[dorsoventrally]] compressed, and are host specific in that a single species will parasitize on a single host.<ref name=":0" /> They can vary between one and five millimeters long, and range in color from white to black.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chewing louse {{!}} Parasite, Poultry, Livestock {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/animal/chewing-louse |access-date=2025-05-11 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>

=== Life cycle ===
Amblycera undergo a process of [[metamorphosis]] with three stages: Eggs (also known as "nits"), nymph and adult. The process usually takes around two to three weeks on average.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lice |url=https://capcvet.org/guidelines/lice/#:~:text=Once%20the%20egg%20has%20hatched,canis%20and%20F. |access-date=2025-05-11 |website=Companion Animal Parasite Council |language=en}}</ref> Eggs are usually 0.8 millimeters long and oval shaped. The eggs also small holes called micropyles that allow for respiration.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Lucius |first1=Richard |title=The Biology of Parasites |last2=Loos-Frank |first2=Briggete |publisher=[[Wiley (publisher)|Wiley]] |isbn=9783527698561 |publication-date=January 4, 2017 |pages=418 |language=en}}</ref> They range in color from yellow to white.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Lice-life-cycle |url=https://byjus.com/biology/lice-life-cycle/ |access-date=2025-05-11 |website=BYJUS |language=en}}</ref> The nymphs are also yellow to white in color, and undergo a three part process of [[moulting]] over the course of a week. After the third nymph moult the lice are considered adults, and will live up to thirty days off of their chosen host.<ref name=":3" />