Host-expansion
Guides
Polyplacidae
spiny rat lice
Polyplacidae is a family of sucking lice (Anoplura) comprising approximately 193 species as of 2010. Members are obligate permanent ectoparasites of small mammals, with documented hosts including rodents (spiny rats, squirrels, pouched rats), lagomorphs (rabbits, hares), and primates (bushbabies, lemurs). The family exhibits cosmopolitan distribution. Molecular evidence suggests the family is paraphyletic and requires taxonomic revision.