Comparative study of the claws of Pediculus humanus capitis between archaeological and modern specimens

We found that archaeological male and female specimens presented significant differences in the tibio-tarsal width (right and left). When comparing data between archaeological and modern male specimens, statistically significant differences were found in almost all the parameters studied, except for the right tarsal length. On the other hand, archaeological and modern female specimens showed no statistically significant change in the variables studied. In brief, our data suggest that modern male specimens have undergone a process of claw reduction, but females have maintained the same dimensions.