Loop Feynman diagram ($L=I-V+1$)

A connected loop Feynman diagram has at least one independent internal loop momentum. With $I$ internal lines and $V$ vertices, the number of independent loops is $L=I-V+1$. A tree-level Feynman diagram has $L=0$. A multi-leg amplitude generated by a loop is not an extra fundamental interaction vertex of the original Lagrangian.

A Feynman diagram with one independent closed cycle and hence one independent loop momentum. An $n$-vertex polygon of Dirac propagators in four dimensions has superficial degree of divergence $4-n$ before symmetry cancellations. For a fermion loop, the closed fermion loop sign is separate from any symmetry factor or pairwise charge conjugation cancellation.