Strigiphilus garylarsoni

Strigiphilus garylarsoni is a species of chewing louse found only on owls. The species has no common name.

Strigiphilus garylarsoni
Holotype ♂; paratype ♀.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Psocodea
Family: Philopteridae
Genus: Strigiphilus
Species:
S. garylarsoni
Binomial name
Strigiphilus garylarsoni

The species was first described by biologist Dale H. Clayton in 1990, who named it after cartoonist Gary Larson.

Host

Its type host is the Northern white-faced owl (Ptilopsis leucotis).[1]

Distribution

The type location is Ndola, Zambia.[1]

Etymology

It was named after Gary Larson, creator of the syndicated cartoon The Far Side. In a letter to Larson, Clayton praised the cartoonist for "the enormous contribution that my colleagues and I feel you have made to biology through your cartoons." In his 1989 book The Prehistory of the Far Side, Larson stated, "I considered this an extreme honor. Besides, I knew no one was going to write and ask to name a new species of swan after me. You have to grab these opportunities when they come along."[3] Clayton wrote he honored Larson "in appreciation of the unique light he has shed on the workings of nature."[1]

See also

References
  1. Clayton, Dale H. (1990). "Host Specificity of Strigiphilus Owl Lice (Ischnocera: Philopteridae), with the Description of New Species and Host Associations" (PDF). Journal of Medical Entomology. 27 (3): 258–260. doi:10.1093/jmedent/27.3.257. PMID 2332870.
  2. "Strigiphilus garylarsoni Clayton, D.H.". Phthiraptera.info. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  3. Larson, Gary (1989). The Prehistory of the Far Side. Andrews and McMeel. ISBN 978-0-8362-1851-0.

Further reading
  • Heard, Stephen B. (2020). "Gary Larson's Louse". Charles Darwin's Barnacle and David Bowie's Spider: How Scientific Names Celebrate Adventurers, Heroes, and Even a Few Scoundrels. New Haven: Yale University Press. pp. 31–38. doi:10.12987/9780300252699-006. ISBN 9780300252699. S2CID 246138310.
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