Strigiphilus garylarsoni is a species of chewing louse found only on owls. The species has no common name.
Strigiphilus garylarsoni | |
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Holotype ♂; paratype ♀. | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Psocodea |
Family: | Philopteridae |
Genus: | Strigiphilus |
Species: | S. garylarsoni
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Binomial name | |
Strigiphilus garylarsoni |
The species was first described by biologist Dale H. Clayton in 1990, who named it after cartoonist Gary Larson.
Host
editIts type host is the Northern white-faced owl (Ptilopsis leucotis).[1]
Distribution
editThe type location is Ndola, Zambia.[1]
Etymology
editIt 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
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d 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.
- ^ "Strigiphilus garylarsoni Clayton, D.H.". Phthiraptera.info. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
- ^ Larson, Gary (1989). The Prehistory of the Far Side. Andrews and McMeel. ISBN 978-0-8362-1851-0.
Further reading
edit- 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.
External links
edit- Potter, Lisa (August 14, 2017). "The Far Side of Science". @theU. The University of Utah. Archived from the original on November 23, 2020.