Basal ischnoceran louse phylogeny (Phthiraptera: Ischnocera: Goniodidae and Heptapsogasteridae).

摘要

A phylogenetic analysis of generic relationships for avian chewing lice of the families Goniodidae and Heptapsogasteridae is presented. These lice, hosted by galliform, columbiform and tinamiform birds, are reputedly basal in the phylogeny of Ischnocera. A cladistic analysis of 62 adult morphological characters from 31 taxa revealed 30 equally parsimonious cladograms. The phylogeny is well resolved within Heptapsogasteridae and supports the monophyly of subfamily Strongylocotinae (sensu Eichler, 1963). Resolution within the Goniodidae is lower but suggests that the genera hosted by Columbiformes are largely monophyletic. Mapping host taxonomy on to the phylogeny of the lice reveals a consistent pattern which is largely congruent down to the rank of host family, although at lower taxonomic levels the association appears to be more complex. The inclusion of more louse taxa may help considerably to unravel the coevolutionary history of both the hosts and their parasites.