Kingdom Animalia Suborder Ischnocera Genus Strigiphilus Phylum Arthropoda Order Louse | Class Insecta Family Philopteridae Scientific name Strigiphilus garylarsoni Rank Species | |
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Similar Louse, Ischnocera, Philopteridae, Aptostichus stephencolberti, Pheidole harrisonfordi | ||
Strigiphilus garylarsoni is a species of chewing louse found only on owls. The species has no common name.
The species was first described by biologist Dale H. Clayton in 1989. 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 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."
References
Strigiphilus garylarsoni Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA