@article {96574, title = {Parasite escape mechanisms drive morphological diversification in avian lice}, journal = {Proccedings of the Royal Society B}, volume = {291}, year = {2004}, pages = {12 pp}, type = {Open Access}, abstract = {

Organisms that have repeatedly evolved similar morphologies owing to the same selective pressures provide excellent cases in which to examine specific morphological changes and their relevance to the ecology and evolution of taxa. Hosts of permanent parasites act as an independent evolutionary experiment, as parasites on these hosts are thought to be undergoing similar selective pressures. Parasitic feather lice have repeatedly diversified into convergent ecomorphs in different microhabitats on their avian hosts. We quantified specific morphological characters to determine (i) which traits are associated with each ecomorph, (ii) the quantitative differences between these ecomorphs, and (iii) if there is evidence of displacement among co-occurring lice as might be expected under louse\–louse competition on the host. We used nano-computed tomography scan data of 89 specimens, belonging to four repeatedly evolved ecomorphs, to examine their mandibular muscle volume, limb length and three-dimensional head shape data. Here, we find evidence that lice repeatedly evolve similar morphologies as a mechanism to escape host defences, but also diverge into different ecomorphs related to the way they escape these defences. Lice that co-occur with other genera on a host exhibit greater morphological divergence, indicating a potential role of competition in evolutionary divergence.

}, keywords = {Bird lice, co-adaptations, CT scanning, Evolution, Guimaraesiella antiqua, micro-morphology, Neopsittaconirmus bushae}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2023.2665}, url = {https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2023.2665}, author = {KOLENCIK, STANISLAV and Edward L. Stanley and Aswaj Punnath and Avery R. Grant and Jorge Do{\~n}a and Kevin P. Johnson and Julie M. Allen} } @article {95676, title = {Molecular phylogenetics of the avian feather louse Philopterus-complex (Phthiraptera: Philopteridae)}, journal = {Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution}, volume = {174}, year = {2022}, month = {Sep-01-2022}, pages = {7 pp}, abstract = {

Highlights

The avian feather louse Philopterus-complex (Phthiraptera: Ischnocera: Philopteridae) currently contains 12 genera that have been grouped together because of shared morphological characteristics. Although previously lumped into a single genus (Philopterus), more recent morphological treatments have separated the group into several different genera. Here we evaluate the status of these genera using DNA sequence data from 118 ingroup specimens belonging to ten genera in the Philopterus-complex: Australophilopterus Mey, 2004, Cinclosomicola Mey 2004, Clayiella Eichler, 1940, Corcorides Mey, 2004, Mayriphilopterus Mey, 2004, Paraphilopterus Mey 2004, Philopteroides Mey 2004, Philopterus Nitzsch, 1818, Tyranniphilopterus Mey, 2004, and Vinceopterus Gustafsson, Lei, Chu, Zou, and Bush, 2019. Our sampling includes 97 new louse-host association records. Our analyses suggest that the genus Debeauxoecus Conci, 1941, parasitic on pittas (Aves: Pittidae), is outside of the Philopterus-complex, and that there is strong support for the monophyly of a group containing the remaining genera from the complex. Some diverse genera, such as Philopterus (sensu stricto) and Mayriphilopterus are supported as monophyletic, whereas the genera Australophilopterus, Philopteroides, and Tyranniphilopterus are not. The present study is the largest phylogenetic reconstruction of avian lice belonging to the Philopterus-complex to date and suggests that further generic revision is needed in the group to integrate molecular and morphological information.

}, keywords = {Australophilopterus, Chewing lice, Cinclosomicola, Corcorides, dna, Mayriphilopterus, Molecular Biology, Philopteroides, Species complex, taxonomy, Tyranniphilopterus, Vinceopterus}, issn = {1055-7903}, doi = {10.1016/j.ympev.2022.107556}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1055790322001695}, author = {KOLENCIK, STANISLAV and Kevin P. Johnson and Avery R. Grant and Michel Paiva Valim and Kamila M. D. Kuabara and Jason D. Weckstein and Julie M. Allen} }