Strigiphilus garylarsoni
Encyclopedia
Strigiphilus garylarsoni is a biting louse
of a genus only found on owls. It is a member of the traditional suborder Mallophaga (the "chewing lice"). The species is classified in the Ischnocera
suborder and the Philopteridae
family. The species has no common name.
The louse's taxonomer
, biologist Dale H. Clayton, named it 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."
Louse
Lice is the common name for over 3,000 species of wingless insects of the order Phthiraptera; three of which are classified as human disease agents...
of a genus only found on owls. It is a member of the traditional suborder Mallophaga (the "chewing lice"). The species is classified in the Ischnocera
Ischnocera
The Ischnocera is a large suborder of lice mostly parasitic on birds but including a large family parasitic on mammals. The genus Trichophilopterus is also found on mammals but probably belongs to the "avian Ischnocera" and represents a host switch from birds to mammals...
suborder and the Philopteridae
Philopteridae
The Philopteridae are a family of Ischnocera, chewing lice mostly parasitic on birds.The taxonomy and systematics of the group are in need of revision; the Philopteridae are almost certainly paraphyletic.-Selected genera:...
family. The species has no common name.
The louse's taxonomer
Alpha taxonomy
Alpha taxonomy is the discipline concerned with finding, describing and naming species of living or fossil organisms. This field is supported by institutions holding collections of these organisms, with relevant data, carefully curated: such institutes include natural history museums, herbaria and...
, biologist Dale H. Clayton, named it after Gary Larson
Gary Larson
Gary Larson is the creator of The Far Side, a single-panel cartoon series that was syndicated internationally to newspapers for 15 years. The series ended with Larson's retirement on January 1, 1995. His 23 books of collected cartoons have combined sales of more than 45 million...
, creator of the syndicated cartoon The Far Side
The Far Side
The Far Side is a popular single-panel comic created by Gary Larson and syndicated by Universal Press Syndicate, which ran from January 1, 1980, to January 1, 1995. Its surrealistic humor is often based on uncomfortable social situations, improbable events, an anthropomorphic view of the world,...
. 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
The Prehistory of the Far Side
The Prehistory of The Far Side: A 10th Anniversary Exhibit is a book chronicling the origin and evolution of The Far Side , giving inside information about the cartooning process and featuring a gallery of Larson's favorite Far Side cartoons from the 1980s.- Part 1: Origin of the Species :Larson...
, 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."