Rd. Price et Rm. Timm, A NEW SUBGENUS AND 4 NEW SPECIES OF GLIRICOLA (PHTHIRAPTERA, GYROPIDAE) FROM CARIBBEAN HUTIAS (RODENTIA, CAPROMYIDAE), Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, 110(2), 1997, pp. 285-300
A new subgenus, Hutiaphilus (Phthiraptera: Gyropidae), is described fo
r five previously named species of Gliricola (G. armatus, G. capromydi
s, G. cubanus, G. ewingi, and G. omahonyi) and four new species (G. ra
bbi, with the type host Geocapromys ingrahami; and G. pinei, G. schwar
tzi, and G. wernecki, all with the type host Mysateles melanurus melan
urus). We redescribe and illustrate the previously described species,
and provide a key for the identification of these nine species. The ni
ne species of Hutiaphilus are restricted to the caviomorph rodent fami
ly Capromyidae, the West Indian hutias. This chewing louse-host associ
ation is parallel to other louse-host associations we have documented
for caviomorph rodents in that there are two (and in one case, three)
species of lice on each host species and typically two even on single
host individuals. Hutiaphilus is a derived clade well supported by sev
eral synapomorphic features. Its position within the genus Gliricola s
uggests that the family Capromyidae may be nested within what is now r
ecognized as the Neotropical family Echimyidae.