A NEW SUBGENUS AND 4 NEW SPECIES OF GLIRICOLA (PHTHIRAPTERA, GYROPIDAE) FROM CARIBBEAN HUTIAS (RODENTIA, CAPROMYIDAE)

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.