Did dinosaurs have lice?

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Did dinosaurs have lice?

• Vince Smith, Tom Ford, Kevin Johnson, Paul
  Johnson Rod Page

University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK Illinois
Natural History Survey, USA
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Fossil Lice
Wappler, Smith Dalgleish, Proc.R.Soc., 2004.
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(No Transcript)
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18s rRNA
COI (1st 2nd pos.)
ML (GTRIG)
ML (TVMIG)
Phthiraptera
Phthiraptera
0.1
0.1
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Wingless
EF1-a
ML (GTRIG)
ML (GTRIG)
Phthiraptera
Phthiraptera
0.1
0.1
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Insect Phylogeny (unsmoothed)
18s rRNA
COI
Wingless
EF1-a
0.1
7
Insect Phylogeny (rate smoothed)
18s rRNA
COI
Wingless
EF1-a
Odonata
Hemiptera
Bugs
Thrips
Bark Lice
LICE
LICE
Bugs
Hemiptera
Thysanoptera
LICE
LICE
Diptera
Coleop.
Coleoptera
Beetles
Hymenop.
Neurop.
Lepidoptera
Flies
Hymenop.
Mecop.
Lepidoptera
Fleas
Diptera
Tric./Lep.
Caddis
Fleas/Mecop.
Hymenoptera
Lepidop.
Flies
Strepsip.
0
100
200
300
400
500
0
100
200
300
400
0
100
200
300
0
100
200
300
400
8
Louse Phylogeny (unsmoothed)
Combined ML
(18s, COI, EF1-a)
0.1
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Louse Phylogeny (rate smoothed)
Ricinus sp
Laemobothrion atrum
Amblycera
Austromenopon elliotti
Trinoton querquedulae
Holomenopon sp
Dennyus hirundinis
Machaerilaemus sp
Colimenopon urocolius
Docophoroides brevis
Fulicoffula longipila
Bovicola sp
Felicola subrostratus
Neotrichodectes sp
Geomydoecus sp
Pectinopygus sulae
Pectinopygus brevicornis
Pectinopygus punctatus
Ischnocera
Pectinopygus varius
Anatoecus icterodes
Trichophilopterus babakotophilus
Columbicola columbae
Columbicola passerinae
Struthioliperus nandu
Struthiolipeurus struthionis
Craspedorrhynchus sp
Degeeriella fulva
Austrophilopterus subsimilus
Colilipeurus colius
Campanulotes compar
Result very sensitive to smoothing parameter used
Goniodes sp
Naubates sp
Perineus nigrolimbatus
Rhyn.
Haematomyzus elephants
Pediculus humanus var capitis
Pediculus schaeffi
Echinophthirius horridus b
Polyplax spinulosa
Haematopinus tuberculatus
Anoplura
Haematopinus suis
Haematopinus pacochoeri
190 ma
Hoplopleura trispinosa
Hoplopleura sp
(150-225 ma)
Pterophthirus imitans
Linognathoides marmotae
Linognathoides marmotae b
Neohaematopinus sciuri
Neohaematopinus sciuri b
0
100
200
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Host Implications
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Host Implications
Figure adapted from ???, Science, ????
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Summary

• Lice are old (150-300ma)

• Major radiation of lice before the KT (65ma)

• Modern birds lice have a very long
  coevolutionary history

• Recent threopod dinosaurs probably had lice?

• Origin of lice associated with origin of feathers?

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Acknowledgements

• Wellcome Trust