A phylogenomic analysis of the hyper-diverse avian louse family Heptapsogasteridae (Phthiraptera, Ischnocera): A test of historical taxonomic hypotheses

The tinamous (Aves: Tinamiformes: Tinamidae) are Paleognathus birds endemic to the Neotropics, and one of the oldest extant avian lineages with fossils dating to the Miocene. Most bird species harbor two or three species of lice, but the tinamous possess the most diverse community of louse genera and species known, and typically have high-intensity infections of parasitic lice as well. This highly replicated parasite diversity on only one host lineage may be a product of a combination of tinamous' ancient evolutionary history, providing extensive time for parasite speciation, colonization, and back colonization, and the high diversity of feather types on the host body. Tinamous are parasitized by the louse families Menoponidae (suborder Amblycera), Philopteridae, and Heptapsogasteridae (suborder Ischnocera) but most tinamou louse taxa are in the family Heptapsogasteridae. Many studies and classifications have called into question the validity of the family Heptapsogasteridae and monophyly of the genera within the family. Here I use phylogenomic data to reconstruct the first species-level molecular phylogenetic tree for the family Heptapsogasteridae to test the validity of the family, and monophyly of its member subfamilies and genera, and also use this phylogenetic tree to analyze the evolutionary history of this louse family’s morphological characters (such as the shape of the head, thoracic features, chaetotaxy, and genital armature).