Cretaceous lice

[Tim Williams <twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com>]

Grimaldi, D. & Engel, M.S (2006).  Fossil Liposcelididae and the lice ages 
(Insecta: Psocodea). Proceedings of the Royal Society Biological Sciences 
Series B. 273: 625-633.

Abstract: "Fossilized, winged adults belonging to the psocopteran family 
Liposcelididae are reported in amber from the mid-Cretaceous (ca 100 Myr) of 
Myanmar (described as _Cretoscelis burynitica_, gen. et sp. n.) and the 
Miocene (ca 20 Myr) of the Dominican Republic (_Belaphopsocus dominicus_ sp. 
n.).  _Cretoscelis_ is an extinct sister group to all other Liposcelididae 
and the family is the free-living sister group to the true lice (order 
Phthiraptera, all of which are ectoparasites of birds and mammals).  A 
phylogenetic hypothesis of relationships among genera of Liposcelididae, 
including fossils, reveals perfect correspondence between the chronology of 
fossils and cladistic rank of taxa.  Lice and Liposcelididae minimally 
diverged 100 Myr, perhaps even in the earliest Cretaceous 145 Myr or 
earlier, in which case the hosts of lice would have been early mammals, 
early birds and possibly other feathered theropod dinosaurs, as well as 
haired pterosaurs."

www.journals.royalsoc.ac.uk/index/F210820206082758.pdf

Also talks a little about insect ectoparasitism on dinosaurs.  The bizarre 
Cretaceous louse-like insect _Saurodectes_ rates a mention; this critter was 
17 mm long(!), so the authors suggest that it probably had a "huge host".

Cheers

Tim