Ricinus vaderi

{{Short description|Species of louse}}

{{Speciesbox

| name = Ricinus

| image = Parasite150059-fig2 - Head of Ricinus vaderi.tif

| image_caption = Head of Ricinus vaderi

| genus = Ricinus (insect)

| species = vaderi

| authority = Valan, 2016

}}

Ricinus vaderi is a species of chewing lice which parasitises the calandra lark (Melanocorypha calandra) in Azerbaijan.{{cite journal|last1=Valan|first1=Miroslav|last2=Sychra|first2=Oldrich|last3=Literak|first3=Ivan|title=Chewing lice of genus Ricinus (Phthiraptera, Ricinidae) deposited at the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint Petersburg, Russia, with description of a new species|journal=Parasite|volume=23|year=2016|pages=7|issn=1776-1042|doi=10.1051/parasite/2016007|url= |pmid=26902646|pmc=4763114}} {{open access}} It is a member of Ricinus, the largest genus of chewing lice found parasitizing Passeriformes.Bernard C. Nelson (1972): A Revision of the New World Species of Ricinus (Mallophaga). Occurring on Passeriformes (Aves), University of California Publications in Entomology Volume 68, University of California Press, Berkeley & Los Angeles, {{ISBN|0-520-09412-3}} [http://www.phthiraptera.info/Publications/1058.pdf PDF] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160208014436/http://www.phthiraptera.info/Publications/1058.pdf |date=2016-02-08 }} {{open access}}

The species name is derived from Darth Vader, a fictional character in the Star Wars series. According to Miroslav Valan, Oldrich Sychra and Ivan Literak, the first author's fiancée noticed a similarity between the head of the R. vaderi and Darth Vader's helmet.

File:Parasite150059-fig1 - Ricinus vaderi.tif