In Brazil, most studies involving parasites of bats (bat flies) treat the mid-west, south-east, and south of the country. This work aimed to characterize the ectoparasites community associated with bats in the Atlantic forest in the state of Sergipe, north-eastern Brazil. Sampling was conducted between January and June 2013 in the Serra de Itabaiana National Park (PNSI) and between November 2013 and June 2015 in the Wildlife Refuge Mata do Junco (RVSMJ). Parasitological indexes were determined, and the influence of host sex and the seasonality in prevalence rates and mean intensity for the most abundant parasites was evaluated. Some 129 parasites were collected in PNSI and 296 in RVSMJ, and 100 and 70.6 %, respectively, belong to the family Streblidae. The differences in parasitological rates in Sergipe in relation to other studies may be associated with the environmental characteristics and the composition of the host community. The influence of sex and the seasonal prevalence of Speiseria ambigua and Trichobius joblingi, associated with Carollia perspicillata, may be associated with a lower rate of female captures and low sampling in the dry season. This is a pioneer study in Sergipe that reveals the occurrence of 16 species of streblids and representatives of Acari and Basilia spp., highlighting the need for more studies to increase the wealth and understanding of host-parasite associations in the state.

In Brazil, 124 species of ectoparasites of bats are known from the families Streblidae, Nycteribiidae, and Spinturnicidae. This study aimed to characterize the ectoparasites associated with bats in a restinga habitat in Sergipe, northeastern Brazil. Sampling occurred between October 2016 and September 2017 in the Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural do Caju through the capture of bats, using 10 mist nets. The ectoparasites collected were stored in 70% alcohol and subsequently identified. For the hosts, the parasitological indexes were calculated and, for the most abundant ones, the influences of the sex of the host and of seasonality on these indexes were evaluated. We collected 430 parasites, of which 77.90% belonged to the Streblidae family. The influence of host sex was observed only in terms of the prevalence between Periglischrus iheringi and Artibeus lituratus, with the highest values observed for females. This may be associated with the highest susceptibility of females to parasitism by the greater permanency in the shelter. In terms of the influence of seasonality, only the interaction between Carollia perspicillata and Trichobius joblingi was affected by temperature, with an increase in prevalence rates and mean intensity during the season with lower temperatures. This relationship may be associated with biological differences among parasites species. The present study identified six new species of ectoparasites and the occurrence of ticks on bats for Sergipe, in addition to registering 11 new bat-ectoparasite associations for the state and two for Brazil, contributing to an increase in our knowledge about bat-ectoparasite interactions.

First record of plastic ingestion byCerdocyon thous (Carnivora, Canidae) in northeastern Brazil ABSTRACT Cerdocyon thous is a neotropical canid often found in natural, fragmented, altered and agricultural environments. Its generalist diet includes plant and animal items, as well as items generated from human activities, such as cultivated fruits. We report the first consumption of plastic by this species in the semiarid region of Brazil, determined by three fragments found in the stomach of a road-killed individual. This finding highlights the problem of inadequate disposal of domestic waste, and the present threat of inorganic material in the food chain.

Myotis riparius Handley, 1960 was captured in 2 areas of Atlantic Forest in Sergipe, in northeast Brazil, filling the gaps of occurrence of this species in the region. This record expands the richness of bats in the state to 55 species.

There is little known about the bats of the Brazilian restinga as most studies have concentrated on the country’s south and southeast regions. In Sergipe, Northeastern Brazil, the only study previously carried out registered 17 species in different restinga habitats. Thus, this study aimed to characterize the bat community in a restinga area in Sergipe and update the list of species that occur in the area. The study was carried out in the Caju Private Natural Heritage Reserve, on the south coast of the state of Sergipe. Monthly campaigns were carried out from October 2016 to September 2017 over two consecutive nights and alternating between two sites to capture the bats. We captured Bats using 10 mist nets that remained open between 6:00 p.m. and 12:00 p.m. We determined the abundance and trophic guilds of the captured species. In addition, we obtained the occurrence frequency degree through the Constancy Index. We captured 457 individuals distributed over 13 species and two families, where three species represented a new record for the locality. The family Phyllostomidae was the richest and most abundant. Most species were frugivorous (61.5%). According to the Constancy Index, only four species were considered common. Using Jackknife 1 estimator, we estimated 14.83 species for the area, indicating that the richness obtained in this study corresponds to 87.6% of this estimate. This study resulted in an 17.6% increase in bat richness known for the area. The high representativeness of the Phyllostomidae family may be related to the capture method used. The predominance of frugivores bats in this study may be associated with the presence of many fruit trees in the area. The low occurrence of species considered common is often reported and can be explained by the species’ trophic specializations and by the sampling methods. Considering the scarcity of studies in restinga areas in Northeastern Brazil, this work becomes important for the knowledge of the bats in this environment, especially for Sergipe.

No abstract

Interaction networks can provide detailed information regarding ecological systems, helping us understand how communities are organized and species are connected. The goals of this study were to identify the pattern of interaction between bats and ectoparasites in urban green areas of Grande Aracaju, Sergipe, and calculate connectance, specialization, nesting, modularity and centrality metrics. Bats were captured using 10 mist nets inside and on the edges of the fragments, and the collected ectoparasites were stored in 70% alcohol. All analyses were performed using R software. The interaction network consisted of 10 species of bats and 13 ectoparasites. Connectivity was considered low (0.12). The specialization indices for ectoparasites ranged from 0.50 to 1.00, and the value obtained for the network was 0.96, which is high. The observed nesting metric was low (wNODF = 1.47), whereas the modularity was high (wQ = 0.74), indicating that the studied network had a modular topology. All centrality metrics had low values. The observed modularity may have been caused by the evolutionary history of the bats and ectoparasites involved and the high specificity index of the interactions. The low centrality values may be associated with low connectivity and a high degree of specialization. This study provides relevant information on bat–parasite interactions in an urban environment, highlighting the need for further studies to improve our understanding of host–parasite interaction networks.

No abstract