Bat-ectoparasitic fly relationships in a seasonally dry tropical forest in Brazil

Bat fly (Diptera: Streblidae) and common vampire bat (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) association in Honduras: prevalence, mean intensity, infracommunities and influence of the biological characteristics of the host

“…The maximum number of parasites per host individual was 18 bat flies, Antonini (2011) in Brazil registered 25 andTlapaya-Romero et al (2015) in Mexico 26. Trichobius parasiticus + S. wiedemanni presented a higher frequency between the associations of different bat fly species; this infracommunity is widely registered in this host (e.g., Aguiar and Antonini 2011, 2016, Graciolli et al 2019, Barbier et al 2021. Teixeira and Ferreira (2010) record S. wiedemanni and T. furmani, considering that the second species replaces T. parasiticus in some regions of South America (Bertola et al 2005, Guerrero 1995.…”

“…Since biotic and abiotic factors play an important role in the host specificity, prevalence and parasitic intensity (Marshall 1982, Poulin and Morand 2004, Haelewaters et al 2018. It is necessary to evaluate different regions, ecosystems, host species and variables (e.g., microclime, infracommunities, self-grooming, bat age, body mass, bat hormones, immune system, specialization, predators and parasites, community ecology of bat flies -Ross 1961, Overal 1980, Christe et al 2000, Moura et al 2003, Tlapaya-Romero et al 2015, Warburton et al 2016, Barbier et al 2021. Furthermore, D. rotundus and bat fly species can play an important role in the transmission and maintenance of different pathogenic microorganisms (Brandão et al 2008, Schneider et al 2009, Bai et al 2011, Morse et al 2012, Lima et al 2013, Abundes-Gallegos et al 2018, Ballados-González et al 2018, Bergner et al 2021, therefore new studies may increase the understanding of this interaction.…”

Insights into the Natural History of the Nectar-Feeding Bat Lonchophylla mordax (Phyllostomidae), a Data Deficient Species Endemic to Brazil

“…Among those parasitized, almost all (96%) were hosts for T. lonchophyllae . Trichobius lonchophyllae is a typical ectoparasite of Lonchophylla bats that occurs in Central and South America (Wenzel et al ., 1966; Guerrero, 1994; Barbier et al ., 2021). In our study area, L. mordax colonies were observed using caves as a day roost (Leal and Bernard, 2021).…”

Streblid flies parasitizing cave bats in Carajás, Amazonia, with a new record for Brazil

“…The only other known records for this fly species are from Venezuela (Wenzel 1976). Remarks: This fly species is a specific parasite for the common vampire bat, D. rotundus, and frequently co-occurs with Trichobius parasiticus (Wenzel et al 1966;Wenzel 1976), however, in some areas as the Caatinga dry forest region in Brazil, it seems to be less abundant than the latter (Barbier et al 2019(Barbier et al , 2021.…”

“…These flies spend their entire adult stage on the fur or wing membranes of bats, where both males and females feed on the host's blood (Wenzel et al 1966). Many streblid flies are strikingly host-specific, being restricted to a single bat species (Barbier et al 2019(Barbier et al , 2021. On the other hand, some species may show less host specificity, associating with different species of the same genus or even different genera of the same bat family (Dick and Dittmar 2014;Barbier and Bernard 2017).…”