Bat flies on phyllostomid hosts in the Cerrado region: component community, prevalence and intensity of parasitism

Abstract

Streblidae flies are specialised parasites of bat hosts, mainly phyllostomids. There is a high richness of streblids in the savannah-like Cerrado region; however, there is little quantitative data available in parasitological indices. Here, we describe the component community, prevalence and intensity of a streblid infestation on a phyllostomid bat assemblage in Serra da Bodoquena, a Cerrado region in Southwest Brazil. We conducted surveys by capturing and inspecting bat hosts during the seven-month period between October 2004-December 2005. All the ectoparasites found on the bats were collected in the field and then counted and identified in the laboratory. We captured 327 bats belonging to 13 species, of which eight species were parasitized by 17 species of streblids. Carollia perspicillata and Glossophaga soricina were infested with seven streblid species, whereas the other bat species were infested with four or fewer streblid species. Megistopoda proxima and Aspidoptera falcata flies were found on Sturnira lilium, and Trichobius joblingi was the most prevalent fly on C. perspicillata. Megistopoda aranea and Aspidoptera phyllostomatis were highly prevalent and had a high intensity of infestation on Artibeus planirostris. Overall comparisons of the available data suggest that the component communities of streblids vary more between the Cerrado and Atlantic Forest phytogeographical regions than between localities within the same phytogeographical region

Parasitism of ectoparasitic flies on bats in the northern Brazilian cerrado

“…In addition to the new records of associations (Table I), we found the following variations in the component communities: the absence of Paraeuctenodes similis Wenzel, 1976 on C. perspicillata, association observed in regions of Atlantic forest (Bertola et al in 2005, Prevedello et al 2005 and Amazon forest (Guerrero 1996); the absence of Metelasmus pseudopterus Coquillet, 1907, which is found parasitizing species of Artibeus from the south-central Brazil (Eriksson et al 2011, Bertola et al 2005; the lower number of ectoparasitic species on Desmodus rotundus (E. Geoffroy, 1810), that in other areas of cerrado is also parasitised by Trichobius furmani Wenzel, 1966 and Strebla wiedemanni Kolenati, 1856 (Eriksson et al in 2011, Aguiar andAntonini 2011); the absence of Trichobius uniformis Curran, 1935 andStrebla curvata Wenzel, 1976 on Glossophaga soricina (Pallas, 1766), found on this species in cerrado areas (Eriksson et al 2011, in addition to the parasitism by Paraeuctenodes longipes Pessoa et Guimaraes, 1937 recorded in the southern Brazil (Graciolli and Rui 2001). It is also highlighted the absence of parasitism on A. cinereus, a species with register of parasitism by ectoparasitic flies of the genus Neotrichobius Wenzel and Aitken, 1966 in the Amazon region (Guerrero 1994a).…”

“…Among the parasitized species found, there was a higher proportion of phyllostomines (46.7%) and nectarivorous (20%) bats than in other studies in the Neotropics with similar capture effort, in which represented less than 40% of species infested (Bertola et al 2005, Eriksson et al 2011, Komeno and Linhares 1999. The species of these groups have more durable shelters, mainly inhabiting hollow trees, caves and nests of termites (Fenton et al 2001, Bernard andFenton 2003).…”

“…In Brazil, studies on bats' ectoparasitic flies in cerrado region have mainly comprised of faunal inventories (Graciolli and Coelho 2001;Graciolli and Aguiar 2002;Graciolli et al 2006aGraciolli et al , 2010. The few Ciro Líbio Caldas dos Santos et al 208 studies that have addressed quantitative aspects of this system in this biome are concentrated in areas of west-central Brazil (Coimbra et al 1984, Komeno and Linhares 1999, Eriksson et al 2011, Aguiar and Antonini 2011.…”

Streblidae (Diptera) on bats (Chiroptera) in an area of Atlantic Forest, state of Rio de Janeiro

“…Comments: This bat fly presents widespread distribution including almost all Brazilian biomes (GRACIOLLI; DIAS et al, 2009;ERIKSSON et al, 2011). Despite being a common species on the lists of bat flies in the Atlantic Forest (AZEVEDO; BERTOLA et al, 2005;SOARES et al, 2013), it was not previously reported in the study by Almeida et al (2011) in the state of Rio de Janeiro, mainly due to not catching S. lilium, which is its primary host (WENZEL, 1976).…”

Do young Carollia perspicillata (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) present higher infestation rates of Streblidae (Diptera)?

“…Eriksson et al, 2011). Two species are most frequently observed and present a higher prevalence with C. perspicillata: T. joblingi and S. guajiro (Komeno andLinhares, 1999, Rui and.…”