Hidden diversity of Nycteribiidae (Diptera) bat flies from the Malagasy region and insights on host-parasite interactions

Abstract

BackgroundWe present information on Nycteribiidae flies parasitizing the bat families Pteropodidae, Miniopteridae and Vespertilionidae from the Malagasy Region, contributing insight into their diversity and host preference.ResultsOur phylogenetic analysis identified nine clusters of nycteribiid bat flies on Madagascar and the neighbouring Comoros Archipelago. Bat flies sampled from frugivorous bats of the family Pteropodidae are monoxenous: Eucampsipoda madagascariensis, E. theodori and Cyclopodia dubia appear wholly restricted to Rousettus madagascariensis, R. obliviosus and Eidolon dupreanum, respectively. Two different host preference patterns occurred in nycteribiids infecting insectivorous bats. Flies parasitizing bats of the genera Miniopterus (Miniopteridae) and Myotis (Vespertilionidae), namely Penicillidia leptothrinax, Penicillidia sp. and Nycteribia stylidiopsis, are polyxenous and showed little host preference, while those parasitizing the genera Pipistrellus and Scotophilus (both Vespertilionidae) and referable to Basilia spp., are monoxenous. Lastly, the inferred Bayesian phylogeny revealed that the genus Basilia, as currently configured, is paraphyletic.ConclusionThis study provides new information on the differentiation of nycteribiid taxa, including undescribed species. Host preference is either strict as exemplified by flies parasitizing fruit bats, or more relaxed as found on some insectivorous bat species, possibly because of roost site sharing. Detailed taxonomic work is needed to address three undescribed nycteribiid taxa found on Pipistrellus and Scotophilus, tentatively allocated to the genus Basilia, but possibly warranting different generic allocation.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13071-017-2582-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Polychromophilus spp. (Haemosporida) in Malagasy bats: host specificity and insights on invertebrate vectors

“…(cf. fulvida ) and N. stylidiopsis , parasitizing both Myotis and Miniopterus [ 30 , 33 ]. In several cases, Penicillidia sp.…”

“…Fifty-two sites were visited from February 2012 to March 2013 in different areas of Madagascar to sample bats associated with taxonomic studies [ 25 ], ecology and distribution [ 27 ], as well as hosted ectoparasite and microparasites [ 30 – 33 ]. Bats were captured using mist nets and harp traps, which were most often placed at cave entrances or across bat flight pathways (Fig.…”

“…Upon capture, each individual bat, excluding Pteropus rufus as noted above, was placed in a clean cloth bag. Further, Nycteribiidae flies, an obligate parasite of bats [ 34 ] and parasitizing members of the families Miniopteridae and Vespertilionidae, were directly collected from individual bats for morphological and molecular identification [ 30 , 33 ]. Voucher specimens were deposited at the Université d’Antananarivo, Mention Zoologie et Biodiversité Animale (formerly Département de Biologie Animale) (UADBA), Antananarivo, and at the Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH), Chicago.…”

Laboulbeniales hyperparasites (Fungi, Ascomycota) of bat flies: Independent origins and host associations

“…Except for a few disparate records of bat fly‐associated Laboulbeniales, virtually nothing is known about this triparatite system. Bat flies are dependent on their bat hosts (Ramasindrazana, Goodman, Gomard, Dick, & Tortosa, ) and it has been shown that habitat disturbance affects parasitism of bats by bat flies (Pilosof, Dick, Korine, Patterson, & Krasnov, ). The direction of the correlation (positive or negative) was reliant on the bat host species.…”

FIRST RECORD OF THE PARASITE BAT FLY Basilia mimoni THEODOR & PETERSON, 1964 (DIPTERA: NYCTERIBIIDAE) IN COLOMBIA

“…Despite the high specificity in the host-parasite interaction between bats and flies, some authors consider that this is probably not the result of a strict coevolution (Graciolli & Carvalho 2012). However, another study based on phylogenetic analyses of 15 bat host species parasitized by nine Nycteribiidae taxa found a significant signal of phylogenetic congruence (putative host-parasite coevolution) (Ramasindrazana et al 2017).…”