Infracommunities of bat flies (Diptera: Streblidae and Nycteribiidae) of bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) in three conservation units in the State of Amapá, Brazil

Abstract

Diptera belonging to the families Nycteribiidae and Streblidae are hematophagous ectoparasites, exclusively of bats. The Amapá State is located in the North Region of Brazil. The Amapá represents one of with the lowest rates of deforestation in the country, with approximately 80% of the territory preserved. Within the State, there are conservation units, Floresta Nacional do Amapá (FNA), Parque Nacional Montanhas do Tumucumaque (PNMT) and Reserva de desenvolvimento Sustentável do Rio Iratapurú (RDSI). These areas represent priority areas for the Conservation of Amazonian Biodiversity. Recently in Amapá studied on the diversity and distribution of bats, however, there are no records of associated arthropod ectoparasites. Therefore, the objective was to describe the pattern of association of Nycteribiidae and Streblidae species on bats in three protected areas of Amapá. Bats were collected through mist nets, where each host had its body visually revised and the Diptera collected were identified through a specific bibliography. One thousand and eighty- six individuals of bats flies were identified, distributed in 52 species (Streblidae = 49 and Nycteribiidae = three). Among the three infracommunities, the PNMT infracommunities was the largest found with abundance and richness of bats flies. All species found, represent new occurrences for the Amapá, being these, 18 new records for the North Region and seven new records for Brazil.

Seasonal variation and host sex affect bat–bat fly interaction networks in the Amazonian savannahs

“…Moreover, as hypothesized, female hosts harbored more bat flies than males, as reflected in network specialization, modularity, and topology metrics. Our findings complement knowledge from other ecosystems in northern Brazil and Amazonian savannahs (Graciolli & Bernard 2002;Graciolli & Linardi 2002;Dias et al 2009;Santos et al 2009Santos et al , 2013Hrycyna et al 2019;Palheta et al 2020), revealing seasonal differences, together with an influence of host sex, in bat-bat fly relationships in the Amazonian savannah.…”

“…2009, 2013; Hrycyna et al. 2019; Palheta et al. 2020), revealing seasonal differences, together with an influence of host sex, in bat–bat fly relationships in the Amazonian savannah.…”

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

“…The species was already known from the border of the Amazon biome in the northeastern Brazilian state of Maranhão (e.g. Santos et al 2009), and further north from the Brazilian Amazonian state of Amapá (Hrycyna et al 2019). Our study provides the first record of the species in the state of Pará.…”

“…It occurs throughout the entire distribution range of this bat, from southern Mexico to southern Brazil (Wenzel et al 1966;Barquez et al 2015;Barbier and Bernard 2017). Strebla guajiro has been recorded for Brazilian Amazonia, including Pará and neighboring states (Santos et al 2009;Hrycyna et al 2019;Palheta et al 2020).…”

“…There is little research on bats and their parasites in northern Brazil, and even less in cave environments (Barbier and Benard 2017;Urbieta et al 2022). However, recently there have been significant advances in the study of bat ectoparasitic flies in the region (Hrycyna et al 2019;Palheta et al 2020), revealing a rich diversity of streblid fauna and their potential host bat species. Here we fill a gap in the knowledge about the geographical distribution and host-parasite relationship of streblid flies on bats in caves in the Carajás National Forest, a protected area in eastern Brazilian Amazonia.…”