New Geographical Records of Bat Flies (Diptera: Streblidae) Associated With Phyllostomid Bats (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) in the West Highlands of Mexico

Phylogenetic analyses reveal bat communities in Northwestern Mexico harbor a high diversity of novel cryptic ectoparasite species

Parasites are integral parts of ecosystem function and important drivers of evolutionary processes. Characterizing ectoparasite diversity is fundamental to studies of host-parasite interactions, evolution, and conservation, and also for understanding emerging disease threats for some vector borne pathogens. With more than 1400 species, bats represent the second most speciose mammalian clade, but their ectoparasite fauna are poorly known for most species. We sequenced mitochondrial Cytochrome Oxidase C subunit I and nuclear 18S ribosomal gene fragments, and used Bayesian phylogenetic analyses to characterize ectoparasite taxon identity and diversity for 17 species of parasitized bats sampled along the Baja California peninsula and in Northwestern Mexico. The sequence data revealed multiple novel lineages of bat bugs (Cimicidae), flies (Nycteribiidae and Streblidae), and ticks (Argasidae). Within families, the new linages showed more than 10% sequence divergence, which is consistent with separation at least at the species level. Both families of bat flies showed host specificity, particularly on Myotis species. We also identified new records for the Baja peninsula of one tick (Carios kelleyi), and of five Streblid bat fly species. One Nycteribiid bat fly haplotype from Pallid bat (Antrozous pallidus) hosts was found throughout the peninsula, suggesting potential long distance co-dispersal with hosts. Different bat bug and tick communities were found in the north and south of the peninsula. This study is the first systematic survey of bat ectoparasites in the Baja California peninsula, revealing novel lineages that are highly genetically differentiated from other parts of North America. For some ectoparasite species, haplotype distributions may reflect patterns of bat migration. This work is a first step in characterizing ectoparasite diversity over the Baja California peninsula, and understanding how ecological and evolutionary interactions shape bat ectoparasite communities among host species in different parts of their ranges.

Host-parasite associations in a population of the nectarivorous bat Anoura geoffroyi (Phyllostomidae) in a cave in a Brazilian ferruginous geosystem

Parasitic relationships between Neotropical bats and their ectoparasites are not well known, even though parasitism is one of the factors that can affect the fitness of a host population. This study characterized parasite-host relationships in relation to sex, age, body size and reproductive status in a population of Anoura geoffroyi using the indices of Prevalence, Mean Intensity and Mean Abundance. Total prevalence for 93 sampled bats was 94.6%. Two species of streblid flies that are considered primary parasites of A. geoffroyi, Exastinion clovisi (n = 203) and Anastrebla modestini (n = 152), were the most abundant ectoparasites, followed by Trichobius sp. (n = 7). Two mite species, Periglischrus vargasi (Spinturnicidae) (n = 98) and Spelaeorhynchus praecursor (Spelaeorhynchidae) (n = 11), were also found. We recorded higher mean abundance and intensity of parasitism in pregnant females compared to reproductive males and reproductively inactive females, for different specific associations of ectoparasites. Host age and body condition had no effect on the parasitological indices. Even with high rates of parasitism, parasitic load did not influence host body condition, but infestation rates by mites were higher in reproductive males and higher by flies in reproductive females, showing that ectoparasites can have variable influences between the different stages of the life history of these host bats. Thus, the reproductive activity of the hosts could be an adverse factor for resistance to parasite infestations.

Bat flies (Diptera: Streblidae) of phyllostomid bats (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) from the mountainous central region of Veracruz, Mexico

The studies of bat flies of the family Streblidae Kolenati, 1863 in Mexico have intensified in the last five years, usually providing new geographical records of species and new bats host records. Currently, the Mexican fauna of streblids is composed of 59 species, representing 26% of total global species richness. Veracruz is one of the states with a high number of species in Mexico with 69% of species recorded in the country. We sampled a total of 527 bats of four subfamilies and 12 species, collecting a total of 870 specimens of 19 species of streblids. Megistopoda proxima (Séguy, 1926) and Paratrichobius longicrus (Miranda Ribeiro, 1907) were the most abundant species in the collection and are the two species found in a higher number of bat species. We provide comments on the taxonomy and host species for bat flies, increase the species records for this state, and add new host records for some streblids, contributing to the knowledge of streblid fauna of the mountain central region of the state of Veracruz, Mexico.