Sex-biased parasitism, host mass and mutualistic bat flies: an antagonistic individual-based network of bat-bat fly interactions

AbstractSeasonality of climate promotes differences in abundance and species composition of parasites, affecting host-parasite interactions. Studies have reported seasonal variation in bat-flies, which are obligate bat ectoparasites. We characterized the bat-fly load of three insectivores [Pteronotus davyi(Gray),Pteronotus parnellii(Gray) andPteronotus personatus(Wagner)] and one nectarivorous [Leptonycteris yerbabuenae(Martínez and Villa-R.)] bat species in a tropical dry forest to test the existence of seasonality in response to the availability of resources during the wet and dry seasons. We collected 3710 bat-fly specimens belonging to six species and two genera from 497 bats. Most of the ectoparasite load parameters examined (mean abundance, mean intensity, richness, etc.), including comparisons among reproductive conditions and sex of the host, were similar in both seasons. Prevalence was the parameter that varied the most between seasons. The six bat-fly species were found in all bat species exceptP. personatus. The latter species andL. yerbabuenaehad four and five bat-fly species in the wet and dry seasons, respectively. This study provides significant information of ectoparasites ecology in relation to seasonality, contributes to the understanding of host-parasite relationships in tropical dry forests and discusses the relevance of the abiotic and biotic factors that could impact host-parasite interactions.

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Hyperparasitism in caves: bats, bat flies and ectoparasitic fungus

ARPHA Conference Abstracts ◽

10.3897/aca.1.e29967 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 1 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Katrine Jensen ◽

Luísa Rodrigues ◽

Thomas Pape ◽

Anders Garm ◽

Sergi Santamaria ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soft Tissues ◽

Natural Populations ◽

Common Species ◽

Unique Case ◽

Male And Female ◽

Entire Life ◽

Bat Flies ◽

Starting Point ◽

Bat Fly ◽

Peculiar Case

Bat flies (Nycteribiidae) of the order Diptera are highly specialized bloodsucking ectoparasites living on bats. The life-cycle of the bat flies emphasizes their obligate relationship with their hosts as they spend almost their entire life on bats. Upon mating, the female bat fly carries the larvae internally until the 3rd-instar when it deposits the larvae on the ceiling of the roost occupied by bats. The larvae then form a puparium. After 3-4 weeks the adult bat fly emerges from the puparium and starts searching for a host bat to colonize. Some of these ectoparasitic bat flies themselves are infected with an ectoparasitic fungus of the genus Arthrorhynchus (Laboulbeniales). Ascospores of the fungi attach themselves to the cuticle of the bat fly and develop a very conspicuous haustorium that penetrates into the soft tissues from where it presumably extract nutrition from the hemolymph of the bat flies. This interaction converts the fungus into a hyperparasite. Both the parasite and hyperparasite are obligates and cannot live separate from their hosts. This peculiar case of hyperparasitism remains highly unknown. The bat flies were collected in caves of Portugal, in maternity and hibernation bat seasons, and in the autumn migration period. The most common species of cave-dwelling bat species in Portugal is Miniopterus schreibersii, frequently parasitized with Nycteribia schmidlii and Penicillidia conspicua bat flies. We have studied the prevalence of the Laboulbeniales of the genus Arthrorhynchus in natural populations of bat flies. The site and position of the fungus on male and female bat flies unveils the mechanism of fungal transmission among bat flies, indicating that it occurs during mating behavior. This study is the starting point towards the understanding of this unique case of fungus-insect-vertebrate hyperparasitism interaction. See Suppl. material 1.

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The effects of seasonality on host–bat fly ecological networks in a temperate mountain cave

Parasitology ◽

10.1017/s0031182016002390 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 144 (5) ◽

pp. 692-697 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

KARINA D. RIVERA-GARCÍA ◽

CÉSAR A. SANDOVAL-RUIZ ◽

ROMEO A. SALDAÑA-VÁZQUEZ ◽

JORGE E. SCHONDUBE

Keyword(s):

Species Composition ◽

Host Species ◽

Rainy Season ◽

Ecological Networks ◽

Host Interactions ◽

Bat Flies ◽

Bat Fly ◽

Low Prevalence ◽

Host Parasite

SUMMARYChanges in the specialization of parasite–host interactions will be influenced by variations in host species composition. We evaluated this hypothesis by comparing the composition of bats and bat flies within a roost cave over one annual. Five bat and five bat fly species occupied the cave over the course of the study. Bat species composition was 40% different in the rainy season compared with the dry–cold and dry–warm seasons. Despite the incorporation of three new bat species into the cave during the rainy season, bat fly species composition was not affected by seasonality, since the bats that arrived in the rainy season only contributed one new bat fly species at a low prevalence. Bat–bat fly ecological networks were less specialized in the rainy season compared with the dry–cold and dry–warm seasons because of the increase of host overlap among bat fly species during this season. This study suggests that seasonality promote: (1) differences in host species composition, and (2) a reduction in the specialization of host–parasite ecological networks.

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Diversity and ecology of bat flies (Diptera: Nycteribiidae, Streblidae) from Cat Ba National Park

TAP CHI SINH HOC ◽

10.15625/0866-7160/v40n1.10746 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 40 (1) ◽

pp. 7-12

Author(s):

Nguyen Thanh Luong ◽

Ta Huy Thinh ◽

Vu Dinh Thong

Keyword(s):

National Park ◽

Plastic Tube ◽

Biological Resources ◽

Bat Flies ◽

Pure Alcohol ◽

The Family ◽

Paper Citation ◽

Bat Fly ◽

Ecological Correlation ◽

High Diversity

Cat Ba National Park contains a high diversity fauna of bats including a species endemic to Vietnam. Since 1999, we conducted a series of bat surveys in the park with an investigation into bat files. All individuals of flies collected from each bat individual were preserved in a plastic tube filled with pure alcohol. They were analysed and identified at the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources. Results from our research provide records of 8 bat fly species belonging to 4 genera, 2 families; of these, 3 species belong to the family Nycteribiidae (Basila roylii, B. burmensis, B. pundibunda) and 5 remaining ones belong the family Streblidae (Ascodipteron phyllorhinae, A. wenzeli, Brachytarsina amboiensis, B. cucullata, Maabella stomalata). These fly species parasitize 8 bat species belonging to 4 families: 5 species of Hipposideridae (Hipposideros alongensis, H. armiger, H. grandis, H. khoukhouayensis, H. pomona), 1 species of Miniopteridae (Miniopterus fuliginosus), 1 species of Rhinolophidae (Rhinolophus marshalli) and 1 species of Vespertilionidae (Hypsugo pulveratus). Basilia pundibunda was the most common bat fly species within the study area. The first data on ecological correlation between flies and bats from Vietnam were also recorded and given in this paper. Citation: Nguyen Thanh Luong, Ta Huy Thinh, Vu Dinh Thong, 2018. Diversity and ecology of bat flies (Diptera: Nycteribiidae, Streblidae) from Cat Ba National Park. Tap chi Sinh hoc, 40(1): x-xx. DOI: 10.15625/0866-7160/v40n1.10746. *Corresponding author: [email protected] Received 22 September 2017, accepted 2 December 2017

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First report of the bat fly species Basilia italica in Romania

Biodiversity Data Journal ◽

10.3897/bdj.9.e57680 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Áron Péter ◽

Andrei Mihalca ◽

Attila Sándor

Keyword(s):

First Report ◽

Bat Flies ◽

Bat Fly

Bat flies are haematophagous ectoparasites, highly specialised to bats and are also considered to have vectorial potential for several pathogens like Bartonella spp. or Polychromophilus spp. In Romania, past studies mostly focused on the ectoparasitic fauna of cave-dwelling bats, listing the occurrence of 10 bat fly species in the country, with only scarce information on bat flies infesting crevice-roosting bat species. Here we report the occurrence of Basilia italica, a rare nycteribiid species infesting primarily forest-dwelling bats. This is the first country-record for Romania and also represents the easternmost occurrence of this species. Further studies are needed to evaluate the vectorial potential of B. italica.

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New records of bat flies (Diptera: Nycteribiidae), with an updated checklist of the nycteribiids of Russia

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.4927.3.5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4927 (3) ◽

pp. 410-430

Author(s):

MARIA V. ORLOVA ◽

PAVEL B. KLIMOV ◽

NINA S. MOSKVITINA ◽

OLEG L. ORLOV ◽

ALEXANDER V. ZHIGALIN ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Russian Federation ◽

New Records ◽

Published Data ◽

Russian Regions ◽

New Host ◽

Bat Flies ◽

The Russian Federation ◽

Bat Fly ◽

Myotis Nattereri ◽

First Time

We assembled a checklist by documenting and curating previously published data as well as previously unpublished records of bat flies from the Russian Federation. A total of 20 bat fly species are listed, belonging to 4 genera. Basilia mongolensis nudior Hůrka, 1972 and Basilia nattereri (Kolenati, 1857) are recorded from Russia for the first time. The following new host associations are reported: Basilia mongolensis nudior ex Myotis nattereri (Kuhl), Basilia nattereri ex Eptesicus nilssonii (Keyserling & Blasius), Basilia rybini Hůrka, 1969 ex Myotis dasycneme (Boie) and Eptesicus nilssonii, and Nycteribia quasiocellata Theodor, 1966 ex Vespertilio murinus Linnaeus. We provide data on nine major Russian regions for which nycteribiid records were previously lacking.

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A new genus and species of trichobiine bat flies (Diptera: Hippoboscoidea: Streblidae) from Costa Rica

Insect Systematics & Evolution ◽

10.1163/187631206788831489 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 37 (4) ◽

pp. 433-442 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Carl Dick ◽

Rupert Wenzel

Keyword(s):

Costa Rica ◽

Male Genitalia ◽

New Genus ◽

Costa Rican ◽

New Genus And Species ◽

Bat Flies ◽

Bat Fly ◽

Host Associations

AbstractA new genus and species of parasitic bat fly, Megistapophysis mordax gen. n., sp. n., is diagnosed and described within the subfamily Trichobiinae (Diptera: Hippoboscoidea: Streblidae). Illustrations of the wing, habitus, and male genitalia are provided. The new genus has affinities to species of Megistopoda Macquart, 1852, Neotrichobius Wenzel & Aitken, 1966, Paratrichobius Costa Lima, 1921, and the Trichobius phyllostomae group of species. Morphological affinities of related taxa to the new genus are discussed, and information regarding ecology and host associations is presented. The new genus is known exclusively from Costa Rican Sturnira mordax (Goodwin, 1938) (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae: Stenodermatinae).

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Diversity, Transmission, and Cophylogeny of Ledanteviruses (Rhabdoviridae: Ledantevirus) and Nycteribiid Bat Flies Parasitizing Angolan Soft-Furred Fruit Bats in Bundibugyo District, Uganda

Microorganisms ◽

10.3390/microorganisms8050750 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (5) ◽

pp. 750 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Andrew J. Bennett ◽

Adrian C. Paskey ◽

Jens H. Kuhn ◽

Kimberly A. Bishop-Lilly ◽

Tony L. Goldberg

Keyword(s):

Vertical Transmission ◽

Strong Evidence ◽

Genetic Material ◽

Fruit Bats ◽

Bat Flies ◽

Mode Of Transmission ◽

Bat Fly ◽

Diversity Transmission

Obligate hematophagous ectoparasitic flies of the superfamily Hippoboscoidea are distributed worldwide, but their role as vectors and reservoirs of viruses remains understudied. We examined hippoboscoid bat flies (family Nycteribiidae) parasitizing Angolan soft-furred fruit bats (Lissonycteris angolensis ruwenzorii) from Bundibugyo District, Uganda. Using metagenomic methods, we detected 21 variants of the rhabdovirid genus Ledantevirus, which contains medically important “bat-associated” viruses. These 21 viruses, representing at least two divergent viral lineages, infected 26 bat flies from 8 bats in a single roost. Cophylogenetic analyses of viruses and bat flies resulted in strong evidence of virus-host codivergence, indicating vertical transmission of bat fly ledanteviruses. Examination of oral swabs from bats revealed ledantevirus RNA in the saliva of 1 out of 11 bats, with no evidence of insect genetic material in the mouth of this bat. These data demonstrate that bat flies can harbor diverse ledanteviruses even in a single roost and that the predominant mode of transmission is likely vertical (among bat flies), but that bats can become infected and shed viruses orally. In conclusion, bat flies may serve as ectoparasitic reservoirs of “bat-associated” viruses that only transiently or sporadically infect bats.

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Review of the Bat Flies of Honduras, Central America (Diptera: Streblidae)

Journal of Parasitology Research ◽

10.1155/2013/437696 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 2013 ◽

pp. 1-17 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Carl W. Dick

Keyword(s):

Central America ◽

Geographic Distribution ◽

New Records ◽

Blood Feeding ◽

Bat Flies ◽

Bat Fly ◽

Host Associations

Streblid bat flies are obligate and host-specific blood-feeding ectoparasites of bats. While the bat flies of some American countries are well studied (e.g., Panama, Venezuela), little is known about Honduran Streblidae. Accumulation of substantial numbers of specimens, from several different collections, has enabled a relatively thorough treatment of the fauna. This study is based on 2,236 specimens representing 17 genera and 43 species of Streblidae. Of those presently reported, 11 genera and 32 species are new records for Honduras, increasing the number of known genera and species by 65% and 74%, respectively. Collection and host data are listed for all known Honduran streblid bat fly species. Comments regarding host associations and specificity, geographic distribution, and taxonomic problems are given in the species accounts.

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Evolution, Multiple Acquisition, and Localization of Endosymbionts in Bat Flies (Diptera: Hippoboscoidea: Streblidae and Nycteribiidae)

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.03814-12 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 79 (9) ◽

pp. 2952-2961 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Solon F. Morse ◽

Sarah E. Bush ◽

Bruce D. Patterson ◽

Carl W. Dick ◽

Matthew E. Gruwell ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Phylogenetic Relationships ◽

Developmental Stages ◽

Blood Feeding ◽

Content Type ◽

Bat Flies ◽

Clade C ◽

Taxonomic Range ◽

Bat Fly ◽

Microbial Dna

ABSTRACTBat flies are a diverse clade of obligate ectoparasites on bats. Like most blood-feeding insects, they harbor endosymbiotic prokaryotes, but the origins and nature of these symbioses are still poorly understood. To expand the knowledge of bacterial associates in bat flies, the diversity and evolution of the dominant endosymbionts in six of eight nominal subfamilies of bat flies (Streblidae and Nycteribiidae) were studied. Furthermore, the localization of endosymbionts and their transmission across developmental stages within the family Streblidae were explored. The results show diverse microbial associates in bat flies, with at least four ancestral invasions of distantly related microbial lineages throughout bat fly evolution. Phylogenetic relationships support the presence of at least two novel symbiont lineages (here clades B and D), and extend the geographic and taxonomic range of a previously documented lineage (“CandidatusAschnera chinzeii”; here clade A). Although these lineages show reciprocally monophyletic clusters with several bat fly host clades, their phylogenetic relationships generally do not reflect current bat fly taxonomy or phylogeny. However, within some endosymbiont clades, congruent patterns of symbiont-host divergence are apparent. Other sequences identified in this study fall into the widely distributed, highly invasive, insect-associatedArsenophonuslineage and may be the result of symbiont replacements and/or transient infections (here clade C). Vertical transmission of endosymbionts of clades B and D is supported by fluorescent signal (fluorescentin situhybridization [FISH]) and microbial DNA detection across developmental stages. The fluorescent bacterial signal is consistently localized within structures resembling bacteriomes, although their anatomical position differs by host fly clade. In summary, the results suggest an obligate host-endosymbiont relationship for three of the four known symbiont clades associated with bat flies (clades A, B, and D).

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