Ectoparasitic flies (Diptera: Streblidae) on bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) from a Private Natural Heritage Reserve in southeastern Brazil

Abstract

Due to the small number of records of Streblidae on bats, despite extensive study on these mammals in the state of Rio de Janeiro, a survey was carried out in an area of the Atlantic Forest. The present study was carried out at Bom Retiro Farm Natural Heritage Private Reserve. We captured 401 bats of 17 species, 13 genera, and four families; bat flies infested 221 bats of only four species. Carollia perspicillata (Linnaeus, 1758) has the highest fly diversity, with seven fly species: Trichobius joblingi (Wenzel, 1966) (n = 23), Megistopoda proxima (Séguy, 1926) (n = 15), Strebla guajiro (García & Casal, 1965) (n = 15), Aspidoptera falcata (Wenzel, 1976) (n = 6) Paratrichobius longicrus (Miranda Ribeiro, 1907) (n = 8), Paraeuctenodes similis (Wenzel 1976) (n = 3), and Trichobius anducei (Guerrero, 1998) (n = 1). Two species infested Platyrrhinus lineatus (É. Geoffroy, 1810): Aspidoptera falcata (n = 1) and Anastrebla caudiferae (Wenzel, 1996) (n = 1). Paradyschiria parvula (Falcoz, 1931) (n = 11) infested Noctilio leporinus (Linnaeus, 1758) and M. proxima (n = 12) and Trichobius uniformis (Curran, 1935) (n = 1) infested Sturnira lilium (É. Geoffroy, 1842). Sturnira lilium has the highest infestation rate, with ten out of 46 captured individuals parasitized, followed by Carollia perspicillata, with 33 out of 164 captured parasitized, and by P. lineatus with only two parasitized individuals out of ten. Among 97 streblid flies captured, M. proxima was the most abundant (27.83%), followed by T. joblingi (23.71%), and S. guajiro (15.46%). All remaining bat fly species represented 33%. Paradichyria parvula has the first record for Rio de Janeiro State.

Key-Words:
Flying mammals; Parasitism; Megistopoda proxima; Atlantic Forest