Environmental variables determining the distribution of an avian parasite: the case of the Philornis torquans complex in South America

CUERVO PF; PERCARA A; MONJE LD; BELDOMENICO PM; QUIROGA MA

MEDICAL AND VETERINARY ENTOMOLOGY

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2021 vol. 35 p. 284 - 292

0269-283X

Philornis flies are the major cause of myiasis in nestlings of Neotropicalbirds, being of major concern in geographically-restricted and endangered bird species.Despite its relevance for the conservation of birds, there is little information about theenvironmental dimensions determining Philornis spp. geographical range. By usingmaximum entropy, we identified for the first time the macro-environmental variablesconstraining the abiotic niche of the P. torquans complex in South America, andprovided a model map of its potential distribution based on environmental suitability.We identified the minimum temperature of the coldest month as the most relevantvariable, associated with the largest decrease in habitat suitability in Brazil and northernSouth America. Furthermore, the mean temperature of the warmest quarter limitedsuitability mostly along with the Andean range. In addition, humidity and moistureare influential factors in most of Argentina, northern Chile, and coastal Peru. Thegeographical projection suggests that environments inmost of central-eastern Argentina,and in a broad area in central Chile, are suitable for the presence of the P. torquanscomplex. Besides providing information about the ecology of Philornis spp., this studyrepresents a tool for bird conservation and a reference for future work on the distributionof this genus.