Ectoparasite divesity in bats (Chiroptera) from Iquitos and surroundings (Loreto, Peru)

ANALÍA G. AUTINO; GUILLERMO CLAPS; M. MÓNICA DÍAZ

Mendoza

Congreso; 10th International Mammmalogical Congress; 2009

CCT-CONICET-IADIZA-GIB-SAREM

Parasitological indexes and host-ectoparasite specifity are reported for 20 species of ectoparasite insects, 19 Diptera (Streblidae) and one Siphonaptera (Ischnopsyllidae) collected from 29 species of bats (one Molossidae: Molossus rufus; two Noctilionidae: Noctilio albiventris and N. leporinus; two Vespertilionidae: Myotis albescens and M. simus; and 24 Phyllostomidae: Artibeus planirotris, A. lituratus, A. anderseni, A. gnomus, Artibeus sp., Carollia perspicillata, Desmodus rotundus, Lophostoma brasiliense, L. silvicolum, Mesophylla macconnelli, Phyllostomus discolor, P. hastatus, P. elongatus, Platyrrhinus brachycephalus, Rhinophylla fischerae, R. pumilio, Sturnira lilium, S. tildae, S. magna, Sturnira sp., Tonatia saurophila, Trinycteris nicefori, Uroderma bilobatum, and Vampyriscus bidens).  The bats were captured with mist nets set at different habitats, between December 2002 and December 2005.  Each collected bat was placed individually in a fabric bag, and the ectoparasite material was collected from the fur and preserved in 70% ethyl alcohol. At the lab, the ectoparasites were processed and mounted in Canada balsam on microscope slides. The calculated indicators of parasite infection were:  Prevalence (P), mean intensity (MI) and mean abundance (MA).  The host-ectoparasite specifity was recorded considering the species as monoxenes (Aspidoptera falcata, Mastoptera minuta, Neotrichobius ectophyllae, Noctiliostrebla aitkeni, Pseudostrebla ribeiroi, Strebla curvata, S. galindoi, S. obtusa, S. wiedemanni -all Streblidae- and Myodopsylla wolffsohni wolffsohni -Ischnopsyllidae-); oligoxenes (Megistopoda proxima, Metelasmus pseudopterus and  Paradyschiria fusca), pleioxenes (Megistopoda aranea, Paratrichobius dunni, P. longicrus, Strebla consocia and S. hertigi)  or polixenes (Neotrichobius delicatus  and Paradyschiria parvula).