We studied the ectoparasitic bat flies of three phyllostomid vampire bat species. Bats were collected monthly from April 2004-March 2005 in caves within the Cafuringa Environmental Protection Area in the Federal District of Brazil. A total of 1,259 specimens from six species in the Streblidae family were collected from 332 bats. High host affinity from the sampled bat fly species and high prevalence of bat flies confirms the primary fly-host associations (
Strebla wiedemanni
,
Trichobius parasiticus
and
Trichobius furmani
with
Desmodus,
Trichobius diaemi
and
Strebla diaemi
with
Diaemus and
T. furmani with
Diphylla). Male flies outnumbered females in several associations. Some of the observed associations (e.g.,
Strebla mirabilis
with
Desmodus and
S. mirabilis,
Trichobius uniformis
and
S. wiedemanni with
Diphylla) were inconclusive and the causes of the associations were unclear. There are several explanations for these associations, including (i) accidental contamination during sampling, (ii) simultaneous capture of several host species in the same net or (iii) genuine, but rare, ecological associations. Although various species of vampire bats share roosts, have similar feeding habits and are close phylogenetic relatives, they generally do not share ectoparasitic streblid bat flies.
T. diaemi and
S. diaemi associations with Diaemus youngi have not been previously reported in this region.