Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de
Janeiro, Vol. 97(1) 2002, pp. 139-141
SHORT COMMUNICATION
Some Streblidae and Nycteribiidae
(Diptera: Hippoboscoidea) from Maracá Island, Roraima, Brazil
Gustavo Graciolli/+, Pedro Marcos
Linardi*/++
Laboratório de Sistemática, Ecologia
e Evolução, Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do
Paraná, Caixa Postal 19020, 81531-990 Curitiba, PR, Brasil *Departamento
de Parasitologia, ICB, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte,
MG, Brasil
+Corresponding author. Fax: +55-41-226-20422. E-mail: mingau@bio.ufpr.br
++Research fellow of CNPq
Contribution #1307 of Departamento de Zoologia,
Universidade Federal do Paraná.
Received 16 April 2001
Accepted 10 September 2001
Code Number: oc02027
Fourteen species in five genera of Streblidae
and two species in two genera of Nycteribiidae, collected in Maracá Island,
State of Roraima, Brazil are presented with comments on bat hosts and geographical
distribution. A total of 42 specimens of Diptera and 17 bats were captured from
1987 to 1988, integrating the "Maracá Project". All species
of ectoparasites represent new geographic records for Roraima.
Key words: Streblidae - Nycteribiidae - ectoparasites
- bats - Roraima - Brazil
During 1987-1988 a floristic, faunistic and geologic
survey called "Maracá Project" was carried out in Maracá
Island, State of Roraima, Brazil. Sponsors of this project were Instituto de
Pesquisas da Amazônia (Inpa), ex-Secretaria Especial do Meio Ambiente
(Sema) and the Royal Geographic Society. Several Brazilian and foreign researchers
developed activitities in this project. Partial results about others taxa of
insects were previously published in a special volume of Acta Amazônica,
1991.
In this paper, we examined 42 specimens of batflies
(Diptera: Streblidae and Nycteribiidae) from 17 bats (Chiroptera) captured during
this project by other teams. The batflies are deposited at the Setor de Ectoparasitos,
Museu de Zoologia, Universidade de São Paulo (MZSP).
The collected material yielded 14 species (one
of them separated in two subspecies) in five genera of Streblidae and two species
in a single genus of Nycteribiidae. All of them constitute new records for the
State of Roraima.
A list of the batflies found is given below.
A brief report, including examined material and distributional notes, is included
for each species or subspecies.
STREBLIDAE
Trichobius caecus Edwards, 1918
Specimens examined: 2 males and 1 female, undetermined
bat, no date.
Remarks: T. caecus was recorded in Brazil,
in old "State of Mato Grosso" on undetermined host (Pessôa &
Guimarães 1940). Afterwards, it was recorded in Trinidad, Venezuela,
and French Guiane (Guerrero 1997). T. caecus occurs on momoorpid bats
of the genus Pteronotus Gray.
Trichobius joblingi Wenzel, 1966
Specimens examined: 4 males on Phyllostomus
elongatus (E. Geoffroy), 21/XI/1987; 4 females on Carollia perspicillata
(L.), 05/XII/1987; 1 male on C. perspicillata, 09/XII/1987; 2
males on C. perspicillata, 18/XII/1987; 1 male on P. elongatus,
19/XII/1987.
Remarks: this is the most abundant species of
streblid batfly found in the Neotropical Region, and the main parasite of C.
perspicillata (Guerrero 1995a). In the Brazilian Amazon, T. joblingi
has been recorded: in the State of Rondônia on C. perspicillata
(Guerrero 1995a); in the State of Pará on C. perspicillata, Artibeus
anderseni Osgood and Platyrrhinus helleri (Peters) (Guerrero 1997).
Trichobius dugesioides dugesioides Wenzel,
1966
Specimens examined: 1 male and 3 females on Trachops cirrhosus (Spix),
22/XII/1987.
Remarks: T. d. dugesioides was recorded on T. cirrhosus and Tonatia
bidens (Spix) from Pará (Guerrero 1997).
Trichobius dugesioides phyllostomus Guerrero,
1998
Specimens examined: 1 male and 1 female on Phyllostomus elongatus, 19/XII/1987.
Remarks: it represents a new record for Brazil. Previously, T. dugesioides
phyllostomus was collected on Phyl-lostomus elongatus from Venezuela
(Guerrero 1998).
Trichobius flagellatus Wenzel, 1976
Specimens examined: 1 male and 2 females on Lonchorhina aurita Tomes,
15/XII/1987.
Remarks: T. flagellatus was previously recorded in Venezuela on L.
aurita and L. orinocensis Linares & Ojasti (Wenzel 1976, Guerrero
1995a), and in Distrito Federal, Brazil on L. aurita (Coimbra Jr. et
al. 1984).
Trichobius parasiticus Gervais, 1844
Specimens examined: 2 males and 1 female on Desmodus rotundus (E. Geoffroy),
10/XII/1987.
Remarks: this is a characteristic ectoparasite of the blood-feeding bat D.
rotundus, in all geographic distribution of its host, except for Southern
Brazil, where it seems to be displaced by Trichobius furmani Wenzel.
Trichobius uniformis Curran, 1935
Specimens examined: 1 female on Carollia perspicillata, 15/XII/1987.
Remarks: T. uniformis is usually found on phyllostomid bats of the genus
Glossophaga Geoffroy (Guerrero 1994a). Guimarães (1937) reported
T. uniformis in the States of Pernambuco and Minas Gerais, but the host
species were not identified.
Speiseria ambigua Kessel, 1925
Specimens examined: 2 males and 2 females on Carollia perspicillata,
05/XII/1987; 1 male on C. perspicillata, 22/XII/1987.
Remarks: species mainly found on C. perspicillata. Guerrero (1997) recorded
S. ambigua on T. cirrhosus from Belém, Pará.
Paratrichobius dunni (Curran, 1935)
Specimen examined: 1 male on Uroderma bilobatum Peters, no date.
Remarks: this ectoparasite is normally found parasitizing phyllostomid bats
of the genus Uroderma Peters. Guerrero (1994b) recorded P. dunni
on U. bilobatum from Rondônia.
Aspidoptera falcata Wenzel, 1976
Specimens examined: 1 male on Sturnira tildae de la Torre, 21/XII/1987.
Remarks: Guerrero (1997) recorded A. falcata on S. tildae from
Pará.
Aspidoptera phyllostomatis (Perty, 1833)
Specimens examined: 1 male on Artibeus cf. jamaicensis Leach, 22/XII/1987.
Remarks: this species is often found on bats of the genus Artibeus Leach
(Phyllostomidae). A. phyllostomatis was previously recorded by Guerrero
(1995b) on Artibeus lituratus (Olfers) from Rondônia.
Strebla sp.
Specimens examined: 1 female, undetermined host, no date.
Remarks: although the species has not been identified, it is very similar to
Strebla alvarezi Wenzel and S. cormurae Wenzel.
Strebla consocia Wenzel, 1966
Specimens examined: 1 female on Phyllostomus elongatus, 19/XII/1987.
Remarks: this is a characteristic ectoparasite of P. hastatus (Pallas)
(Phyllostomidae), but it can also be often found on P. elongatus (Guerrero
1996). In Brazil, it was already recorded on P. hastatus from Pará
(Guerrero 1997).
Strebla altmani Wenzel, 1966
Specimens examined: 1 male on Lonchorhina aurita, 15/XII/1987.
Remarks: this species is often found on phyllostomid bats of the genus Lonchorhina
Tomes (Guerrero 1996). In Brazil, Coimbra Jr. et al. (1984) recorded
it on L. aurita from Distrito Federal.
Strebla wiedemanni Kolenati, 1856
Specimens examined: 1 male on Desmodus rotundus, 10/XII/1987.
Remarks: this is a characteristic ectoparasite of D. rotundus, and was
recorded in Pará on this same host (Guerrero 1996).
NYCTERIBIIDAE
Basilia sp.
Specimens examined: 1 male, undetermined host, no date; 2 males on Myotis
cf. albescens E. Geoffroy, 06/XII/1987.
Remarks: as emphasized by Guimarães and D'Andretta (1956), the most important
character to identify the American species of Basilia Ribeiro are present
in females. Hence, it was not possible to identify the males of this species.
Basilia dunni Curran, 1935
Specimens examined: 2 females on Myotis sp., 21/XII/1987.
Remarks: this species belongs to speiseri group of Theodor (1967). It
represents a new record for Brazil. Previously, the records of this species
were restricted to Panamá and Venezuela, on Myotis nigricans (Schinz)
and Myotis albescens Geoffroy (Guimarães 1966).
Basilia ferrisi Schuurmans-Stekhoven Jr.,
1931
Specimens examined: 1 female on Myotis cf. nigricans (Schinz), 02/II/1988.
Remarks: this species belongs to speiseri group of Theodor (1967). It
represents a new record for Brazil. Previously, it was found in Costa Rica,
Colômbia, Guatemala, Guiana, Peru, and Venezuela. Basilia ferrisi
occurs on Myotis albescens Geoffroy, Myotis nigricans, and
Myotis riparius Handley (Guimarães 1972).
Discussion - Prior to this study, 37 species
in 14 genera of Streblidae and two species in two genera of Nycteribiidae had
been recorded in the Brazilian Amazon Region. Adding our new species and subspecies
records (Trichobius caecus, T. dugesioides phyllostomus, T.
flagellatus, T. uniformis, Strebla altmani, S. consocia, Basilia
dunni, and B. ferrisi), the number of batflies species increases
to 43 in this area. However, it is important to emphasize that the number of
species recorded in the Brazilian Amazon Region is far below than that of neighbouring
countries such as Colombia, which has 54 species of Streblidae and 7 of Nycteribiidae;
Venezuela, with 121 and 12 species, respectively; and Peru, with 59 and eight
species, respectively (Guerrero 1997). This is probably due to insuficient collecting
at the Region, meaning is that more field effort is needed to better understand
the distribution and relationship of parasite batflies and their bat hosts.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
To Dr Mauricio O Moura and MSc Rodrigo Filipak
Torres for helpful comments on the manuscript.
REFERENCES
