Records of Streblidae (Diptera: Hippoboscoidea) in a tropical dry forest fragment in Colombia

Abstract Streblidae is a highly specialized fly family, which feeds exclusively on bats. Here we present information about the species of streblids occurring in two fragments of tropical dry forest in Cauca, Colombia. Between April and November 2012, we conducted 16 capture events of bats using mist...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inBiota Colombiana Vol. 21; no. 1; pp. 16 - 27
Main Authors Ascuntar-Osnas, Oscar, Montoya-Bustamante, Sebastián, González-Chávez, Baltazar
Format Journal Article
LanguagePortuguese
English
Published Instituto Alexander von Humboldt 2020
Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt
Subjects
batflies
bats
BIOLOGY
fragmentation
host
Batflies
Fragmentación
Bats
Murciélagos
Host
Hospederos
Moscas ectoparásitas de murciélagos
Fragmentation
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Summary:Abstract Streblidae is a highly specialized fly family, which feeds exclusively on bats. Here we present information about the species of streblids occurring in two fragments of tropical dry forest in Cauca, Colombia. Between April and November 2012, we conducted 16 capture events of bats using mist nets, which were open from 18:00 until 06:00. Each captured bat was identified and the ectoparasites found were preserved in 90% alcohol solution. A total of 85 ectoparasites were collected and 10 species of streblids were identified in seven bat species. Our analysis showed that these parasites are locally specialized, which strongly contrasts with the high number of host species that have been reported for them. We hypothesize that this discrepancy is due to local constraints that filter the fundamental niche of these flies. This work enriches the inventories of the entomofauna in remnants of tropical dry forest, an ecosystem in a critical state of conservation.
ISSN:2539-200X
0124-5376
2539-200X
DOI:10.21068/c2020.v21n01a02