Determinants of the composition of ectoparasitic flies of bats (Diptera: Streblidae, Nycteribiidae) in the Amazon and Cerrado landscape scales and ecotonal areas.

The high diversity of bats in the Neotropics is primarily associated with various ectoparasite species on their bodies. Interactions between these animals need to be comprehensively investigated at landscape scales, focusing on understanding the patterns of diversity of species. We sought to evaluate, througt bat captures and ectoparasite sampling, the determinants of the composition of ectoparasitic flies species present in bats in in the Amazon and Cerrado biomes and ecotone areas. We used a generalized dissimilarity model (GDM) to verify what factors explained the composition of ectoparasitic flies of bats using landscape metrics, geographic distance, biome, and host composition. Twenty-four bat species haboured a total of 33 species of ectoparasitic flies. Host composition was the best predictor of fly composition, followed by the environmental variables and by biome. Geographical distance presented negligible effects. Studies on large scales tend to reveal a wide diversity of ectoparasitic flies. Host composition, as the best predictor of fly composition, may be associated with interspecific characteristics among species. We recommend studies focusing on the landscape to understand better the parasitic associations of bats and their distribution across environments.

Effects of forest loss and fragmentation on bat-ectoparasite interactions.

Human land use causes habitat loss and fragmentation, influencing host-parasite associations through changes in infestation rates, host mortality and possibly local extinction. Bat-ectoparasite interactions are an important host-parasite model possibly affected by such changes, as this system acts as both reservoirs and vectors of several pathogens that can infect different wild and domestic species. This study aimed to assess how the prevalence and abundance of bat ectoparasites respond to forest loss, fragmentation, and edge length. Bats and ectoparasites were sampled at twenty sites, forming a gradient of forest cover, in southwestern Brazil during two wet (2015 and 2016) and two dry (2016 and 2017) seasons. Effects of landscape metrics on host abundance as well as parasite prevalence and abundance were assessed through structural equation models. Nine host-parasite associations provided sufficient data for analyses, including one tick and eight flies on four bat species. Forest cover positively influenced the prevalence or abundance of three fly species, but negatively influenced one fly and the tick species. Prevalence or abundance responded positively to edge length for three fly species, and negatively for the tick. In turn, number of fragments influenced the prevalence or abundance of four fly species, two positively and two negatively. Our results support species-specific responses of ectoparasites to landscape features, and a tendency of host-generalist ticks to benefit from deforestation while most host-specialist flies are disadvantaged. Differences in host traits and abundance, along with parasite life cycles and environmental conditions, are possible explanations to our findings.

Neotropical carnivores: a data set on carnivore distribution in the Neotropics

Mammalian carnivores are considered a key group in maintaining ecological health and can indicate potential ecological integrity in landscapes where they occur. Carnivores also hold high conservation value and their habitat requirements can guide management and conservation plans. The order Carnivora has 84 species from 8 families in the Neotropical region: Canidae; Felidae; Mephitidae; Mustelidae; Otariidae; Phocidae; Procyonidae; and Ursidae. Herein, we include published and unpublished data on native terrestrial Neotropical carnivores (Canidae; Felidae; Mephitidae; Mustelidae; Procyonidae; and Ursidae). NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES is a publicly available data set that includes 99,605 data entries from 35,511 unique georeferenced coordinates. Detection/non‐detection and quantitative data were obtained from 1818 to 2018 by researchers, governmental agencies, non‐governmental organizations, and private consultants. Data were collected using several methods including camera trapping, museum collections, roadkill, line transect, and opportunistic records. Literature (peerreviewed and grey literature) from Portuguese, Spanish and English were incorporated in this compilation. Most of the data set consists of detection data entries (n = 79,343; 79.7%) but also includes non‐detection data (n = 20,262; 20.3%). Of those, 43.3% also include count data (n = 43,151). The information available in NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES will contribute to macroecological, ecological, and conservation questions in multiple spatio‐temporal perspectives. As carnivores play key roles in trophic interactions, a better understanding of their distribution and habitat requirements are essential to establish conservation management plans and safeguard the future ecological health of Neotropical ecosystems. Our data paper, combined with other largescale data sets, has great potential to clarify species distribution and related ecological processes within the Neotropics. There are no copyright restrictions and no restriction for using data from this data paper, as long as the data paper is cited as the source of the information used. We also request that users inform us of how they intend to use the data.

Bat flies aggregation on Artibeus planirostris hosts in the Pantanal floodplain and surrounding plateaus.

For parasites in natural systems, the most common pattern of spatial distribution is aggregation among hosts. The main causes of such aggregation are variable exposure of hosts to parasites and heterogeneity in host susceptibility. The objective of this study was to determine if there are differences in the aggregation pattern of two species of ectoparasitic flies between the Pantanal and Cerrado regions of Brazil on the bat Artibeus planirostris. We collected the ectoparasites from bats captured between 2002 and 2017 with mist nets in 21 sites in the Pantanal and 15 sites in the surrounding plateaus. The results showed that the aggregation of ectoparasitic flies in Pantanal was more pronounced than in Cerrado. The discrepancy aggregation index (D) of the bat fly Megistopoda aranea was 0.877 in Pantanal and 0.724 in Cerrado. The D values of Aspidoptera phyllostomatis was even higher, with 0.916 and 0.848 in the Pantanal and Cerrado, respectively. Differences in the shelters used may be the main factor shaping variation in aggregation, since the Pantanal does not have rock formations, with only foliage, crowns and hollow tree trunks. These differences likely affect host exposure to the parasites, leading to an increase in parasite aggregation.

ATLANTIC MAMMAL TRAITS: a data set of morphological traits of mammals in the Atlantic Forest of South America.

Measures of traits are the basis of functional biological diversity. Numerous works consider mean species-level measures of traits while ignoring individual variance within species. However, there is a large amount of variation within species and it is increasingly apparent that it is important to consider trait variation not only between species, but also within species. Mammals are an interesting group for investigating trait-based approaches because they play diverse and important ecological functions (e.g., pollination, seed dispersal, predation, grazing) that are correlated with functional traits. Here we compile a data set comprising morphological and life history information of 279 mammal species from 39,850 individuals of 388 populations ranging from -5.83 to -29.75 decimal degrees of latitude and -34.82 to -56.73 decimal degrees of longitude in the Atlantic forest of South America. We present trait information from 16,840 individuals of 181 species of non-volant mammals (Rodentia, Didelphimorphia, Carnivora, Primates, Cingulata, Artiodactyla, Pilosa, Lagomorpha, Perissodactyla) and from 23,010 individuals of 98 species of volant mammals (Chiroptera). The traits reported include body mass, age, sex, reproductive stage, as well as the geographic coordinates of sampling for all taxa. Moreover, we gathered information on forearm length for bats and body length and tail length for rodents and marsupials. No copyright restrictions are associated with the use of this data set. Please cite this data paper when the data are used in publications. We also request that researchers and teachers inform us of how they are using the data.

Lista das espécies de Hippoboscoidea (Diptera) no estado de Mato Grosso do Sul, Brasil

ABSTRACT A checklist of the species of Hippoboscidae, Nycteribiidae and Streblidae and their hosts and localities in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, based on literature and specimens deposited in scientific collections, is presented. Fifty-three species are recorded, being Xenotrichobius noctilionis Wenzel, 1976 reported for first time in Brazil.

RESUMO Uma listagem das espécies de Hippoboscidae, Nycteribiidae e Streblidae, seus hospedeiros e localidades no estado de Mato Grosso do Sul, baseada em dados de literatura e no acervo de coleções científicas, é apresentada. Cinquenta e três espécies são registradas, sendo Xenotrichobius noctilionis Wenzel, 1976 reportada pela primeira vez no Brasil.

Lista das espécies de Hippoboscoidea (Diptera) no estado de Mato Grosso do Sul, Brasil / Checklist of Hippoboscoidea (Diptera) of the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

A checklist of the species of Hippoboscidae, Nycteribiidae and Streblidae and their hosts and localities in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, based on literature and specimens deposited in scientific collections, is presented. Fifty-three species are recorded, being Xenotrichobius noctilionis Wenzel, 1976 reported for first time in Brazil.

Uma listagem das espécies de Hippoboscidae, Nycteribiidae e Streblidae, seus hospedeiros e localidades no estado de Mato Grosso do Sul, baseada em dados de literatura e no acervo de coleções científicas, é apresentada. Cinquenta e três espécies são registradas, sendo Xenotrichobius noctilionis Wenzel, 1976 reportada pela primeira vez no Brasil.

Lista das espécies de Hippoboscoidea (Diptera) no estado de Mato Grosso do Sul, Brasil / Checklist of Hippoboscoidea (Diptera) of the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

A checklist of the species of Hippoboscidae, Nycteribiidae and Streblidae and their hosts and localities in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, based on literature and specimens deposited in scientific collections, is presented. Fifty-three species are recorded, being Xenotrichobius noctilionis Wenzel, 1976 reported for first time in Brazil.(AU)

Uma listagem das espécies de Hippoboscidae, Nycteribiidae e Streblidae, seus hospedeiros e localidades no estado de Mato Grosso do Sul, baseada em dados de literatura e no acervo de coleções científicas, é apresentada. Cinquenta e três espécies são registradas, sendo Xenotrichobius noctilionis Wenzel, 1976 reportada pela primeira vez no Brasil.(AU)

Ticks infesting bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) in the Brazilian Pantanal.

Ticks associated with bats have been poorly documented in the Neotropical Zoogeographical Region. In this study, a total of 1028 bats were sampled for tick infestations in the southern portion of the Brazilian Pantanal. A total of 368 ticks, morphologically identified as Ornithodoros hasei (n = 364) and O. mimon (n = 4), were collected from the following bat species: Artibeus planirostris, Platyrrhinus lineatus, Phyllostomus hastatus, Mimon crenulatum and Noctilio albiventris. Morphological identification of O. hasei was confirmed by molecular analysis. Regarding the most abundant bat species, only 40 (6.2%) out of 650 A. planirostris were infested by O. hasei, with a mean intensity of 7.2 ticks per infested bat, or a mean abundance of 0.44 ticks per sampled bat. Noteworthy, one single P. hastatus was infested by 55 O. hasei larvae, in contrast to the 2.5-7.2 range of mean intensity values for the whole study. As a complement to the present study, a total of 8 museum bat specimens (6 Noctilio albiventris and 2 N. leporinus), collected in the northern region of Pantanal, were examined for tick infestations. These bats contained 176 ticks, which were all morphologically identified as O. hasei larvae. Mean intensity of infestation was 22, with a range of 1-46 ticks per infested bat. Our results suggest that A. planirostris might play an important role in the natural life cycle of O. hasei in the Pantanal.

Bat flies on phyllostomid hosts in the Cerrado region: component community, prevalence and intensity of parasitism.

Streblidae flies are specialised parasites of bat hosts, mainly phyllostomids. There is a high richness of streblids in the savannah-like Cerrado region; however, there is little quantitative data available in parasitological indices. Here, we describe the component community, prevalence and intensity of a streblid infestation on a phyllostomid bat assemblage in Serra da Bodoquena, a Cerrado region in Southwest Brazil. We conducted surveys by capturing and inspecting bat hosts during the seven-month period between October 2004-December 2005. All the ectoparasites found on the bats were collected in the field and then counted and identified in the laboratory. We captured 327 bats belonging to 13 species, of which eight species were parasitized by 17 species of streblids. Carollia perspicillata and Glossophaga soricina were infested with seven streblid species, whereas the other bat species were infested with four or fewer streblid species. Megistopoda proxima and Aspidoptera falcata flies were found on Sturnira lilium, and Trichobius joblingi was the most prevalent fly on C. perspicillata. Megistopoda aranea and Aspidoptera phyllostomatis were highly prevalent and had a high intensity of infestation on Artibeus planirostris. Overall comparisons of the available data suggest that the component communities of streblids vary more between the Cerrado and Atlantic Forest phytogeographical regions than between localities within the same phytogeographical region.

Bat flies on phyllostomid hosts in the Cerrado region: component community, prevalence and intensity of parasitism

Streblidae flies are specialised parasites of bat hosts, mainly phyllostomids. There is a high richness of streblids in the savannah-like Cerrado region; however, there is little quantitative data available in parasitological indices. Here, we describe the component community, prevalence and intensity of a streblid infestation on a phyllostomid bat assemblage in Serra da Bodoquena, a Cerrado region in Southwest Brazil. We conducted surveys by capturing and inspecting bat hosts during the seven-month period between October 2004-December 2005. All the ectoparasites found on the bats were collected in the field and then counted and identified in the laboratory. We captured 327 bats belonging to 13 species, of which eight species were parasitized by 17 species of streblids. Carollia perspicillata and Glossophaga soricina were infested with seven streblid species, whereas the other bat species were infested with four or fewer streblid species. Megistopoda proxima and Aspidoptera falcata flies were found on Sturnira lilium, and Trichobius joblingi was the most prevalent fly on C. perspicillata. Megistopoda aranea and Aspidoptera phyllostomatis were highly prevalent and had a high intensity of infestation on Artibeus planirostris. Overall comparisons of the available data suggest that the component communities of streblids vary more between the Cerrado and Atlantic Forest phytogeographical regions than between localities within the same phytogeographical region.