Abstract
The mite species Monunguis streblida Wharton, 1938 (Neothrombidiidae) is reported in association with dipteran ectoparasites (Streblidae) of Brazilian bats for the first time. A 1-year study of two populations of the bat Anoura geoffroyi Gray, 1838 in caves in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, found them to be parasitized by four species of streblids, three of which were parasitized by M. streblida. Three hundred and thirty-two individuals of M. streblida were collected in association with 135 individuals of Anastrebla modestini Wenzel, 1966, two individuals of A. caudiferae Wenzel, 1976, and two individuals of Trichobius sp. (dugesii complex). The predominant association of M. streblida with A. modestini suggests a preference for this host for the larvae of this mite. Fluctuations in the abundance of mites were found to accompany seasonal cycles and fluctuations in the abundance of their main host, with the mites being more abundant in months with higher temperatures and greater rainfall. The present work represents the first formal record of the occurrence of M. streblida in South America, increasing its range of occurrence southward by more than 5000 km.
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Acknowledgments
We thank Santuário Nossa Senhora da Piedade and Vale S.A., represented by Gerência de Espeleologia (Diretoria Planejamento de Ferrosos—DIPF), for allowing access to the study areas and for providing logistical support to carry out the research. We thank the Comitê de Ética of Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais—(CEUA-PUC) (no. 019/2016) and Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade (ICMBio) (no. 55700/2) for authorizing the research. We thank BioEspeleo Consultoria Ambiental for the stereomicroscope images and Gustavo Graciolli for identifying part of the material (Streblidae) analyzed in the present work and PUC Minas for the scholarship granted to AS Reis; LFOB scholarships were provided by CAPES (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior). We thank Caroline Reis for the review of the text and the reviewers for the important contributions to the manuscript.
Funding
This project was supported by Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais (PUC Minas) for the scholarship awarded and FIP-PUC Minas (no. 2017/387-S1).
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da Silva Reis, A., de Almeida Zampaulo, R., de Oliveira Bernardi, L.F. et al. Monunguis streblida (Neothrombidiidae) in Brazil and its parasitic relationships with dipteran ectoparasites (Anastrebla and Trichobius) of bats. Parasitol Res 118, 2467–2473 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-019-06384-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-019-06384-w