Skip to content
BY-NC-ND 3.0 license Open Access Published by De Gruyter May 11, 2013

Variation in ectoparasite load in the Mehely’s horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus mehelyi (Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae) in a nursery colony in western Iran

  • Mozafar Sharifi EMAIL logo , Najmeh Taghinezhad , Fatema Mozafari and Somaye Vaissi
From the journal Acta Parasitologica

Abstract

We studied variation of ectoparasite load in a free ranging populations of Mehely’s horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus mehelyi) on five successive occasions in a nursery roost in western Iran. In total, 87 Rhinolophus mehelyi were captured. The patterns of abundance differed greatly among parasite species but total parasite load was markedly higher in pregnant females in spring and early summer and lower in solitary males. On average, 90% of bats were infested by Eyndhovenia sp. with a mean intensity of 13.79 individuals per bat. Penicillidia sp. and one species from Streblidae were found in 66.7% and 11.49% of bats with parasite load of 2.31 and 1.8 parasite per bat, respectively. Using ratio of forearm length to body mass as an indication of bat health the correlation coefficient between parasite load and the health indicator was 0.002 for males and 0.06 for females indicating that parasite load has no apparent impact on bat’s health.

[1] Bertola P.B., Aires C.C., Favorito S.E., Graciolli G., Amaku M., Rocha R.P. 2005. Bat flies (Diptera: Streblidae, Nycteribiidae) parasitic on bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) at Parque Estadual da Cantareira, São Paulo, Brazil: parasitism rates and hostparasite associations. Memorias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, 100, 25–32. DOI: 10.1590/S0074-02762005000100005. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0074-0276200500010000510.1590/S0074-02762005000100005Search in Google Scholar

[2] Calvete C., Estrada R., Lucientes J., Estrada A. 2003. Ectoparasite ticks and chewing lice of red-legged partridge, Alectoris rufa, in Spain. Medical and Veterinary Entomology, 17, 33–37. DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2915.2003.00402.x. http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2915.2003.00402.x10.1046/j.1365-2915.2003.00402.xSearch in Google Scholar PubMed

[3] Christe P., Arlettaz A., Vogel P. 2000. Variation in intensity of a parasitic mite (Spinturnix myoti) in relation to the reproductive cycle and immunocompetence of its bat host (Myotis myotis). Ecology Letters, 13, 207–212. DOI: 10.1046/j.1461-0248.2000.00142.x. http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1461-0248.2000.00142.x10.1046/j.1461-0248.2000.00142.xSearch in Google Scholar

[4] Czenze Z.J., Hugh G., Broders H.G. 2011. Ectoparasite Community Structure of Two Bats (Myotis lucifugus and M. septentrionalis) from the Maritimes of Canada. Parasitology Research, (341535), 9. DOI: 10.1155/2011/341535. 10.1155/2011/341535Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central

[5] Dick C.W., Gannon M.R., Little W.E., Patrik M.J. 2003. Ectoparasite associations of bats from Central Pennsylvania. Journal of Medical Entomology, 40, 813–819. DOI: 10.1603/0022-2585-40.6.813. http://dx.doi.org/10.1603/0022-2585-40.6.81310.1603/0022-2585-40.6.813Search in Google Scholar PubMed

[6] Dietz M., Walter G. 1995. Zur Ektoparasitenfauna der Wasserfledermaus (Myotis daubentonii Kuhl, 1819) in Deutschland unter der besonderen Berücksichtigung der saisonalen Belastung mit der Flughautmilbe Spinturnix andegavinus. Search in Google Scholar

[7] Fitze P.S., Clobert J., Richner H. 2004. Long-term life-history consequences of ectoparasite-modulated growth and development. Ecology, 85, 2018–2026. DOI: 10.1890/03-0138. http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/03-013810.1890/03-0138Search in Google Scholar

[8] Glover M.A. 1962. The parasites of bats. In: Bats Biology behavior and folklore. Dover Publications, New York, 293-397 pp. Search in Google Scholar

[9] Guerrero R. 1998. Notes on Neotropical batflies (Diptera, Streblidae). I. The genus Trichobius, with description of two new species and one new subspecies from Venezuela. Acta Parasitologica, 43, 86–93. Search in Google Scholar

[10] Komeno C.A., Linhares A.X. 1992. Batflies Parasitic on Some Phyllostomid Bats in Southeastern Brazil: Parasitism Rates and Host-parasite Relationships. Memorias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, 94, 151–156. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0074-0276199900020000410.1590/S0074-02761999000200004Search in Google Scholar

[11] Kulzer E. 1998. Fliegen Flöhe und Wanzen, Milben und Zecke einerWochenstube von Myotis myotis Konsequenzen für den Umgang mit Fledermäusen. Flattermann, 10, 9–13. Search in Google Scholar

[12] Luean R.K. 2006. Relationships between the parasitic mite Spinturnix andegavinus (Acari: Spinturnicidae) and its bat host, Myotis daubentonii (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae): seasonal, sex and age related variation in infestation and possible impact of the parasite on the host condition and roosting behavior. Folia Parasitologica, 53, 147–152. Search in Google Scholar

[13] Marshall A.G. 1982. Ecology of insects ectoparasitic on bats. In: Ecology of bats (Ed. T.H. Kunz). Plenum Press, New York, pp. 369–401. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-3421-7_1010.1007/978-1-4613-3421-7_10Search in Google Scholar

[14] Moura M.O., Bordignon M.O., Graciolli G. 2003. Host characteristics do not affect community structure of ectoparasites on the fishing bat Noctilio leporinus (L., 1758) (Mammalia: Chiroptera). Memorias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, 98, 811–816. DOI: 10.1590/50074-02762003000600017. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0074-02762003000600017Search in Google Scholar

[15] Sharifi M. 2004. Postnatal growth and age estimation in the Mehely’s horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus mehelyi). Acta Chiropterologica/Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 6, 155–161. DOI: 10.3161/1508110042176707. Search in Google Scholar

[16] Sharifi M., Hemmati Z. 2004. Variation in the diet of Mehely’s horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus mehelyi, in three contrasting environment in western Iran. Zoology in the Middle East, 33, 65–72. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09397140.2004.1063806410.1080/09397140.2004.10638064Search in Google Scholar

[17] Sharifi M., Mozafari F., Taghinezhad N., Javanbakht H. 2008. Variation in ectoparasite load reflects life history traits in the lesser mouse-eared bat Myotis blythii (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) in western Iran. Parasitology, 94, 622–625. DOI: 10.1645/GE-1334R1.1. 10.1645/GE-1334R1.1Search in Google Scholar

[18] Vatandoost H., Telmadarraiy Z., Sharifi M., Moradi A., Kamali M., Taran M. 2010. Ectoparasites of lesser mouse eared bat, My-otis blythii from Kermanshah Iran. In: Proceedings of the Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine, 3, 371–373. DOI: 10. 1016/s1995-7645(10)60090-9. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1995-7645(10)60090-910.1016/S1995-7645(10)60090-9Search in Google Scholar

[19] Whiteman N.K., Parker P.G. 2004. Body condition and parasite load predict territory ownership in the Galapagos hawk. Condor, 106, 915–921. DOI: /10.1650/7551. http://dx.doi.org/10.1650/755110.1093/condor/106.4.915Search in Google Scholar

Published Online: 2013-5-11
Published in Print: 2013-6-1

© 2013 W. Stefański Institute of Parasitology, PAS

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Downloaded on 28.3.2024 from https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.2478/s11686-013-0122-1/html
Scroll to top button