Hyperparasitism in caves: Bats, bat flies and ectoparasitic fungus interaction.
Ectoparasites
Hyperparasites
Laboulbeniales
Nycteribiidae
Parasitism
Subterranean ecosystems
Journal
Journal of invertebrate pathology
ISSN: 1096-0805
Titre abrégé: J Invertebr Pathol
Pays: United States
ID NLM: 0014067
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
09 2019
09 2019
Historique:
received:
03
05
2019
revised:
25
05
2019
accepted:
28
05
2019
pubmed:
4
6
2019
medline:
5
9
2020
entrez:
2
6
2019
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
Bat flies (Diptera: Nycteribiinae) are highly specialized bloodsucking bat ectoparasites. Some of the ectoparasitic bat flies are themselves parasitized with an ectoparasitic fungus of the genus Arthrorhynchus (Laboulbeniales). Ascospores of the fungus attach to the cuticle of a bat fly and develop a haustorium that penetrates the host cuticle. This interaction defines the fungus as a hyperparasite. Both the fly and the fungus are obligate parasites and this peculiar case of hyperparasitism has remained largely unstudied. We studied the prevalence of Laboulbeniales, genus Arthrorhynchus, in natural populations of bat flies infesting the bat species Miniopterus schreibersii, Myotis bechsteinii, My. blythii, My. daubentonii, My. escalerai and My. myotis in Portuguese caves. Laboulbeniales were found infecting 10 of the 428 screened bat flies (2.3%) in natural populations, with fewer infections in winter. Images obtained with transmission electron microscopy show the fungal haustorium within the bat fly host tissue, from where it extracts nutrition.
Identifiants
pubmed: 31152770
pii: S0022-2011(19)30119-3
doi: 10.1016/j.jip.2019.107206
pii:
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
107206Informations de copyright
Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.