A New Species of Eudusbabekia (Acari: Prostigmata: Myobiidae) From Hart's Little Fruit Bat, Enchistenes hartii (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae), in Southern Mexico

Abstract

Eudusbabekia paralepidoseta new species, was recorded on the Hart's little fruit bat Enchistenes hartii (Thomas) in the southern part of Mexico. The female and male are described and illustrated. E. paralepidoseta n. sp. represents the 32nd species in the genus. From the 31 known species of Eudusbabekia known to infest phyllostomid and mormoopid bats, E. paralepidoseta n. sp. has some morphological features similar to Eudusbabekia lepidoseta Jameson, 1971, including shapes of almost all dorsal and ventral setae; the presence of a patch of supernumerary; mostly broad to thick, medium, and almost scale-like setae; and the absence of setae 2b. However, E. paralepidoseta n. sp. can be differentiated from E. lepidoseta, by the reduced number of supernumerary setae on the female venter (37-43). The close morphological and therefore evolutionary similarities between E. lepidoseta and E. paralepidoseta n. sp. suggest possible close evolutionary relationships between their hosts, Sturnira lilium (Geoffroyi and St.-Hilaire) and E. hartii, which belong to the monophyletic subfamily Stenodermatinae.