Abstract
Abstract Three species of vespertilionid bats, including 4 big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus), 4 western small-footed myotis (Myotis ciliolabrum), and 6 little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus) were collected between July and October 2007 from 2 sites on the Pine Ridge escarpment in Dawes County, Nebraska, U.S.A., and examined for helminths. Ten of 14 (71%) were infected with 1 or more parasites as follows: 3 of 4 (75%) E. fuscus, 3 of 6 (50%) M. lucifugus, and 3 of 4 (75%) M. ciliolabrum harbored the lecithodendrid trematode Paralecithodendrium swansoni; 1 of 4 (25%) E. fuscus, 1 of 6 (17%) M. lucifugus, and 1 of 4 (25%) M. ciliolabrum were infected with a plagiorchid trematode, Plagiorchis vespertilionis; and a single E. fuscus (25%) harbored third-stage larval spirurid nematode Physaloptera sp. This is the first time P. vespertilionis and P. swansoni have been reported from M. ciliolabrum. In addition, E. fuscus is a new host for Physaloptera sp., and P. swansoni is now documented in Nebraska.
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