Phylogenetic relationships of a novel bat fly species infesting the geographically widespread Old World fruit bat, Rousettus leschenaultii, in Southern Asia.

Abstract

The global epidemiological significance of bats and their blood-sucking ectoparasites is increasingly recognized. However, relevant data are scarce from Pakistan where the Palearctic and Oriental zoogeographic regions meet. In this study, 200 bats belonging to five species were examined for the presence of ectoparasites in Pakistan. Bat flies were found only on Leschenault's fruit bat (Rousettus leschenaultii). The prevalence of infestation did not correlate with habitat type and host traits including age, reproductive status, and sex. All bat flies represented the same Eucampsipoda species which was shown to be morphologically different from all species of its genus with known south Asian distribution and belonged to a separate phylogenetic group. These results highlight the existence of a hitherto undescribed bat fly species in southern Asia, which is not shared by the fruit bat species (R. leschenaultii) and insectivorous ones (e.g., Rhinopomamicrophyllum) thus probably playing a role only in intraspecific transmission of pathogens.