Contribution to the Ectoparasite Fauna of Bats (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae,Rhinolophidae) of Crimea

New data are presented on the ectoparasite fauna of several species of vesper and horseshoe bats (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae, Rhinolophidae) of the Crimean Peninsula. In the studied territory, 11 species of ectoparasites (mites and insects) have been collected from 6 bat species; 2 of the ectoparasite species were new to Crimea. Findings of gamasid mites Ichoronyssus scutatus on an unusual host are discussed. The gamasid mite Spinturnix emarginatus (Acari: Mesostigmata: Gamasina) is described for the territory of Russia for the first time.     

Bats (Chiroptera,Vespertillionidae) from the Cis-Urals and South Urals (Republic of Bashkortostan)

New and previously published data on the distribution of 12 bat species in the Cis-Urals and South Urals (Republic of Bashkortostan) are summarized. Data on their subspecies status are given. There is a need to clarify the taxonomic status of the pipistrelle bats Pipistrellus pipistrellus/pygmaeus. In terms of composition, the bat fauna of the Republic of Bashkortostan is a variant of the Central European fauna. It was revealed that the territory in question marks the eastern limits of distribution of Nyctalus leisleri and P. pipistrellus/pygmaeus. An important feature of the territory of Bashkortostan is the presence of places of mass wintering of bats of natural origin: more than 980 karst caves used by bats not only in winter, but also during the period of activity. According to the results of captures in 14 caves, data on the frequency and relative abundance of sedentary bat species in the Republic of Bashkortostan are given.     

Review of the fauna of the bug families Ceratocombidae,Tingidae, Microphysidae,and Reduviidae (Heteroptera) of the Middle and South Urals,with analysis of the zoogeographie structure of the Tingidae fauna

Based on the material of the authors’ collections from the South Ural Reserve (Republic of Bashkortostan), Sverdlovsk and Chelyabinsk provinces, the collections of the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Ilmen State Reserve (Chelyabinsk Province), and the Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Yekaterinburg), and also the reliable literature data, an annotated list of the true bug fauna of the Middle and South Urals is compiled for the first time. The list includes representatives of the families Ceratocombidae (1 species), Tingidae (45 species of 14 genera), Microphysidae (1 species), and Reduviidae (2 species of 1 genus). The known fauna of the Middle Urals (Perm Territory and Sverdlovsk Province) includes 24 species of Tingidae and 1 species of Microphysidae; that of the South Urals includes 1 species of Ceratocombidae, 41 species of Tingidae, 1 species of Microphysidae, and 2 species of Reduviidae. Six species are recorded from the Urals for the first time: Ceratocombus (Xylonannus) brevipennis Poppius, 1910 (Ceratocombidae), Acalypta gracilis gracilis (Fieber, 1844), Agramma tropidopterum Flor, I860 (Tingidae), Loricula (Myrmedobia) exilis (Fallén, 1807) (Microphysidae), Empicoris culiciformis (De Geer, 1773), and E. vagabundus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Reduviidae). The families Ceratocombidae and Microphysidae were not previously known from this region. The following numbers of species are recorded for the first time for different regions of the Middle and South Urals: for Perm Territory, 2 species of Tingidae; for Sverdlovsk Province, 11 species of Tingidae and 1 of Microphysidae; for Bashkortostan, 1 species of Ceratocombidae, 13 of Tingidae, 1 ofMicrophysidae, and 2 species of Reduviidae; for Chelyabinsk Province, 3 species of Tingidae. The Tingidae fauna of the Middle and South Urals mostly includes species widespread in the latitudinal and longitudinal directions, including 4 Holarctic (8.9%) and 12 Trans-Palaearctic species (26.7%). Ranges of 24 species (53.3%) mainly lie in the “humid” northern part of the Palaearctic (the humid complex of species). Ranges of 21 species (46.7%) mainly lie in the southern part of the Palaearctic, i.e., the Tethyan Region (the arid complex), the Tingidae fauna of the Middle Urals including only 2 species (8.3%) of that complex. Seven species (17.1%) of Tingidae form the arid element in the fauna of Orenburg Province: Kalama henschi (Puton, 1892), Galeatus vitreus Golub, 1974, G. scrophicus Saunders, 1876, Tingis (Tingis) pusilla (Jakovlev, 1873), T. (Tropidocheila) renovata Golub, 1977, T. (Tr.) maculata (Herrich-Schaeffer, 1838), Dictyla subdola (Horvath, 1905). Ranges of 7 species (15.5% of the whole studied fauna of Tingidae) are limited to the Middle and South Urals in the east and northeast. Ranges of 8 other species (17.8%) extend eastwards, beyond the Urals no farther than the south of Western Siberia and Western Kazakhstan. The mountain territory of the Middle and the South Urals obviously serves as a significant orographic and climatic barrier on the way of eastward expansion of some Western- and Central-Palaearctic species of Tingidae.     

New findings of spinturnicid mites (Mesostigmata: Gamasina: Spinturnicidae) from the Caucasus

The Caucasus is a large region in Eurasia consisting of four countries: Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia. Although it is one of the biodiversity hotspots in the world, the bat ectoparasite fauna has been poorly studied. To promotionally fill in the gaps regarding bat ectoparasites, we conducted five field surveys on bats and their ectoparasites at nine localities within the region between April 2016 and March 2021. Eight species and subspecies of spinturnicid mites were recorded over the surveys: Eyndhovenia euryalis oudemansi, Spinturnix acuminata acuminata, S. emarginata, S. myoti, S. nobleti, S. plecotina, S. psi, and S. punctata. Among them, three species, Spinturnix emarginata, S. nobleti and S. punctate, are newly recorded from the Caucasus region, and one each of subspecies and species, Eyndhovenia euryalis oudemansi and S. plecotina, are newly recorded from Georgia. In addition, Myotis tschuliensis was recorded as a new host species of S. myoti.     

A review of the centipede (Lithobiomorpha,Henicopidae, Lithobiidae) fauna of the Urals and Cis-Ural Area

The centipede fauna of the Urals and Cis-Ural Area includes 11 species of 4 genera. Two new species, Lithobius ruderalus Farzalieva and L. kozminykhi Farzalieva, are described. The species status of the damaged specimen of Hessebius was not determined. A new combination, Lithobius steppicus (Farzalieva et Zalesskaja, 2003) (of Monotarsobius), is proposed. Other species have been redescribed and illustrated. Reasons for a high endemism of the regional centipede fauna are discussed. The diversity of local faunas is relatively high in southern zones (5–7 species). The number of species decreases down to two in the middle taiga and mountains. Only one species, Lithobius curtipes, penetrates into the forest-steppe and tundra.     

Sex-biased parasitism,host mass and mutualistic bat flies: an antagonistic individual-based network of bat-bat fly interactions

Individual-based networks provide the building blocks for community-level networks. However, network studies of bats and their parasites have focused only on the species level. Intrapopulation variation may allow certain host individuals to play important roles in the dynamics of the parasites. Therefore, we evaluated how the variation in host sex, body size, ectoparasite abundance and co-occurrence configure individual-based networks of the lesser bulldog bat Noctilio albiventris and bat flies. We expected bat individuals with greater body mass and forearms acting as the core in the network. We also expected males to play a more important role in the network. We sampled a network of N. albiventris bat individuals and their bat flies to describe the structure of an antagonistic individual-based network. We aimed to identify the most relevant bat individuals in the network, focusing on the implications inherent to each of the following approaches: (i) core-periphery organization; (ii) modularity; (iii) species level metrics; and (iv) the main ecological driver of bat individual roles in the network, using niche-based predictors (body mass, forearm and sex). We showed that a network of N. albiventris individuals and their bat flies had low modularity containing a persistent nucleus of individuals and bat flies with well-established interactions. Male individuals with greater body mass played an important role in the network, while for females neither mass nor forearm length were important predictors of their role in the network. Finally, individuals with a high abundance of Paradyschiria parvula played a core role. These results provide an alternative perspective to understand the patterns and mechanisms of interspecific interactions between parasites on the host, as well as sex-biased parasitism.     

New and Rare Typhloplanoid Species (Turbellaria,Neorhabdocoela) for Fauna of the Urals and Russia

Morphological decriptions and information on the biology and distribution are given for the first time for fauna of the Urals turbellarians from the Neorhabdocoela order of the Typhloplanidae family: Strongylostoma simplex Meixner 1915, Typhloplanella halleziana (Vejdovsky 1880), Phaenocora rufodorsata (Sekera 1904). The species Typhloplanella halleziana was found the first time on the territory of Russia.     

A Finding of the Red Squirrel (Rodentia,Sciuridae, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sciurus vulgaris</Emphasis> Linnaeus, 1758) and Forest Dormouse (Rodentia,Gliridae, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Dryomys nitedula</Emphasis> Linnaeus, 1778) in the Pleistocene of the Southern Urals

The study deals with a new sample of the mammalian fossils from the Pleistocene deposits of the Ignatievskaya Cave in Southern Urals (54°53' N, 57°46' E). Among the rodent fossils, the teeth of red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) and forest dormouse (Dryomys nitedula) have been identified. The enamel differentiation quotient (SDQ) of the water vole teeth matches the Arvicola terrestris species from locations of the end of Middle and Late Pleistocene (oxygen isotope stages, OIS 6 and OIS 5–2, respectively). The high SDQ value for the water vole and the presence of the squirrel and dormouse in the fauna allow dating the finding near the end of the Middle Pleistocene and beginning of the Late Pleistocene (OIS 6 and OIS 5e, respectively). The widespread open and forest landscapes were inhabited by this fauna.     

New records of the heteroptera from the Middle Urals

71 heteropteran species belonging to 57 genera of 17 families are recorded for the first time for Sverdlovsk Province (the Middle Urals). Among them, the flower bug Temnostethus longirostris (Horváth, {dy1907}) is new to the Russian fauna; the families Microphysidae, Plataspidae, and Thyreocoridae are recorded for the first time from the Middle Urals.     

The Bacteriome of Bat Flies (Nycteribiidae) from the Malagasy Region: a Community Shaped by Host Ecology,Bacterial Transmission Mode,and Host-Vector Specificity

The Nycteribiidae are obligate blood-sucking Diptera (Hippoboscoidea) flies that parasitize bats. Depending on species, these wingless flies exhibit either high specialism or generalism toward their hosts, which may in turn have important consequences in terms of their associated microbial community structure. Bats have been hypothesized to be reservoirs of numerous infectious agents, some of which have recently emerged in human populations. Thus, bat flies may be important in the epidemiology and transmission of some of these bat-borne infectious diseases, acting either directly as arthropod vectors or indirectly by shaping pathogen communities among bat populations. In addition, bat flies commonly have associations with heritable bacterial endosymbionts that inhabit insect cells and depend on maternal transmission through egg cytoplasm to ensure their transmission. Some of these heritable bacteria are likely obligate mutualists required to support bat fly development, but others are facultative symbionts with unknown effects. Here, we present bacterial community profiles that were obtained from seven bat fly species, representing five genera, parasitizing bats from the Malagasy region. The observed bacterial diversity includes Rickettsia, Wolbachia, and several Arsenophonus-like organisms, as well as other members of the Enterobacteriales and a widespread association of Bartonella bacteria from bat flies of all five genera. Using the well-described host specificity of these flies and data on community structure from selected bacterial taxa with either vertical or horizontal transmission, we show that host/vector specificity and transmission mode are important drivers of bacterial community structure.     

Ticks collected from migratory birds,including a new record of Haemaphysalis formosensis,on Jeju Island,Korea

Migratory birds may disperse parasites across ecological barriers, and recent climate change may alter the pattern of ectoparasite dispersal via changed patterns of bird migration. In order to document the parasitization of migratory birds by Ixodidae ticks on Jeju Island in Korea, we examined 934 migratory birds comprising 75 species for ticks from 2010 to 2012. In total, 313 ticks were collected from 74 migratory birds across 17 avian species and identified based on morphological keys. These ticks represented six species: Haemaphysalis flava, H. formosensis, H. longicornis, H. concinna, Ixodes turdus and I. nipponensis. Of particular note was the presence of H. formosensis, a species not previously reported to have been found in Korea, and H. concinna, which had not been previously reported on Jeju Island. The dominant tick species found were H. flava (226 ticks, 72.2 %) and I. turdus (54 ticks, 17.3 %), and ground-dwelling thrushes such as Pale thrushes (Turdus pallidus; 39 birds, 52.7 %) were the most important hosts. Although H. longicornis is the most abundant and prevalent terrestrial tick on Jeju Island, the species accounted for only 3.8 % of the total ticks collected in this study, suggesting that ticks on migratory birds may differ from the local tick fauna and that exotic ticks may be introduced via migratory birds. Therefore, long-term programs for tick and tick-borne disease surveillance are recommended to understand the role of migratory animals in the introduction of exotic species and associated pathogens and in life cycles of ticks at different stages in this region.     

Comparative Analysis of the Amino Acid Spectrum of Blood Plasma in Chiroptera (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Vespertilio murinus</Emphasis> L., 1758 and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Myotis dasycneme</Emphasis> B., 1825) in the Fauna of the Ural Mountains

The article presents the results of a new comparative analysis of free amino acids in the blood plasma of representatives of insectivorous Chiroptera (Mammalia: Vespertilionidae) in the fauna of the Ural Mountains: the pond bat (Myotis dasycneme Boie, 1825) and the parti-colored bat (Vespertilio murinus Linnaeus, 1758). This is the first study to show the species variability of free amino acids in resident and migratory species of bats from different ecosystems of the Ural Region.     

New Viséan and Serpukhovian ammonoids from the Verkhnyaya Kardailovka section, eastern slope of the South Urals

Viséan and Early Serpukhovian ammonoids from the Verkhnyaya Kardailovka section (South Urals, Bashkortostan) are discussed. The ammonoid assemblages include taxa that have not been previously recorded from this region and are probably connected with the open shelf settings of the eastern subregion of the South Urals. For the first time in the South Urals, we were able to recognize the succession of the ammonoid genozones Goniatites → Hypergoniatites-Ferganoceras → Uralopronorites-Cravenoceras within the same section that can be correlated with the synchronous zonations of Western Europe, North Africa, and North America. New records allow interpretation of the evolution of the family Goniatitidae in the Ural Paleocean in the terminal Viséan. Two new species, Goniatites altus sp. nov. and Platygoniatites integer sp. nov. are described.     

Bat fly species richness in Neotropical bats: correlations with host ecology and host brain

Patterns of ectoparasite species richness in mammals have been investigated in various terrestrial mammalian taxa such as primates, ungulates and carnivores. Several ecological or life traits of hosts are expected to explain much of the variability in species richness of parasites. In the present comparative analysis we investigate some determinants of parasite richness in bats, a large and understudied group of flying mammals, and their obligate blood-sucking ectoparasite, streblid bat flies (Diptera). We investigate the effects of host body size, geographical range, group size and roosting ecology on the species richness of bat flies in tropical areas of Venezuela and Peru, where both host and parasite diversities are high. We use the data from a major sampling effort on 138 bat species from nine families. We also investigate potential correlation between bat fly species richness and brain size (corrected for body size) in these tropical bats. We expect a relationship if there is a potential energetic trade-off between costly large brains and parasite-mediated impacts. We show that body size and roosting in cavities are positively correlated with bat fly species richness. No effects of bat range size and group size were observed. Our results also suggest an association between body mass-independent brain size and bat fly species richness. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Beetles (Coleoptera) associated with the birch fungus Piptoporus betulinus (Bull.: Fr.) P. Karst. (Basidiomycetes, Aphyllophorales) in forests of the Urals and Transurals

Detailed characteristics of the fauna of beetles associated with the birch fungus Piptoporus betulinus (Bull.: Fr.) (Basidiomycetes, Aphyllophorales) in the Urals and Transurals are given. A total of 37 species of 17 families were found, with dominating species including Diaperis boleti (Linnaeus, 1758) (Tenebrionidae), Thymalus oblongus Reitter, 1889 (Trogossitidae), and Dacne bipustulata Thunberg, 1781 (Erotylidae). The main trends in the ecological and trophic specialization of mycetophagous beetles are analyzed. Some characteristics concerning the formation of beetle assemblages at different stages of the fruit body development are revealed.     

The distribution of the ectoparasite fauna of Sebastes capensis from the southern hemisphere does not correspond with zoogeographical provinces of free-living marine animals

Aim We examined the ectoparasite fauna of Sebastes capensis over almost all its geographical distribution range (Chilean, Argentinean and South African coasts) to determine (1) whether the ectoparasites of this host show a zoogeographical pattern and, if so, (2) how this pattern is related to known zoogeographical patterns for free‐living organisms. Location Fish were captured from 20, 24, 30, 33, 36, 40, 45 and 52° S along the Chilean coast; 11° S on the Peruvian coast; 43° S on the Argentina coast; and 34° S on the South African coast. Methods From April to September 2003 and from April to August 2004, 626 fish were captured. The parasites were collected using standard parasitological techniques. At the component community level, zoogeographical distribution patterns were evaluated using cluster analysis. At the infra‐community level, patterns of similarity in parasite composition among localities were investigated with multivariate discriminant analyses. Results The ectoparasite fauna of S. capensis consists of six species distributed along the whole of the Chilean coast. Four other species are distributed only within the transitional zone between the northern warm temperate region (Peruvian faunistic province), extending from Peru to the northern Chilean coast up to c. 30° S, and the cold temperate region (Magellanic faunistic province). The component communities from latitudes 30 to 40° S showed higher ectoparasite species richness, while localities on the margins of the geographical range showed lower species richness. Cluster analysis indicated a grouping of localities consistent with the transitional zone. Argentina and South Africa always emerged as separate localities. Main conclusions The ectoparasite communities of S. capensis do not follow a distributional pattern concordant with the known biogeographical zones for invertebrates and/or fish along the south‐eastern Pacific. Therefore their ectoparasite fauna is not useful as a zoogeographical indicator, although it does allow us to distinguish the transitional zone of the south‐eastern Pacific. On a more extended geographical scale, it is possible to distinguish the ectoparasite communities of S. capensis in the south‐eastern Pacific (as a whole) from those of Argentina and South Africa.     

Long‐term changes in occurrence,relative abundance,and reproductive fitness of bat species in relation to arrival of White‐nose Syndrome in West Virginia,USA

White‐nose syndrome (WNS) is a disease caused by the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans which has resulted in the deaths of millions of bats across eastern North America. To date, hibernacula counts have been the predominant means of tracking the spread and impact of this disease on bat populations. However, an understanding of the impacts of WNS on demographic parameters outside the winter season is critical to conservation and recovery of bat populations impacted by this disease. We used long‐term monitoring data to examine WNS‐related impacts to summer populations in West Virginia, where WNS has been documented since 2009. Using capture data from 290 mist‐net sites surveyed from 2003 to 2019 on the Monongahela National Forest, we estimated temporal patterns in presence and relative abundance for each bat species. For species that exhibited a population‐level response to WNS, we investigated post‐WNS changes in adult female reproductive state and body mass. Myotis lucifugus (little brown bat), M. septentrionalis (northern long‐eared bat), and Perimyotis subflavus (tri‐colored bat) all showed significant decreases in presence and relative abundance during and following the introduction of WNS, while Eptesicus fuscus (big brown bat) and Lasiurus borealis (eastern red bat) responded positively during the WNS invasion. Probability of being reproductively active was not significantly different for any species, though a shift to earlier reproduction was estimated for E. fuscus and M. septentrionalis. For some species, body mass appeared to be influenced by the WNS invasion, but the response differed by species and reproductive state. Results suggest that continued long‐term monitoring studies, additional research into impacts of this disease on the fitness of WNS survivors, and a focus on providing optimal nonwintering habitat may be valuable strategies for assessing and promoting recovery of WNS‐affected bat populations.     

The structure and spatial organization of the butterfly fauna (Lepidoptera,Rhopalocera) of the Ural Mountains

The butterfly fauna of the Ural Mountains contains 233 species: Papilionidae (6 species), Pieridae (23), Lycaenidae (64), Nymphalidae (60), Satyridae (57), and Hesperiidae (23). The number of butterfly species in seven regional and 29 local faunas generally increases gradually from north to south. The mean number of species in the local butterfly faunas is 127 in the southern Urals and slightly over 50 in the Polar Urals. The arealogical structure of the fauna is determined by the distribution of species recorded in 24 meridional and 19 latitudinal groups which together result in 80 distribution patterns. Based on comparison of the local butterfly faunas of the Urals, two large, historically formed faunistic complexes are distinguished: southern and northern. Either complex contains two faunistic complexes of the second order, hypoarctic and boreal in the former, and southern boreal and subboreal in the latter. The faunas of the Kazakhstan part of the Urals form a separate subboreal semi-arid complex, whereas the extreme boreal fauna of Pay-Khoy forms an independent arctic complex.     

The bat fauna hibernating in the caves of the Polish Tatra Mountains, and its long-term changes

We monitored bats hibernating in the Tatra Mountains during winters between 1997 and 2012. The Tatras are Central Europe’s second-highest massif after the Alps. Our winter censuses identified 14 species of bats hibernating in caves of the Polish Tatras. The most characteristic features of these winter bat assemblages were the dominance of Myotis mystacinus and high numbers of Eptesicus nilssonii. During the monitoring period, we noted qualitative and quantitative changes in the hibernating bat fauna. Two thermophilous species not recorded earlier and absent during the entire Holocene appeared: Rhinolophus hipposideros and Myotis emarginatus. The abundance of M. mystacinus, M. daubentonii, E. nilssonii and Plecotus auritus increased. We found no such changes in the abundance of M. myotis or M. nattereri. The Tatra Mountains are a key region for the occurrence of bats of the mystacinus group (particularly M. mystacinus sensu stricto) in Europe, and for E. nilssonii an important region in Central Europe.     

Coleoptera associated with the tree fungus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Trichaptum biforme</Emphasis> (Fr. in Klotzsch) (Basidiomycetes,Aphyllophorales) in the forests of the Urals and the Trans-Ural area

The coleopterous fauna associated with the tree fungus Trichaptum biforme (Fr. in Klotzsch) in the forests of the Urals and Trans-Ural area includes 29 species of 15 families and is dominated by Cis comptus Gyll. of the family Ciidae.