Aspidoptera
Taxonomy
This page represents the following TreeOfLife-200M taxonomic path.[1]
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Class: Insecta
- Order: Diptera
- Family: Hippoboscidae
- Genus: Aspidoptera
Visual Description
Members of the genus Aspidoptera are specialized, wingless or reduced-wing ectoparasitic flies, commonly referred to as bat flies. Observations from the TreeOfLife-200M dataset reveal a highly modified, dorsoventrally flattened body form, an adaptation for navigating the fur of their chiropteran hosts.[1] The head is typically small and closely integrated with the thorax, which is broad and robust. The legs are well-developed, featuring strong claws designed for gripping host hair.[1]
Ecology and Parasitism
Aspidoptera species are obligate ectoparasites of bats. Research in the Cerrado region of Brazil has documented specific host-parasite associations. Aspidoptera falcata has been recorded as an ectoparasite on the bat Sturnira lilium, with a prevalence of 21.4% and a mean intensity of infestation of 1.35.[2] Additionally, Aspidoptera phyllostomatis has been found on Artibeus planirostris, showing a high prevalence of 24.7% and a mean intensity of 2.0. Both species have also been noted as non-primary associates on other bat species, including Carollia perspicillata, Glossophaga soricina, and Desmodus rotundus.
Gallery
References
- 1 2 3 Dataset view for Animalia / Arthropoda / Insecta / Diptera / Hippoboscidae / Aspidoptera constructed from imageomics/TreeOfLife-200M records under this taxonomic path. Hugging Face Datasets. https://huggingface.co/datasets/imageomics/TreeOfLife-200M.
- ↑ Alan Eriksson; Gustavo Graciolli; Erich Arnold Fischer. Bat flies on phyllostomid hosts in the Cerrado region: component community, prevalence and intensity of parasitism. Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. 2011. https://doi.org/10.1590/s0074-02762011000300004.