Basilia sp.

Di Benedetto, Ingrid María Desiree, Oscherov, Elena Beatriz & Autino, Analía Gladys, 2023, Ectoparasites (Diptera, Hemiptera and Siphonaptera) of bats (Chiroptera) in northeastern Argentina, Revista Chilena de Entomología (Rev. Chil. Entomol.) 49 (4), pp. 773-788 : 779-782

Basilia sp.

Material examined (12). Paraje Galarza, 1 male (UNNEPin-101) on M. riparius ( CML12656 ), 19/12/2015 ; 1 male (UNNEPin-102) on M. riparius ( CML12657 ), 12/03/2016 ; 1 male (UNNEPin-103) on M. riparius ( CML12658 ), 14/03/2016 and 1 male (UNNEPin-104) on E. furinalis ( CLM12508 ), 17/03/2017 . Colonia Carlos Pellegrini , 1 male (UNNEPin-105) on M. albescens ( CML12513 ), 15/12/2015 ; 1 male (UNNEPin-106) on M. albescens ( CML12515 ), 15/12/2015 ; 1 male (UNNEPin-107) on M. albescens ( CML12521 ), 15/12/2015 ; 1 male (UNNEPin-108) on E. furinalis ( CML12499 ), 09/02/2017 ; 2 males (UNNEPin-109) on M. riparius (CAG-12641), 10/02/2017; 1 male (UNNEPin-110) on M. albescens ( CML12526 ), 10/02/2017 ; 1 male (UNNEPin-111) on E. furinalis ( CML12500 ), 10/02/2017 . Collected by Di Benedetto, I.M.D.

Comments. The sample male Basilia collected with corresponding females were established to be Basilia sp. due to the difficulty in determining the species, as there are few taxonomic keys that describe them. The samples were found on two bat species from the Vespertilionidae family.

Hemiptera (Polyctenidae)

Hesperoctenes eumops Ferris & Usinger, 1939

Heperoctenes eumpos Ferris & Usinger, 1939: 19 , figs. 14, 17, 18.

Material examined (5). Paraje Galarza, 2 females (UNNEPin-127) on E. patagonicus ( CML12735 ), 16/3/2015. Colonia Carlos Pellegrini, 1 nymph, 1 female and 1 male (UNNEPin-128) on E. patagonicus ( CML12726 ), 10/03/2016. Collected by Di Benedetto, I.M.D .

Host and distribution in Argentina. Molossidae : E. patagonicus (Tucumán) ( Autino et al. 1999).

Identification. The pronotum is much wider than it is long with semi convergent edges and covered with irregularly distributed thin setae leaving many glabrous areas on the discal region. The mesonotal lobes are shorter than the pronotum and the edges are subcuadrangular, with each lobe being slightly longer than wide and densely covered with thin setae, except in the ante-inner area that is glabrous. The prosternum is triangular, longer than it is wide and with an anterior marginal row of strong setae, followed by two more rows of weaker setae; the posterior area is glabrous except two longitudinal rows of small slightly convergent setae. The femur I is strongly curved in the middle of the posterior edge. The nymph corresponds to the second to last nymphal stage.

Comments. This species was cited only on E. perotis californicus Merriam, 1890 in California ( Ferris & Usinger 1939; Ueshima 1972) and E. perotis perotis Schinz, 1821 in Brazil ( Ronderos 1959). In Argentina Autino et al. (1999) cited H. eumops in the Yungas, in the Reserva Provincial La Florida (Tucumán) on E. patagonicus , the same host found in this work, increasing its distribution to the northeast of the country.

Hesperoctenes fumarius ( Westwood, 1874)

Polyctenes fumarius Westwood, 1874: 198 , pl. 38. Waterhouse 1880: 319; Speiser 1904: 376. Hesperoctenes fumarius : Kirkaldy 1906: 375. Costa Lima 1920: 69. Ueshima 1972: 17.

Material examined (1). Paraje Galarza, 1 male (UNNEPin-129) on M. rufus ( CML12823 ), 14/03/2016. Collected by Di Benedetto, I.M.D .

Host and distribution in Argentina. Molossidae : Eumpos bonariensis Peters, 1874 (Buenos Aires and Tucumán); Eumops glaucinus Wagner, 1843 (Jujuy); M. molossus crassicaudatus É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1805 (Salta); M. molossus Pallas, 1766 (Entre RÍos); Promops nasutus Spix, 1823 (Salta) ( Ronderos 1962b; Autino et al. 1999, 2009; Claps et al. 2004); unidentified host (Jujuy) ( Ronderos 1962b).

Identification. The antennas have four segments; the first antennomere is much shorter than the rest, which are of equal length; the fourth segment is club shaped. The thorax has a pronotum that is wider than it is long and covered with irregularly distributed setae, leaving small glabrous areas on the middle and lateral posterior regions; the mesonotal lobes are slightly shorter than the pronotum, with each lobe slightly wider than long. The prosternum has a triangular form, longer than it is wide, with an anterior marginal row of 14 strong setae that are more robust towards the edges, followed by two irregular rows of somewhat weaker setae. The posterior part of the prosternum has two longitudinal convergent rows of around eight small setae each, the rest is glabrous.

Comments. This species is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela ( Maa 1961; Autino et al. 1999). In Argentina, Ronderos (1962b) cites for the first time H. fumarius on M. molossus crassicaudatus in Santa Victoria Este, TolderÍa La Merced (Salta) and in Jujuy on an unidentified host. Autino et al. (2009) record H. fumarius on Molossus molossus in Entre RÍos. There are also records of E. glaucinus in Jujuy ( Autino et al. 2009). In Corrientes it is recorded for the first time on M. rufus ( Molossidae ) constituting a new parasitological association.

Morphologically H. fumarius is distinguished from H. eumops and H. giganteus by a head that is notably wider than it is long and a pronotum that is also much wider than it is long ( Ronderos 1962b).

Hesperoctenes giganteus Ronderos, 1959

Hesperoctenes giganteus Ronderos, 1959: 176 .

Material examined (7). Paraje Galarza, 1 nymph, 2 females and 1 male (UNNEPin-130) on M. rufus ( CML12813 ), 14/3/2015 ; 1 male (UNNEPin-131) on M. rufus ( CML12816 ), 14/3/2015 and 2 females (UNNEPin-132) on M. rufus ( CML12818 ), 16/3/2015 . Collected by Di Benedetto, I.M.D.

Host and distribution in Argentina. Molossidae : E. perotis (Santiago del Estero); Eumops patagonicus (Corrientes) ( Ronderos 1959; Claps et al. 2004).

Identification. The pronotum has subparallel lateral edges. The mesonotal lobes are subrectangular. Ventrally the gular region is glabrous and the prosternum in triangular with a row of thick setae on the anterior marginal edge followed by a row of irregularly dispersed setae. The central area is glabrous, and the posterior edge has some visible setae. The femur I has a uniformly curved posterior edge. The nymph corresponds to the second to last nymphal stage.

Comments. Hesperoctenes giganteus is similar to H. eumops , though both species are differentiated by the form of the lateral edges of the pronotum and of the mesonotal lobes, and the femur I ( Ronderos 1962b). In South America, this species is found exclusively in Argentina where there are two records; the first was found in Santiago del Estero and is the base for the original description of the species ( Ronderos 1959), associated with E. perotis perotis and the second from la Estancia San Juan Poriahú, Loreto, province of Corrientes ( Claps et al. 2004) associated with E. patagonicus . Hesperoctenes giganteus represents the second discovery for the province of Corrientes and the third for Argentina. Also, the association between H. giganteus and M. rufus ( Molossidae ) indicates a new host for Corrientes.

Siphonaptera (Ischnopsyllidae)

Myodopsylla wolffsohni wolffsohni ( Rothschild, 1903)

Ceratopsylla wolffsohni Rothschild, 1903: 321 , figs. 14-16.

Myodopsylla wolffsohni wolffsohni : Jordan 1931: 366; Guimarães 1940: 220, fig. 1; Hopkins & Rothschild 1956: 240; Del Ponte 1977:134.

Material examined (26). Colonia Carlos Pellegrini , 2 females (UNNEPin-133) on M. albescens ( CML12510 ), 18/11/2014 ; 1 male (UNNEPin-134) on M. albescens ( CML12511 ), 15/12/2015 ; 1 male (UNNEPin-135) on M. albescens ( CML12512 ), 15/12/2015 ; 1 female (UNNEPin-136) on M. albescens ( CML12514 ), 15/12/2015 ; 1 female (UNNEPin-137) on M. albescens ( CML12515 ), 15/12/2015 ; 2 females and 1 male (UNNEPin-138) on M. albescens ( CML12516 ), 15/12/2015 ; 1 female (UNNEPin-139) on M. albescens ( CML12520 ), 15/12/2015 ; 10 females and 2 males (UNNEPin-140) on M. albescens ( CML12521 ), 15/12/2015 ; 3 females and 1 male (UNNEPin-141) on M. riparius ( CML12594 ), 06/10/2015 . Collected by Di Benedetto, I.M.D.

Host and distribution in Argentina. Molossidae : E. perotis (Corrientes, Entre RÍos, Salta and Tucumán). Vespertilionidae : M. albescens (Corrientes and Salta); M. chiloensis Waterhouse, 1840 (Entre RÍos); M. nigricans (Salta) ( Schreiter & Shannon 1927; Del Ponte 1977; Claps & Autino 2012; Autino et al. 2016).

Identification. Have false ctenidium on the abdominal tergites I and II that have four or five thick, pigmented setae. These are absent on the abdominal tergites III and IV.

Comments. This species of flea is distributed in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Myodopsylla w. wolffsohni has false ctendium on the abdominal tergites I and II, different from M. isidori Weyenbergh, 1881 that is also present in Argentina and has false ctenidium on the abdominal tergites I and III ( Claps & Autino 2012). Myodopsylla w. wolffsohni have been cited in Tucumán, on E. perotis ( Schreiter & Shannon 1927) , in Corrientes (Estancia San Juan Poriahú, Loreto, department of San Miguel) and Salta, on M. albescens and M. nigricans ( Claps & Autino 2012; Autino et al. 2016). In Entre RÍos, there is an old citation on M. chiloensis ( Del Ponte 1977) , though the identification of the host could be dubious if we consider that M. chiloensis is only present in the provinces of southern Argentina ( Barquez 2006). In Uruguay, it is found on M. riparius ( Claps & Autino 2012) .

In this work we identified specimens of M. w. wolffsohni on M. albescens and M. riparius . The latter species constitutes a new host for M. w. wolffsohni in Argentina.