Mops leucostigma

Abstract: We analysed 890 faecal samples from 145 molossid bats in eastern Madagascar during the austral summer and winter Coleoptera, Hemiptera, Lepidoptera and Diptera were the most important sources of food for Mops leucostigma, Mormopterus jugularis and Chaerephon pumilus The percentage volume of Hemiptera and Lepidoptera were similar in the diet, pooled across season, for all species but significant differences were found for Diptera and Coleoptera Mops leucostigma, however, had the highest volume of Diptera and M jugularis of Coleoptera Hemiptera were an important food source for all species during both seasons, whereas Coleoptera were prevalent in the diet only during the summer Diptera were rarely eaten by M jugularis but constituted a major source of food for the other two species during the winter Although there was little evidence of strong interspecific dietary partitioning, M jugularis appeared to have a more limited dietary composition at the ordinal level Major differences in dietary composition were between season rather than species at the ordinal level Further investigations are recommended to assess the potential role of molossids in consuming economic pests of cotton in Madagascar

Abstract: The synanthropic molossid bat, Mops leucostigma (Allen 1918), is widely distributed across Madagascar and has recently been described from the Comoros. M. leucostigma individuals from eastern Malagasy populations are markedly larger than those from the west, and Mops leucostigma populations from Madagascar are morphologically distinct from populations of its putative sister species, Mops condylurus from mainland Africa (Ratrimomanarivo et al. in press, Genetic diversity was assessed by sequencing the mitochondrial cytochrome b (n = 56) and displacement loop (D-loop) (n = 64) regions of Mops leucostigma individuals from a broad range of locations across Madagascar, and Moheli and Anjouan in the Comoros. Specimens of Mops condylurus (n =3), Mops midas (n =3) and Otomops martiensseni (n = 1) were included in the study for comparative purposes as outgroups. Phenetic and cladistic analysis of cytochrome b and D-loop sequences strongly supported the reciprocally-monophyletic status of Mops condylurus and M. leucostigma. Comorian (Moheli and Anjouan) and Malagasy M. leucostigma samples formed a monophyletic Mops leucostigma group, within which Comorian samples formed a poorly-supported subclade in the cytochrome b analysis only. Cytochrome b genetic distances of 13.8 % separated M. midas from M. condylurus and M. leucostigma, which formed reciprocally-monophyletic sister groups separated by genetic distances of 2.5 % for cytochrome b and 13 % for the D-loop. 49 M. leucostigma cytochrome b sequences yielded seven haplotypes, two of which were exclusive to the Comoros. D-loop haplotype analysis did not support the distinctiveness of the Comorian samples. Genetic distances within M. leucostigma samples were low (0.22 % for cytochrome b and 1.91 % for the D-loop). Comorian samples were found to be genetically attributable to M. leucostigma. Clear phylogenetic separation between M. condylurus and M. leucostigma was found in all analyses, consistent with their status as phylogenetic species within the genus Mops. There was no clear correlation between haplotype distribution and aspect (east/west-facing slopes), elevation or gender. Low mtDNA variation (cytochrome b and D-loop) and lack of phylogeographic concordance indicates that the observed morphometric variation between eastern and western Mops leucostigma populations may possibly be explained in terms of adaptation to local environmental conditions.

Abstract: The flea genus Araeopsylla Jordan and Rothschild, 1921 contains nine species distributed throughout the Palaearctic, Ethiopian and Oriental Regions primarily on mollosid bats. A new species of bat flea, Araeopsylla goodmani, is described. This new species is represented by three females collected from one male specimen of the mollosid bat Chaerephon jobimena Goodman & Cardiff, 2004 from Fianarantsoa Province, Madagascar. A second new species, Araeopsylla smiti, is described from one male from the Rift Valley, Kenya. It was collected from the molossid bat Chaerephon bivittatus (Heuglin, 1861). This represents the first record of Araeopsylla in Kenya. Previous records of Araeopsylla in the Malagasy region included Araeopsylla martialis (Rothschild, 1903) from Reunion Island and Madagascar. One hundred fifty-eight specimens (64♂, 94♀) of Araeopsylla martialis were collected from 67 specimens (flea intensity of 2.4 fleas per host) of Mormopterus jugularis (Peters, 1865) across three provinces of Madagascar (Fianarantosa, Toamasina, and Toliara). Mormopterus jugularis is clearly a common host for Araeopsylla martialis. Dampfia grahami grahami (Waterston, 1915) is also reported from Eptesicus matroka (Thomas & Schwann, 1905) which is the first record from this host species and the first time the genus Dampfia has been documented in Madagascar. Although Lagaropsylla consularis Smit, 1957 and Lagaropsylla idae Smit, 1957 have been reported in Madagascar previously, Mops leucostigma Allen, 1918 is a new host record for Lagaropsylla idae. The flea intensity of Lagaropsylla idae (64♂, 83♀) on 28 specimens of Mops leucostigma was extremely high at 5.3 fleas per host. A key to the genus Araeopsylla is provided.