Basilia falcozi
FAMILY
Nycteribiidae
TAXONOMY
Nycteribia falcozi Musgrave, 1925, Australia.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
None known.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Adults lack wings and their body is compressed dorsoventrally, so that head and legs arise from the dorsal surface of the thorax,
giving them a spiderlike appearance. They have long legs with strong claws. The pupae are shining black and flattened.
DISTRIBUTION
Australia.
HABITAT
Ectoparasites on cave-dwelling bats of the family Vespertilionidae.
BEHAVIOR
Adults stay on host except to deposit pupae in roost.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Hematophagous.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Females deposit fully developed pupae singly, gluing them to vertical substrata (e.g., cave walls and trees) in the vicinity of the host bat roosts. This process may be repeated several times during the female's lifetime. Emergence of the adult is triggered by the warmth or contact of a roosting bat.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not threatened.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
None known.
