Nycteribiid bat flies (Arthropoda, Insecta, Diptera, Nycteribiidae) of Kenya

Abstract

Bat flies (Diptera: Nycteribiidae and Streblidae) are hematophagous ectoparasites of bats characterized by viviparous pupiparity and generally high host specificity. Nycteribiid bat flies are wingless, morphologically constrained, and are most diverse in the Eastern Hemisphere. Africa hosts approximately 22% of global bat biodiversity and nearly one-third of all African bat species occur in Kenya, one of Africa’s most bat-rich countries. However, records of nycteribiid bat fly diversity in Kenya remain sparse and unconsolidated. This paper combines all past species records of nycteribiid bat flies with records from a survey of 4,255 Kenyan bats across 157 localities between 2006 and 2015. A total of seven nycteribiid genera and 17 species are recorded, with seven species from the recent ‘Bats of Kenya’ surveys representing previously undocumented country records. Host associations and geographic distributions based on all available records are also described. This comprehensive species catalog addresses and further emphasizes the need for similar investigations of nycteribiid biodiversity across Africa.