SEASONAL AND HOST-ASSOCIATED VARIATION IN BOT FLY (OESTRIDAE: CUTEREBRINAE) PARASITISM OF LAGOMORPHS ACROSS AN ARID-LAND ECOSYSTEM IN SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO

Bot flies (Oestridae: Cuterebrinae) are obligate mammalian parasites that complete the larval stage of their life cycle under the skin of their host. Most detailed studies of bot fly larval disease ecology have been conducted in temperate deciduous zone rodent systems. To understand the relative importance of seasonal and spatial factors, as well as factors intrinsic to the host, in underpinning the likelihood and extent of parasitism by bot flies in non-rodent hosts as well as in arid-land ecosystems, we examined the dynamic for black-tailed jackrabbit (Lepus californicus) and desert cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii) parasitism by bot fly larvae (Cuterebra spp.) across 7 repeatedly sampled sites spread across approximately 500 km of the Chihuahuan Desert ecoregion of southern New Mexico. This environment is characterized by a climate that includes hot dry summers and cool to cold dry winters, as well as strongly seasonal summer monsoonal rains. Lagomorphs are a common mid-sized mammal in these landscapes. Bot fly parasitism was strongly seasonal, with peak prevalence and abundance in the spring, and there was spatial variation in the extent of parasitism between collection sites. Additionally, jackrabbits in better body condition were less likely to be parasitized (as indicated by kidney fat index). We did not find sex-based differences in bot fly parasitism between male and female jackrabbits. Thus, in arid-land ecoregions, abiotic factors are likely the primary driver of the bot fly-host interaction, whereas factors intrinsic to the host were of secondary importance for characterizing the interactions of bot flies and lagomorphs.

Automated summary

This study investigated the parasitism of bot fly larvae on black-tailed jackrabbits and desert cottontails in the arid Chihuahuan Desert of southern New Mexico. The results showed that bot fly parasitism was seasonal and varied spatially between collection sites. In addition, rabbits in better body condition were less likely to be parasitized.