title: First record of Parakosa flexipes (Acari: Chirodiscidae) parasitizing a free-tailed bat (Chiroptera: Molossidae) in Brazil.
abstract: The present study reports the occurrence of Parakosa flexipes (Pinichpongse) (Chirodiscidae) for the first time in Brazil, along with its infection sites on Molossus rufus E. Geoffroy. Thirty-eight bats were caught using mist nets that were placed near a house at the Mars Center for Cocoa Science in the state of Bahia, of which 14 (37%) were parasitized by P. flexipes. Parakosa flexipes was observed parasitizing M. rufus on hairs that were evidently longer than others distributed over the bat's body, where up to three parasites could be spotted on a single hair.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia Animal, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Seropédica, RJ, Brasil. luizantoniocg@gmail.com
authors.forename: Luiz Antonio Costa
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Gomes
authors.forename: Roberta Mariano
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Vanessa Lazaro
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Melo
mesh_terms: D000053:Acari / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil; D002685:Chiroptera / Q000469:parasitology*