Open AccessPolyctenidae (Hemiptera: Cimicoidea) species in the Afrotropical region: Distribution, host specificity, and first insights to their molecular phylogeny
Author(s) -
Szentiványi Tamara,
Hornok Sándor,
Kovács Áron B.,
Takács Nóra,
Gyuranecz Miklós,
Markotter Wanda,
Christe Philippe,
Glaizot Olivier
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
ecology and evolution
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.17
H-Index - 63
ISSN - 2045-7758
DOI - 10.1002/ece3.9357
Subject(s) - biology , hemiptera , phylogenetics , phylogenetic tree , host (biology) , zoology , molecular phylogenetics , ecology , evolutionary biology , genetics , gene
Polyctenidae bugs are rarely studied, hematophagous, and highly specialized ectoparasites of bats. There are only 32 described species worldwide, including six species in the Afrotropical region. Knowledge on these parasites is limited, and most studies are restricted to the New World polyctenid species. Here we report additional records of Adroctenes horvathi from Kenya and South Africa, as well as Hypoctenes faini from Rwanda. We present an updated list of published polyctenid records in the Afrotropical region indicating their host specificity and their geographical distribution. We report global infection patterns and sex ratio of polyctenids based on previously published data, including Old and New World species. Lastly, we demonstrate the first molecular phylogeny of Polyctenidae, showing their phylogenetic relationship with the closely related family Cimicidae.