New host and the extend of the host range of warble fly Hypoderma diana (Diptera, Hypodermatidae)

Abstract

New host and the extend of the host range of warble fly Hypoderma diana (Diptera, Hypodermatidae). – Acta Mus. Siles. Sci. Natur., 63: 61-64, 2014. Abstra ct: Warble fly Hypoderma diana is known to be a parasite not only of roe deer and other species of Cervidae but also of non-specific hosts from among other orders of ungulates. First-instar larvae of Hypoderma diana, a specific parasite of Cervidae, have been found in a new non-specific host, i.e. the wild boar (Sus scrofa). This finding is further evidence of the exceptional adaptability of this species of subcutaneous warble fly of the family Hypodermatidae. It corroborates the validity of the proposition that the host range of a host-specific parasite can only be extended when both the original and the new host species are simultaneously present in large numbers.