AA reader Angel Sosa sends the attached photo and writes: ‘During monitoring of amphibians and reptiles in Cerro Azul region of Alto Chagres, Panama, I photographed three moth flies on the back of Anolis lionotus. The moth flies had bellies full of blood, which is clearly seen in the photograph. It’s the first time I have seen this group of arthropods feeding on a reptile. This is an endemic area of leishmaniasis, but little is known of the ecology of parasites in reptiles and their medical importance.”
Professor of Biology and Director of the Living Earth Collaborative at Washington University in Saint Louis. I've spent my entire professional career studying anoles and have discovered that the more I learn about anoles, the more I realize I don't know.
Latest posts by Jonathan Losos (see all)
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Cool! Phlebotomine flies transmit the lizard malaria parasite Plasmodium mexicanum in western North America (e.g., California) and it’s the only Plasmodium sp. that is not transmitted by a mosquito… that we know of.
I’ve also observed these flies feeding on anoles in the Caribbean, where several species of lizard malaria parasites occur, and wondered whether the flies are transmitting malaria parasites to the lizards. Susan Perkins and I sampled a few of these flies on Saba several years ago, but didn’t find any malaria parasites at the locality we sampled. It’s definitely a research area that needs more work.
Incidentally, Panama is a hotspot of lizard malaria parasites, as 17 of the ~200 malaria parasites (from all host species) are found in the lizards there. I would be surprised if these flies are not transmitting one or more parasite species!