In addition to our vertebrate ectoparasite catalog records, check out our Diptera taxonomy database. You can search for bat fly images and publications as well as current taxonomic names.
Given the obligatory relationship most ectoparasitic arthropods have with their vertebrate hosts, the host's body mostly or completely entails the universe of many parasite taxa. Our ectoparasite specimens are often associated with host voucher specimens in The Field Museum's mammal and bird collections. Because host vertebrates are vouchered with specimens and available for study alongside their parasites, coevolutionary biologists are able to measure the habitat parameters of the parasites and to confirm the host's true identity.
