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Introduction
Skills and Expertise
Current institution
Education
March 1994 - March 2000
Publications
Publications (56)
The haematophagous mite Ornithonyssus sylviarum may cause important economic losses in commercial poultry farms whilst also potentially affecting the health of farm workers. The dynamics of this ectoparasite has been linked to several factors, including wild birds, fomites, farm workers, management of hen houses, and host traits. Along two consecut...
A major barrier to advancing ornithology is the systemic exclusion of professionals from the Global South. A recent special dossier, Advances in Neotropical Ornithology, and a shortfalls analysis therein, unintentionally followed a long-standing pattern of highlighting individuals, knowledge, and views from the Global North, while largely omitting...
Understanding parasite-host ecology is increasingly important for conservation efforts in a changing world. Parasitic nest flies in the genus Philornis (Diptera: Muscidae) have been implicated in the decline of endemic island species and are also known to negatively impact breeding success of the critically endangered Ridgway’s hawk (B. ridgwayi) o...
The majority of known Philornis species (Diptera: Muscidae) cause subcutaneous myiasis in Neotropical altricial and semi-altricial nestlings. Generating information about these parasites is of relevance as they are a threat for the conservation of some wild bird species and also because they are an excellent model to study the ecology of host-paras...
Philornis Meinert 1890 (Diptera: Muscidae) is a genus of flies that parasitize birds in the Neotropical region. The characteristics of the host–parasite interactions and its consequences may depend on the Philornis species involved, and thus precise identification of these parasites is crucial for the interpretation of ecological and epidemiologica...
Philornis flies are the major cause of myiasis in nestlings of Neotropical birds, being of major concern in geographically‐restricted and endangered bird species. Despite its relevance for the conservation of birds, there is little information about the environmental dimensions determining Philornis spp. geographical range. By using maximum entropy...
Wild birds may be considered a possible source of parasitic mesostigmatid mites for poultry, but only few studies explored this hypothesis. In addition, there is very little information about the parasitic mites present in commercial poultry systems from southern South America. To contribute with data on parasitic mesostigmatid mites at the domesti...
Philornis flies Meinert (Diptera: Muscidae) have been documented parasitizing over 250 bird species, some of which are endemic species threatened with extinction. Philornis parasitism is hypothesized to affect nestlings disproportionately more than adult birds because limited mobility and exposed skin of nestlings increase their vulnerability to pa...
In January 2016, one Cacicus solitarius bird nestling was found parasitized by subcutaneous larvae in a protected forest of central Argentina. Some larvae were removed from the nestling and reared under laboratory conditions. Using morphological characteristics, the adult flies that emerged were identified as belonging to the Philornis torquans com...
RESUMEN Se dan a conocer la nómina de especies identificadas en un ambiente de cultivo rotativo (trigo-soja) próximo a la ciudad de Paraná (31º 42´ 02´´ S 60º 21´ 55´´ W), durante el período junio 2006-febrero 2008. Se identificaron un total de 31 especies las que fueron agrupadas en un total de 10 gremios tróficos. Los que tuvieron mayor represent...
Philornis flies are exclusive parasites of birds and their nests, being some of them of conservation concern. Despite many studies addressed different aspects of this problem, none have focused on the geographical distribution of these species; relevant information of conservation concern. In this study, besides providing a model map of environment...
The declining-population paradigm holds that small populations are particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic influences such as habitat destruction, pollution and species introductions. While the effects of particular stressors, such as parasitism, may be unimportant in a large, healthy population, they can be serious and even devastating in situati...
The tropical fowl mite, Ornithonyssus bursa, is a common avian parasite found on diverse bird species worldwide. In the Neotropical region, O. bursa is present in wild birds, but it may also infect poultry and bite humans. Little is known about the ecology and epidemiology of this parasite. We conducted a thorough longitudinal study in passerine as...
Parasitic nest flies Philornis spp. are a driving force threatening the extinction of bird species endemic to Neotropical islands such as the Galápagos, where introduced Philornis downsi negatively impacts reproductive success of naïve avian hosts. Elsewhere in the Neotropics, such as in the Caribbean region where Philornis nest flies are native, e...
The life cycle of the avian parasitic flies Philornis Meinert (Diptera: Muscidae) is poorly known, limiting the understanding of the ecology of these flies, including interactions with their hosts. We provide data on length and survival of pupal and adult stages and the duration of the pre-oviposition period of Philornis torquans Nielsen. Specimens...
Hosts counteract infections using two distinct defence strategies, resistance (reduction in pathogen fitness) and tolerance (limitation of infection damage). These strategies have been minimally investigated in multi-host systems, where they may vary across host species, entailing consequences both for hosts (virulence) and parasites (transmission)...
The neotropical parasitoid Conura annulifera (Walker) (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae) is known to parasitize bird-parasitic flies in the genus Philornis (Diptera: Muscidae) including P. downsi (Dodge and Aitken), a species that has invaded the Galápagos islands and is negatively impacting populations of Darwin’s finches. We report here some aspects of t...
The larvae of Neotropical muscid genus Philornis (Meinert, 1980) are parasites of a wide range of bird species. For a long time Philornis reproductive biology was associated with larviposition due to the low number of empirical data and studies on the life cycle of these parasitic flies. We document oviposition of a subcutaneous species, Philornis...
The taxonomic identification of species in the genus Philornis Meinert (Diptera: Muscidae) has been based primarily upon analysis of morphological characters. However, relying solely on morphology has led to frequent species misidentification. This has been empirically demonstrated when specimens identified morphologically as Philornis seguyi have...
For many bird species, brood size is a highly variable trait. Several aspects of the development and survival of nestlings are affected by brood size. Most scientific evidence comes from brood manipulation experiments, and the complementary information offered by studies of natural variability has received little attention in tropical and subtropic...
Philornis downsi (Dodge and Aitken) is a bird-parasitic muscid fly native to mainland South America that recently invaded the Galápagos Islands where it is parasitizing Darwin’s finches and other land birds. This parasite was previously known only from Argentina, Brazil, and Trinidad and Tobago. The first report of P. downsi from mainland Ecuador i...
Bird communication is a growing field of study in ethology and evolutionary biology; however, most known studies were conducted only in the northern hemisphere. We measured six temporal and structural features of golden-billed saltator (Saltator aurantiirostris) song and recorded 57 vocalizations at Parque San Martín reserve (Argentina). Results in...
In a study of almost 16 000 nest records from seven swallow species across the entire Western Hemisphere, clutch sizes decline with relative laying date in each population, but the slope of this decline grows steeper with increasing distance from the equator. Late-laying birds at all latitudes lay clutches of similar sizes, suggesting that latitudi...
Urban and suburban ecosystems are areas that, despite of being modified by human activities, can sustain a large amount of biodiversity. Acoustic field alterations affect communication among animals, threatening the populations' stability dynamics. In birds, where acoustic communication take place at a certain distance, signals that reach the recep...
Philornis Meinert, 1890 (Diptera: Muscidae) is a genus of Neotropical dipterans that parasitise birds. The currently used external morphological characters to distinguish between species within this genus present some limitations. We used the second internal transcribed spacer region (ITS2) of the rRNA gene as a molecular marker to differentiate ad...
We studied life history traits of Philornis seguyi Garcia, 1952 (Diptera: Muscidae) parasitizing house wrens, Troglodytes aedon (Vieillot) (Passeriformes: Troglodytidae), and analyzed sexual differences in the size of larvae, pupae, and adults, as well as in the length of larval and pupal stages and in adult survival. Males were larger than females...
We analysed the feeding ecology of Nycticorax nycticorax based on fourty individuals captured on the Carabajal Island (Santa Fe, 31 degrees 39'S, 60 degrees 42'W), determining the minimum sample, index of relative importance (IRI), size of prey, feeding efficiency, dietary selectivity, amplitude of the trophic niche, circadian rhythm of feeding act...
We studied host use by parasitic botflies (Philornis sp.) in a passerine community in central Argentina and analyzed characteristics of nests and hosts associated with botfly parasitism. We conducted a four-year field study as well as a bibliographical survey where we determined: presence of botfly parasitism, type of nest, presence of green materi...
We studied host use by parasitic botflies (Philornis sp.) in a passerine community in central Argentina and analyzed characteristics of nests and hosts associated with botfly parasitism. We conducted a four-year field study as well as a bibliographical survey where we determined: presence of botfly parasitism, type of nest, presence of green materi...
We studied the reproductive biology of the White-rumped Swallow (Tachycineta leucorrhoa) in a colony of 50 nests boxes located in a wetland of the Paraná River, Santa Fe, Argentina between 2004 and 2006. The nest boxes were checked regularly and reproductive parameters, as well as morphological data of eggs and nestlings, were recorded. The species...
We studied the effect of botfly (Philornis seguyi) parasitism on survival and growth of House Wren (Troglodytes aedon) nestlings. We investigated whether nestling survival was related to (1) the intensity of botfly infestation, (2) age of the nestling at the time it was parasitized, and (3) the order in which a chick hatched within a brood. The pre...
The feeding ecology of Ardea cocoi were analysed based on 29 herons captured on the Carabajal island (Santa Fe, 31°39′S, 60°42′W), determining the minimum sample, index of relative importance (IRI), size of prey, feeding efficiency, dietary selectivity, amplitude of the trophic niche, standardisation, circadian rhythm of feeding activity and habita...
Herons are one of the best represented families in the floodplain of the Paraná River. The fact that interspecific competition constitutes the most significant factor in resources distribution is a prevailing idea in the ecological theory. According to recent studies, even though competition is important, the modeling of the community's structure r...
The examination of Philornis Meinert specimens recently collected in Argentina prompted this study, in which the presence of the previously recorded species is discussed and the literature concerning them is revised. From the seven species previously recorded from Argentina, we recognise three: P. torquans (Nielsen, 1913); P. blanchardi Garcia, 195...
The examination of Philornis Meinert specimens recently collected in Argentina prompted this study, in which the presence of the previously recorded species is discussed and the literature concerning them is revised. From the seven species previously recorded from Argentina, we recognise three: P. torquans (Nielsen, 1913); P. blanchardi Garcia, 195...
We analysed the feeding ecology of Cattle Egrets (Bubulcus ibis ibis) based on 30 individuals captured on the Carabajal island, Santa Fe, Argentina (31°39′S, 60°42′W), determining the minimum sample, index of relative importance (IRI), size of prey, feeding efficiency, dietary selectivity, amplitude of the trophic niche, standardisation, circadian...
Aquatic birds usually exploit unstable or fluctuating environments along their cycle and among different years. These environments also show high productivity, resource-partitioning mechanisms, as well as ecological isolation, partial ecological specialization, prey captures of different size, type and shape, at different times of the day, and in d...
Avian egg yolk contains androgenic hormones, such as testosterone, of maternal origin. Experimental elevation of yolk testosterone levels enhances growth of canary chicks. Success in sibling competition, due to increased begging, is presumed to underlie this growth enhancement, because canary hatchlings from testosterone-treated eggs beg longer in...
We investigate the feeding ecology of the Grayish Saltator Saltator c. coerulescens, species whose diet is poorly known, increasing its knowledge by quantifying its trophic spectrum, niche breadth and habitat selection throughout the four seasons (spring, summer, autumn and winter). The obtained information is relevant and useful to solve practice...
We investigate the feeding ecology of the Grayish Saltator Saltator c. coerulescens, species whose diet is poorly known, increasing its knowledge by quantifying its trophic spectrum, niche breadth and habitat selection throughout the four seasons (spring, summer, autumn and winter). The obtained information is relevant and useful to solve practice...
