Thomas Hiller

University of Hohenheim · Ecology of Tropical Agricultural Systems

This paper describes and illustrates five new species of Gloeandromyces (Ascomycota, Laboulbeniales) associated with tropical American bat flies (Diptera, Streblidae). These are Gloeandromyces cusucoensis sp. nov. from Trichobius uniformis in Costa Rica and Honduras, G. diversiformis sp. nov. from Strebla wiedemanni in Costa Rica, G. plesiosaurus s...

Hesperomyces virescens (Ascomycota, Laboulbeniales), a fungal ectoparasite, is thus far reported on Harmonia axyridis from five continents: North and South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. While it is known that He. virescens can cause mortality of Ha. axyridis under laboratory conditions, the role of biotic and abiotic factors in influencing the...

In this study, we report for the first time the use of the American oil palm (Elaeis oleifera) as roost by the Neotropical Pacific tent-making bat (Uroderma convexum). Palms with tent roosts consisting of modified leaves were found within the semi-deciduous lowland rainforest in Panama. We present detailed information on a new style of leaf modific...

• Recently, network approaches have gained increasing popularity in studies of species interactions. These analyses provide important information about structural and functional organisation, as well as on the dynamics of species interactions. Common model systems for network studies include seed dispersal, pollination, and also parasite interactio...

Parasitism is one of the most diverse and abundant modes of life, and of great ecological and evolutionary importance. Notwithstanding, large groups of parasites remain relatively understudied. One particularly unique form of parasitism is hyperparasitism, where a parasite is parasitized itself. Bats (Chiroptera) may be parasitized by bat flies (Di...

Deforestation and the conversion of forests to agricultural areas lead to habitat loss and often create highly fragmented landscapes. Permeability and quality of the surrounding matrix determine the connectivity of remaining forest remnants. For mobile species, such as bats, the matrix is not necessarily an entirely insurmountable obstacle. We stud...

Harmonia axyridis is an invasive alien ladybird in North America and Europe. Studies show that multiple natural enemies are using Ha. axyridis as a new host. However, thus far, no research has been undertaken to study the effects of simultaneous infection by multiple natural enemies on Ha. axyridis. We hypothesized that high thallus densities of th...

Harmonia axyridis is an invasive alien ladybird in North America and Europe. Studies show that multiple natural enemies are using Ha. axyridis as a new host. However, thus far, no research has been undertaken to study the effects of simultaneous infections of multiple natural enemies on Ha. axyridis. We hypothesized that high thallus densities of t...

Parasites represent a large fraction of the world's biodiversity. They control host population sizes and contribute to ecosystem functioning. However, surveys on species diversity rarely include parasitic species. Bats often present traits favoring parasite diversity, such as large home ranges, long life spans, and large colonies. The most conspicu...

Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae) is a globally invasive ladybird. It has been intentionally introduced in many countries as a biological control agent, whereas it has been unintentionally released in many others. Climatic factors are important in limiting the spread of H. axyridis. For example, very few records are known from tropical...

Hesperomyces harmoniae nom. prov. (Ascomycota: Laboulbeniales) is a common fungal ectoparasite of Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), a globally invasive pest species. We launched an initiative to create a dataset encompassing all available records of the H. axyridis-H. harmoniae nom. prov. association in the USA. Reports have been gathe...

The tent-making bat hepatitis B virus (TBHBV) is a hepadnavirus closely related to human hepatitis B virus. The ecology of TBHBV is unclear. We show that it is widespread and highly diversified in Peters’ tent-making bats (Uroderma bilobatum) within Panama, while local prevalence varied significantly between sample sites, ranging from 0 to 14.3%. F...

Bats are parasitized by numerous lineages of arthropods, of which bat flies (Diptera, Nycteribiidae and Streblidae) are the most conspicuous. Bat flies themselves are often parasitized by Laboulbeniales, fungal biotrophs of arthropods. This is known as hyperparasitism, a severely understudied phenomenon. Three genera of Laboulbeniales occur on bat...

Bats and their ectoparasites are excellent model organisms to assess the conservation status of protected areas because both groups are speciose, and bats can be particularly affected by land use changes. The majority of bat studies conducted in Panama are clustered in protected areas around the Isthmus of Panama, while protected areas outside the...

Harmonia axyridis is an invasive ladybird (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae) with the potential to outcompete native ladybird species in its invasive distribution area. It was introduced as a biological control agent in many countries but has also spread unintentionally in many others. Hesperomyces virescens (Ascomycota, Laboulbeniales) is a minute (200–4...

The Darién province in eastern Panama is one of the most unexplored and biodiverse regions in the world. The Chucantí Nature Reserve, in Serranía de Majé, consists of a diverse tropical cloud forest ecosystem. The aim of this research was to explore and study host associations of a tripartite system of bats, ectoparasitic flies on bats (Diptera, St...

Bat flies (Streblidae) are diverse, obligate blood-feeding insects and probably the most conspicuous ectoparasites of bats. They show preferences for specific body regions on their host bat, which are reflected in behavioural characteristics. In this study, we corroborate the categorization of bat flies into three ecomorphological groups, focusing...

Background: Bat flies (Streblidae and Nycteribiidae) are among the most specialized families of the order Diptera. Members of these two related families have an obligate ectoparasitic lifestyle on bats, and they are known disease vectors for their hosts. However, bat flies have their own ectoparasites: fungi of the order Laboulbeniales. In Europe,...

Hypopigmentation disorders were reported in several bat species roosting in dark and sheltered roosts, but comparable records from open foliage roosts are rare. Here, we present three observations of non-albinistic hypopigmentation in two neotropical bat species. One extensively hypopigmented individual of Uroderma bilobatum was observed roosting a...