Peter Bagin’s scientific contributions

The hippoboscids play important roles in ecosystem functioning and can serve as indicators of biodiversity and ecosystem health. These bloodsucking ectoparasites are important from a public health perspective, as they can serve as vectors of various endoparasitic pathogens in animals and humans, although our understanding is still limited in this case. The current study provides information on the host species and distribution, which can contribute to the understanding of the ecology and epidemiology of these important arthropods with a potential impact on both animal and human health. We present an ecological parasite-host interaction network of louse flies and deer keds (Diptera: Hippoboscidae) collected from various sites in Slovakia from this time. A total of 123 new samples of eight hippoboscid fly species were captured on 17 species, including 15 birds and two mammals. New host-parasite interactions were recorded for the first time. Ornithomya biloba (Dufour, 1827) with the Acrocephalus arundinaceus (Linnaeus, 1758) and Lipoptena fortisetosa (Maa, 1965) with the Phylloscopus collybita (Vieillot, 1817) are new although it is unlikely that these birds are the host for these ectoparasites. Ornithoica turdi (Latreille, 1811) with the Lanius collurio Linnaeus, 1758, Ornithomya avicularia (Linnaeus, 1758) with the Motacilla alba Linnaeus, 1758 and Curruca communis (Latham, 1787), and Ornithomya fringillina (Curtis, 1836) with the C. communis and Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) represent new parasite-host relations for Slovakia. O. avicularia was observed to attack humans, and L. fortisetosa was found on different bird hosts, creating a possible bridge for the transfer of avian and mammalian pathogens.

Our study brings new information about occurrence of 29 endangered vascular plants from the territory of central Slovakia. Species findings were recorded in the years 2017 and 2018. The annotated list comprises one regionally extinct (RE), one critically endangered (CR), two endangered (EN), five vulnerable (VU) and 20 near threatened (NT) plant species. The most interesting findings are related to Juncus atratus, Typha shuttleworthii and Viola pumila. New records of species Thesium ebracteatum, Potentilla micrantha and information about regionally rare and endangered species such as Centarium pulchellum, Epipogium aphyllum (Muránska planina Mts) and Epipactis purpurata (Javorie Mts) are also important.