Demodecid mites (Acariformes, Demodecidae) in brown longeared bat Plecotus auritus (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae) – second record in the world and systematic status of Demodex chiropteralis Hirst, 1921

As many as 26 species of parasitic mites of the Demodecidae family have thus far been described in the Chiroptera, of which only three have been found in bats from Europe. The first of the latter group was Demodex chiropteralis Hirst, 1921, described on the basis of only two females originating from one bat from Great Britain; an observation which has never been made since. The present study reports the discovery of both male and female D. chiropteralis in Poland, together with other unknown demodecid mites which may well belong to new species. The present study confirms the existence of D. chiropteralis after nearly one hundred years from its original description, as well as the first determination of representatives of the Demodecidae in the Chiroptera of Central Europe.