I study the ecology and evolution of bat ectoparasites, or bat flies (Diptera: Streblidae and Nycteriibidae).

These crazy-looking flies display extremely diverse adaptations to life on a bat: their wings range from fully functional and 'fly-like' to small, hairy nubs; their bodies can be dorso-ventrally or laterally compressed; some have comb-like setae ringing their heads like fleas; and one family crawls around with their heads looking straight up in the air. It's possible that these diverse forms are examples of convergent evolution to live on different areas of the bat (i.e. wings, fur).

Bat flies are highly host-specific but they shouldn't be! Some genera have functional wings and will flee the bat after being captured, for example. Female flies leave the bat to lay a fully-developed larva on the roost wall, and both the mother and offspring must somehow find their way back to their specific species of bat.

I hope to answer some of these basic ecological questions during my research here at the Field Museum and at UIC. In conjunction with morphological- and molecular-based phylogenies, this really useful parasite-host model will help test our current hypotheses about species interactions and evolution.

Below are a few Scanning Electron Microscope images I have taken.