Bat flies are highly-specialized, hematophagous arthropods that are globally ubiquitous. There is little published research on bat flies (Diptera: Nycteribiidae) in Singapore and understanding the diversity of nycteribiids, host association and infestation rates can provide insight into this host-ectoparasite relationship. Nycteribiids were collected from bats trapped in Singapore (2011-2016) and identified using morphological keys. Host-ectoparasite relationships were investigated with logistic regression and Bayesian poisson regression. Nycteribiids were found to be monoxenously associated with their host bat species and host age, sex, species, and BBCI appear to contribute to differences in prevalence and intensity. Differences in host specificity between bat fly species in Singapore and their conspecifics in less disturbed habitats with higher bat biodiversity, such as Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand, suggest that the high host specificity in Singapore derives from the paucity of suitable hosts and abundance of single species roosts and not from their coevolved restrictions to them.

Haemosporidians infect a wide diversity of bat genera and species, yet little is known about their transmission cycles or epidemiology. Though several recent studies have focused on the genus Hepatocystis, an Old World parasite primarily infecting bats, monkeys, and squirrels, this group is still understudied with little known about its transmission and molecular ecology. These parasites lack an asexual erythrocytic stage, making them unique from the Plasmodium vertebrate life cycle. In this study, we detected a prevalence of 31% of Hepatocystis in short-nosed fruit bats (Cynopterus brachyotis) in Singapore. Phylogenetic reconstruction with a partial cytochrome b sequence revealed a monophyletic group of Hepatocystis from C. brachyotis in Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. There was no relationship with infection and bat age, sex, location, body condition or monsoon season. The absence of this parasite in the five other bat species sampled in Singapore indicates this Hepatocystis species may be host restricted.

The global lockdown to mitigate COVID-19 pandemic health risks has altered human interactions with nature. Here, we report immediate impacts of changes in human activities on wildlife and environmental threats during the early lockdown months of 2020, based on 877 qualitative reports and 332 quantitative assessments from 89 different studies. Hundreds of reports of unusual species observations from around the world suggest that animals quickly responded to the reductions in human presence. However, negative effects of lockdown on conservation also emerged, as confinement resulted in some park officials being unable to perform conservation, restoration and enforcement tasks, resulting in local increases in illegal activities such as hunting. Overall, there is a complex mixture of positive and negative effects of the pandemic lockdown on nature, all of which have the potential to lead to cascading responses which in turn impact wildlife and nature conservation. While the net effect of the lockdown will need to be assessed over years as data becomes available and persistent effects emerge, immediate responses were detected across the world. Thus, initial qualitative and quantitative data arising from this serendipitous global quasi-experimental perturbation highlights the dual role that humans play in threatening and protecting species and ecosystems. Pathways to favorably tilt this delicate balance include reducing impacts and increasing conservation effectiveness.