Taxon classification Animalia Siphonaptera Ischnopsyllidae

Dampfia grahami grahami (Waterston, 1915)

Ischnopsyllus grahami Waterston, 1915: 115; Bedford 1932: 462.

Dampfia grahami grahami Smit 1954: 148-149; Smit 1955: 215-216; Hopkins and Rothschild 1956: 312; Marcus 1961: 184-187; Beaucournu 2004: 205.

Remarks.

A total of 15 specimens (8♂, 7♀) was collected from four specimens of the Malagasy endemic Neoromicia matroka (Thomas & Schwann, 1905). This flea is not commonly collected and the only known existing records include the holotype ♂ from Eptesicus capensis = Neoromicia capensis (A. Smith, 1829) from Cape Town, South Africa, 3♀ specimens from Natal, and 2♀ from Orange Free State, South Africa (bat host species undetermined). Neoromicia capensis is widely spread across sub-Saharan Africa. Although not found in Madagascar, Goodman et al. (2012) considered Neoromicia capensis to be the closest ally and sister group to Neoromicia matroka . The current specimens represent a new country and host record and substantially increase the known number of specimens available for study. The hosts for Dampfia are thus far restricted to the family Vespertilionidae .

Material examined

(BYUC). Madagascar, Toamasina Province: Andasibe, Ankazinina (18°56'38"S, 48°24'46"E), 970 m, Eptesicus matroka (Thomas & Schwann, 1905) (RHF-58), 18 IX 2004, FHR, 1♀.