Article

Nadezhda Yu. Kirillova, PhD, Senior Researcher of the Institute of Ecology of the Volga River Basin of RAS – a branch of the Samara Federal Research Center of RAS (445003, Russia, Togliatti, Komzina Street, 10); iD ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4585-8970; e-mail: parasitolog@yandex.ru
Alexander A. Kirillov, PhD, Head of the Laboratory for Zoology and Parasitology of the Institute of Ecology of the Volga River Basin of RAS – a branch of the Samara Federal Research Center of RAS (445003, Russia, Togliatti, Komzina Street, 10); iD ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4374-8858; e-mail: parasitolog@yandex.ru

Kirillova N.Yu., Kirillov A.A. 2026. Diversity of helminths in bats (Chiroptera) in the Mordovia State Nature Reserve (European Russia). Nature Conservation Research 11(2): 24–42. https://dx.doi.org/10.24189/ncr.2026.011

Chiroptera (hereinafter – bats) are the only order of mammals capable of active flight, which has a strong influence on their diet and the structure of their parasite fauna. Of interest is the study of bat helminths, which are characterised by a high degree of host specificity, indicating a high degree of ecological isolation of bats and longtime of their co-evolution with parasites. The aim of this paper was to study the species diversity of bat helminths in the Mordovia State Nature Reserve (Russia). In 2022–2024, we studied the helminth fauna of eight bat species at 17 localities in the Mordovia State Nature Reserve, using the full helminthological dissection method. In total, 29 species of parasites were registered in the studied bat species, including 20 trematode species, two cestode species and seven nematode species. We revealed the highest species diversity of the parasite composition in Nyctalus noctula (17 species), followed by Vespertilio murinus (12 species), Pipistrellus nathusii, Myotis daubentonii, M. dasycneme, and M. brandtii (ten species each). The lowest number of parasitic worms was recorded in Pipistrellus pygmaeus (nine species). Helminths were not detected in the Plecotus auritus individuals examined. A comparison of the helminth fauna among the bat species showed that the structure of parasites is most similar in those bat species, which trophic niches coincide or partially overlap. Most of the helminth species, recorded in bats in the Mordovia State Nature Reserve, are common and widespread parasites of bats, occurring in the studied host species throughout their entire range. The relatively constant composition of helminths is caused by uniformity of the bat lifestyle and by feeding mainly on flying insects. A comparative analysis of the helminth fauna in bats from various Protected Areas of the Middle Volga Region showed that bat species studied in the Mordovia State Nature Reserve have the highest number of helminth species. A high similarity of the helminth composition of bats in the Mordovia State Nature Reserve with other Protected Areas in the Middle Volga Region was found.

biodiversity, chiropterans, Middle Volga Region, parasitic worms, Protected Areas, Republic of Mordovia, Vespertilionidae

Received: 08.09.2025. Revised: 07.11.2025. Accepted: 18.02.2026.

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