Research Interests:

My academic interests center on the inter-relationships of ectoparasites and their mammal hosts. In particular, I work on a specialized group of Diptera (true flies) called bat flies. Bat flies are obligate, blood-sucking parasites of bats worldwide, and are found nowhere else. These flies have evolved numerous morphological, physiological, and behavioral adaptations to their parasitic life on the bat’s bodies. These adaptations include a reduction of eye complexity and structure, a reduction of wing structure and functionality, the development of specialized setae and ctenidea (combs) to help keep them on the host, and a specialized reproductive strategy where females nourish the larval stages internally and give single births to "prepupae." Because of their intimate relationships with bats, bat flies provide a model system for studies in ecology and evolution.

The particular group of flies I work with are members of a group called Hippoboscoidea, which contains families you’ve probably never heard of (Hippoboscidae, Nycteribiidae, and Streblidae) and one you probably have heard of (Glossinidae - tse tse flies). Tse tse transmit sleeping sickness to humans in sub-saharan Africa and are of critical medical importance. At the Field Museum of Natural History, my studies include taxonomy and systematics of bat flies as well as the ecology and evolution of host-parasite associations.

• Dick, C. W. and J. A. Miller. In Press. Streblidae. In: Manual of Central American Diptera. B. V. Brown, M. Wood, A. Borkent and M. Zumbado (Editors). Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History and Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad, Costa Rica.  [PDF]
• Whitaker, J. O. Jr., C. M. Ritzi and C. W. Dick. In Press. Collecting and preserving ectoparasites for ecological study.  In: Ecological and behavioral methods for the study of bats. T. H. Kunz and S. Parsons (Editors). 2nd edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.  [PDF]
• Dick, C. W., C. E. L., Esbérard, G. Graciolli, H. G. Bergallo, and D. Gettinger. 2009, In Press. Assessing host specificity of obligate ectoparasites in the absence of dispersal barriers. Parasitology Research  [PDF]
• McIntyre, N. E., R. A. Nisbett, A. Abuzeineh, T. Holsomback, T. Holsomback, Y. K. Chu, J. A. Carmichael, N. de la Sancha, C. W. Dick, C. Jonsson, and R. D. Owen. 2009. Ecological correlates of serological status for Bayou virus in Oryzomys palustris (Rodentia: Sigmodontinae). Mastozoologia Neotropical 16: 83-93.  [PDF]
• Hastriter, M. W. and C. W. Dick. 2009. A description of Paractenopsyllus madagascarensis sp. n. and the female of Paractenopsyllus raxworthyi Duchemin & Ratovonjato, 2004 (Siphonaptera, Leptopsyllidae) from Madagascar with a key to the species of Paractenopsyllus. Zookeys 13: 43-55.  [PDF]
• Patterson, B. D., C. W. Dick, and K. Dittmar. 2009. Nested distributions of bat flies (Diptera: Streblidae) on Neotropical bats: artifact and specificity in host-parasite studies. Ecography 32: 481-487 [PDF]
• Holsomback, T. S., N. E. McIntyre, R. A. Nisbett, R. E. Strauss, Y-K Chu, A. A. Abuzeineh, N. de la Sàncha, C. W. Dick, C. B. Jonsson, and B. E. L. Morris. 2009. Bayou virus detected in non-oryzomyine rodent hosts: an assessment of habitat composition, reservoir community structure, and rice rat social dynamics. Journal of Vector Ecology 34: 9-21.  [PDF]
• Dittmar, K., C. W. Dick, B. D. Patterson, M. F. Whiting, and M. Gruwell. 2009. Pupal deposition and ecology of bat flies (Diptera: Streblidae): Trichobius sp. (caecus group) in a Mexican cave habitat. Journal of Parasitology 95: 308-314.  [PDF]
• Graciolli, G., and C. W. Dick. 2009. A new species of Basilia Miranda-Ribeiro (Diptera: Nycteribiidae) from Honduras, parasite of Bauerus dubiaquercus (Van Gelder) (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae: Antrozoinae). Zootaxa 1972: 59-64.  [PDF]
• Dick, C. W., and B. D. Patterson. 2008. An excess of males: skewed sex ratios in bat flies (Diptera: Streblidae). Evolutionary Ecology 22: 757-769.  [PDF]
• Patterson, B. D. and C. W. Dick, and K. Dittmar. 2008. Parasitism by bat flies (Diptera: Streblidae) on Neotropical bats: effects of host body size, distribution and abundance. Parasitology Research 103: 1091-1100.  [PDF]
• Patterson, B. D. and C. W. Dick, and K. Dittmar. 2008. Sex biases in parasitism of neotropical bats by bat flies (Diptera: Streblidae). Journal of Tropical Ecology 24: 387-396.  [PDF]
• Tello, J. S., R. D. Stevens, and C. W. Dick. 2008. Patterns of species co-occurrence and density compensation: a test for interspecific competition in bat ectoparasite infracommunities. Oikos 117: 693-702.  [PDF]
• Dick, C. W. 2007. High host specificity of obligate ectoparasites. Ecological Entomology 32: 446-450.  [PDF]
• Dick, C. W., and B. D. Patterson. 2007. Against all odds: explaining high host specificity in dispersal-prone parasites.International Journal for Parasitology 37: 871-876.  [PDF]
• Dick, C. W., D. Gettinger, and S. L. Gardner. 2007. Bolivian Ectoparasites: A survey of bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera). Comparative Parasitology 74: 372-377.  [PDF]
• Abuzeineh, A., R. D. Owen, N. E. McIntyre, C. W. Dick, R. E. Strauss, and T. Holsomback. 2007. Response of the March Rice Rat (Oryzomys palustris) toinundation of habitat. Southwestern Naturalist 52: 75-78.  [PDF]
• Patterson, B. D., C. W. Dick, and K. Dittmar. 2007. Roosting habits of bats affect their parasitism by bat flies (Diptera: Streblidae). Journal of Tropical Ecology 23: 177-189.  [PDF]
• Dick, C. W. and R. L. Wenzel. 2006. A new genus and species of trichobiine bat flies (Diptera: Hippoboscoidea: Streblidae) from Costa Rica. Insect Systematics and Evolution 37: 433-442.  [PDF]
• Dick, C. W.  2006. The streblid bat flies (Diptera: Streblidae) of Guatemala. Pages 441-452 In: Biodiversidad de Guatemala, Vol. 1. E. Cano (Editor). Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, Guatemala.  [PDF]
• Dick, C. W. and B. D. Patterson. 2006. Bat flies: Obligate ectoparasites of bats. Pages 179-194 In: Micromammals and Macroparasites: from Evolutionary Ecology to Management. S. Morand, B. Krasnov, and R. Poulin (Editors). Springer-Verlag Publishing. 647p.  [PDF]
• Graciolli, G., C. W. Dick, and D. Gettinger. 2006. A faunal survey of nycteribiid flies (Diptera: Nycteribiidae) associated with bats in Paraguay. Zootaxa 1220: 35-46.  [PDF]
• Dick, C. W., and S. C. Dick. 2006. Effects of prior infestation on host choice of bat flies (Diptera: Streblidae). Journal of Medical Entomology 43: 433-436.    [PDF]
• McIntyre, N. E., Y.-K. Chu, R. D. Owen, A. Abuzeineh, N. de la Sancha, C. W. Dick, T. Holsomback, R. A. Nisbett, and C. Jonsson. 2005. A Longitudinal Study of Bayou Virus, Hosts, and Habitat. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 73: 1043-1049.  [PDF]
• Dick, C. W. and D. Gettinger. 2005. A faunal survey of streblid bat flies (Diptera: Streblidae) associated with bats in Paraguay. Journal of Parasitology 91: 1015-1024.  [PDF]
• Dick, C. W. 2005. Ecology and Host Specificity of Bat Flies (Diptera: Streblidae) and their Chiropteran Hosts.  Ph.D. Dissertation. Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas. 253p.
• Graciolli, G. and C. W. Dick. 2004. A new species of Metelasmus (Diptera: Streblidae: Streblinae) from southern South America. Zootaxa 509: 1-8.  [PDF]
• Dick, C. W., M. R. Gannon, W. E. Little, and M. J. Patrick. 2003. Ectoparasite associations of bats from central Pennsylvania. Journal of Medical Entomology 40: 813-819.  [PDF]
• Dick, C. W. 2002. Variation in the dental formula of the Ipanema bat, Pygoderma bilabiatum. Southwestern Naturalist 47: 505-508.  [PDF]
• Dick, C. W. 1998. Macroinvertebrate community structure of headwater streams of the Buffalo National River, Arkansas, in relation to physicochemical environmental variables. M.S. Thesis. University of Central Arkansas, Conway, Arkansas. 72p.