BACKGROUND: Bats are important reservoir hosts for a variety of microparasites, some of which are transmitted by ectoparasite vectors that include mites, fleas, lice, ticks, and bat flies (families Nycteribiidae and Streblidae). All of these ectoparasite taxa are known to parasitize two endemic fruit bats of Madagascar, METHODS: Live RESULTS: Ectoparasites corresponding to four broad taxa (mites, ticks, fleas, and bat flies) were recovered from 628 of 873 CONCLUSION: This study explores the diversity and abundance of ectoparasite burdens in two Malagasy fruit bat species, highlighting the importance of seasonal ecology and the influence of climate variables on parasitism, which correlates with resource availability.