TcBat a bat-exclusive lineage of Trypanosoma cruzi in the Panama Canal Zone, with comments on its classification and the use of the 18S rRNA gene for lineage identification

► Report for first time Tcbat in Central America. ► Infections with TcBat were common (11.6%) in Artibeus jamaicensis bats. ► Missing data does not negatively affect phylogenetic inference of Trypanosoma cruzi lineages. ► 18S rRNA is a useful marker to indentify non-hybrid lineages of T. cruzi. ► TcBat is a distinctive lineage that should be considered as an additional DTU.