a new species of kerivoula (chiroptera: vespertilionidae ... · 8bükk mammalogical society,...

INTRODUCTION

Between 1997 and 2000, a series of batsurveys were conducted in six protected ar-eas of Vietnam. Fifty-nine species were re-corded including two Kerivoula, whichwere represented by seven specimens col-lected from Pu Mat National Park, Nghe An Province and Kon Ka Kinh Nature Re-serve, Gia Lai Provence. Five of these spec-imens were referred to K. hardwickii andtwo to K. flora (Hendrichsen et al., 2001);

however these authors further commentedthat, although these latter two specimensagreed in many characters (with K. flora),there were some differences, and that the re-cord should be considered provisional untilmore material was available. Subsequently,together with an additional specimen fromThailand, they were included as K. flora inVanitharani et al. (2003) in which the denti-tion of specimen HZM.1.32607 from KonKa Kinh Nature Reserve was illustrated. In2007, further single specimens of Kerivoula,

Acta Chiropterologica, 9(2): 323–337, 2007PL ISSN 1508-1109 © Museum and Institute of Zoology PAS

A new species of Kerivoula (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) from Southeast Asia

PAUL J. J. BATES1, MATTHEW J. STRUEBIG2, BEN D. HAYES3, NEIL M. FUREY4, KHIN MYA MYA5, VU DINH THONG6, PHAM DUC TIEN6, NGUYEN TROUNG SON6,

DAVID L. HARRISON1, CHARLES M. FRANCIS7, and GABOR CSORBA8

1Harrison Institute, Centre for Systematics and Biodiversity Research, Bowerwood House, St Botolph’s Road,Sevenoaks, Kent, TN13 3AQ, United Kingdom; E-mail: [email protected]

2School of Biological Sciences, Queen Mary, University of London, London, E1 4NS, United Kingdom3Muir of Knock, Pitylouish, Aviemore, Inverness-shire, PH22 1RD, United Kingdom

4School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Tillydrone Avenue, Aberdeen, AB24 2TZ, United Kingdom5Department of Zoology, University of Mandalay, Mandalay, Myanmar

6Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet Road, Cau Giay District, Hanoi, Vietnam7National Wildlife Research Centre, Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment Canada, Ottawa K1A 0H3, Canada

8Department of Zoology, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Ludovika tér 2, H-1083 Budapest, Hungary

A new species of Kerivoula is described from Seima Biodiversity Conservation Area, Cambodia. It is widelydistributed in mainland Southeast Asia, with referred material from 12 additional localities in Myanmar,Thailand, Lao PDR and Vietnam. Superficially similar to Kerivoula flora, it is distinguished by its flattenedskull, a character shared with the larger, recently described, Kerivoula kachinensis. It is known from a varietyof habitat types, both pristine and disturbed, including deciduous dipterocarp forest, moist evergreen and semi-evergreen forest, forest on limestone karst and upper montane forest.

Key words: Kerivoula sp. nov., Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Lao PDR, Vietnam, taxonomy, skull morphology

INTRODUCTION

To date, 119 bat species, including 57 Vespertilionidae, are recorded from Thailand (Bumrungsri et al., 2006). Six ofthese belong to the genus Kerivoula, includ-ing one, K. pellucida, which was first collected from the country as recently asMay, 2003 (Bumrungsri et al., 2006). InCambodia, 50 species are known, including20 Vespertilionidae of which three areKerivoula (K. papillosa, K. cf. hardwickii

and Kerivoula sp. nov. — Matveev, 2005;Bates et al., 2007). In Lao PDR, at least 90 species have been recorded (Francis etal., 1999), including at least four species ofKerivoula.

Kerivoula kachinensis was describedfrom northern Myanmar (Bates et al.,2004). Subsequently, it was recorded fromnorth and central Vietnam (Thong et al.,2006). Its recent discovery in eastern Cam-bodia, several localities in Lao PDR, andnorthern Thailand represents a considerable


First records of Kerivoula kachinensis (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) from Cambodia, Lao PDR and Thailand

PIPAT SOISOOK1, SARA BUMRUNGSRI1, ARIYA DEJTARADOL1, CHARLES M. FRANCIS2, GABOR CSORBA3, ANTONIO GUILLÉN-SERVENT4, and PAUL J. J. BATES5, 6

1Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla, Thailand 901122National Wildlife Research Centre, Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment Canada, Ottawa, Ontario

K1A 0H3, Canada3Department of Zoology, Hungarian Natural History Museum, H-1083 Budapest, Ludovika tér 2., Hungary

4Instituto de Ecología, A.C., Km 2.5 Carretera Antigua a Coatepec #351, Congregación El Haya, Xalapa 91070, Veracruz, México

5Harrison Institute, Centre for Systematics and Biodiversity Research, Bowerwood House, St. Botolph’s Road,Sevenoaks, Kent, TN13 3AQ, United Kingdom

6Corresponding author: E:mail: [email protected]

Kerivoula kachinensis is reported for the first time from Cambodia, Lao PDR and Thailand. In April, 2005 andJanuary, 2006, three individuals were collected in deciduous dipterocarp forest, near bamboo, in the SeimaBiodiversity Conservation Area, Mondul Kiri Province, Cambodia. In September, 2007, two individuals werecollected in lower montane forest, which included some mixed deciduous forest, bamboo groves and bananatrees, in the hills of Phu Suan Sai National Park, Loei Province, and a single individual was collected in mixeddeciduous forest, near bamboo, in the Nam Nao National Park, Petchabun Province, Thailand. In 1996–1998,seven specimens were collected from five localities in north, central and southern Lao PDR; most wereassociated with evergreen forest at altitudes between 150–800 m a.s.l. The species appears to be relativelywidespread in continental Southeast Asia. Locally common, it is probably not currently at risk.

Key words: Kerivoula kachinensis, Vespertilionidae, Thailand, Lao PDR, Cambodia, distribution, first record

INTRODUCTION

Area and latitude are major predictors oflarge-scale variation in species richness ofanimals and plants (cf. Rosenzweig, 1995;Maurer, 1999; Brown and Lomolino, 2005).With few exceptions (sawflies, ichneumon-ids, aphids) species richness of a given taxon peaks at lower latitudes (Rhode,1992; Blackburn and Gaston, 2003). Batsare no exception to this rule. Species rich-ness peaks around the equator (Procheº,2005) and sharply declines from lower tohigher latitudes (Kaufman and Willig, 1998;

Horáèek et al., 2000). Centres of bat speciesrichness are tropical America, eastern tropi-cal Africa and south-eastern Asia (Procheº,2005), each having more than 120 species.On the other hand, Europe and the majorpart of North America each have fewer than50 species. An exception to this latitudinaltrend in bats is the family Vespertilionidaethat reaches its highest species richness intemperate climates (Simpson, 1964; Patten,2004). Vespertilionidae are the most domi-nant family of European bats accounting for38 of the 46 bat species (Mitchell-Jones etal., 1999; see Table 1).


Environmental correlates of species richness of European bats(Mammalia: Chiroptera)

WERNER ULRICH1, 2, KONRAD SACHANOWICZ1, and MARIUSZ MICHALAK1

1Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruñ, Department of Animal Ecology, Gagarina 9, 87-100, Toruñ, Poland 2Corresponding author: E-mail: [email protected]

We use data of bat species richness of 58 European countries and larger islands from Fauna Europaea augmented by recent faunal surveys of particular countries to evaluate the effects of area, latitude, annual temperature range, and mean winter length (days < 0°C), geographical heterogeneity, number of plant species,and distance from Turkey on bat species richness. Area, latitude, and temperature range explained more than73% of the total variability in European bat species richness. Latitude and temperature corrected species-arearelationships of vespertilionid bats were fitted by the power function model with mainland countries having a lower slope (z = 0.09) than islands (z = 0.15) consistent with current theory. The area corrected centre of vespertilionid species richness was at about 46°N with Croatia being most species rich (34 species). Non-vespertilionid bats peaked at 41°N and did not show a simple latitudinal gradient. The inclusion of plant speciesrichness in the model for Vespertilionidae did not lower the significant influence of area and latitude on speciesrichness. Plant species richness itself was not a major predictor of bat species richness. Three environmentalcharacteristics (latitude, area and temperature) are the main predictors of bat species richness in Europe. Theseattributes act in an additive manner. This phenomenon allows potential covariates to be eliminated from species-area relationships using simple regression techniques. Further, additive models constructed in this way allow fora ranking of countries with respect to species richness.

Key words: Chiroptera, species-area relationship, macroecology, latitudinal gradients, non-linear regression


Biogeography of the recently described Myotis alcathoevon Helversen and Heller, 2001

IVO NIERMANN1, MARTIN BIEDERMANN2, WIES£AW BOGDANOWICZ3, ROBERT BRINKMANN4,YANN LE BRIS5, MATEUSZ CIECHANOWSKI6, CHRISTIAN DIETZ7, ISABEL DIETZ7, PÉTER ESTÓK8, OTTO VON HELVERSEN9, ARNAUD LE HOUÉDEC10, SERBÜLENT PAKSUZ11, BOYAN P. PETROV12,

BEYTULLAH ÖZKAN13, KRZYSZTOF PIKSA14, ALEK RACHWALD15, SÉBASTIEN Y. ROUÉ16, KONRAD SACHANOWICZ17, WIGBERT SCHORCHT18, ANNA TEREBA3, and FRIEDER MAYER9, 19

1Leibniz Universität Hannover, Institute of Environmental Planning, Herrenhäuser Str. 2, D-30419 Hannover, Germany

2NACHTaktiv – Biologen für Fledermauskunde GbR, Altensteiner Straße 68, D-36448 Schweina, Germany3Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wilcza 64, PL-00-679 Warszawa, Poland

4Planungsbüro Dr. Brinkmann, Holunderweg 2, D-79194 Gundelfingen, Germany5Bretagne Vivante SEPNB, Roussimel, F-56200 Glenac, France

6University of Gdañsk, Department of Vertebrate Ecology and Zoology, Al. Legionów 9, PL-80-441 Gdañsk, Poland

7Tübingen University, Zoological Institute, Animal Physiology, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany

8Bükk Mammalogical Society, Maklári útca 77/A, H-3300 Eger, Hungary9University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Department of Zoology, Staudtstraße 5, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany

10Bretagne Vivante SEPNB, 8 rue Pierre Morel, F-35140 Saint Aubin du Cormier, France11Egitim Fakültesi, Ilkogretim Bölümü, Turkey

12National Museum of Natural History, Tzar Osvoboditel Blvd. 1, BG-1000 Sofia, Bulgaria13Trakya University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Biology, Gullapoglu, TR-22030 Edirne, Turkey

14Cracow Pedagogical University, Institute of Biology, Podbrzezie 3, PL-31-054 Kraków, Poland15Department of Forest Ecology and Wildlife Management, Forest Research Institute,

Bitwy Warszawskiej 3, PL-00-973 Warszawa, Poland16CPEPESC Franche-Comté, 3 rue Beauregard, F-25000 Besançon, France

17Nicolaus Copernicus University, Department of Animal Ecology, Gagarina 9, PL-87-100 Toruñ, Poland18NACHTaktiv – Biologen für Fledermauskunde GbR, Kleffelgasse 6, D-98639 Walldorf/Werra, Germany

19Corresponding author: E-mail: [email protected]

Since its description in 2001 Alcathoe’s myotis (Myotis alcathoe) was recorded from several locations acrossEurope. Here we describe the first records of this species from Germany, Poland, Albania, and from theEuropean part of Turkey, including the northernmost locality in central Germany (51°23’N, 11°01’E).Compilation of all up-to-date records shows that M. alcathoe has a wide European distribution although it seemsto be rare at most places. The habitats where the bat was recorded are natural, moist and deciduous forests withold trees and water streams as can be found, for example, in canyons or forests of alluvial origin. Such habitatssuggest that the species probably has a more continuous and wider distribution than currently known and mightbe expected to occur even further to the North.

Key words: Myotis alcathoe, biogeography, ecology

INTRODUCTION

In Europe, the southern Mediterraneanarea has the greatest diversity among plants,insects, small mammals and other groups(Mitchell-Jones et al., 1999). This diversityincludes many endemic species (Myers etal., 2000) and there is also substantial in-traspecific genetic variation within manyspecies (Hewitt, 1999, 2000). The Mediter-ranean peninsulas (Iberia, Italy and Bal-kans) may have acted as refugia wheremany species have survived the glacia-tions in small favourable areas (Taberlet andCheddadi, 2002). After climate warming,

some of these surviving species expandedtheir distribution whereas others remaintrapped in the southern parts of Europe. Asa consequence of prolonged isolation, theseisolated populations should have divergedfrom each other, especially if there was lim-ited gene flow among them (Petit et al.,2003). In this type of evolutionary history a high level of cryptic diversity is expected.Even within glacial refugia, complex pat-terns of ‘refugia within refugia’ are knownto have occurred, leading to even greater di-versity that may frequently only be detectedthrough extensive sampling (Gomez andLunt, 2007).


Patterns of genetic diversity within and between Myotis d. daubentoniiand M. d. nathalinae derived from cytochrome b mtDNA sequence data

BRUNO F. SIMsES1, 2, 4, HUGO REBELO1, 3, RICARDO J. LOPES1, PAULO C. ALVES1, 2, and D. JAMES HARRIS1

1CIBIO, Centro de Investigaçno em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Rua Padre Armando Quintas-Crasto, 4485-601 Vairno, Portugal

2Faculdade de CiLncias da Universidade do Porto, Praça Gomes Teixeira, 4099-002 Porto, Portugal3School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Woodland Road, Bristol, BS8 1UG, United Kingdom


We analysed the phylogenetic relationships between M. d. daubentonii and M. d. nathalinae based on 1,010 bpof the cytochrome b mtDNA gene. The inference based on molecular phylogenetics methods shows that thesetwo morphotypes correspond to two mitochondrial groups within the Iberian Peninsula. Our results also supportthe model of ‘refugia within refugia’, where M. d. daubentonii has spread north and M. d. nathalinae has becamean Iberian endemism. The haplotype network indicates haplotype sharing between Monfurado and S. Mamede(Portugal) and Bavaria (Germany), demonstrating current or recent dispersal and gene flow between thesepopulations. Myotis d. nathalinae displays a substructure showing that populations under the same climate type are more related. As a distinct Iberian endemism, the conservation status of M. d. nathalinae should bereviewed.

Key words: phylogeography, phylogeny, M. d. daubentonii, M. d. nathalinae, Iberian Peninsula, cytochrome b

INTRODUCTION

The molossid species Chaerephon pu-milus (Cretzschmar, 1830–1831) is broadlydistributed across sub-Saharan Africa,southern portions of the Arabian Peninsula,and islands off the west and east coasts ofAfrica, including Bioko, Sno Tomé, Pemba,Zanzibar, the Comoros, Madagascar, andthe Seychelles (Juste and IbáZez, 1994;Bouchard, 1998; Simmons, 2005). This spe-cies is known to exhibit considerable phe-notypic variation, particularly in pelage andwing coloration, which resulted in numer-ous taxonomic designations for populationsacross its range. Most bat taxonomists whenconfronted with the task of trying to sort

out patterns of geographic variation in thisspecies complex consolidate these different‘forms’ under C. pumilus (e.g., Hayman andHill, 1971; Simmons, 2005) or recognizenumerous subspecies (e.g., Koopman,1994). One study, using mitochondrial cy-tochrome b, found less than 0.9% diver-gence among African specimens from SouthAfrica, Zambia, and Tanzania showing twodistinct patterns in wing coloration (Jacobset al., 2004), although many of these sameindividuals or at least populations showsome differences in size and echolocationcalls (Aspetsberger et al., 2003).

The eastern limit of C. pumilus is gener-ally cited as the western Seychelles, specif-ically the Aldabra Atoll and the Amirantes


The taxonomic status of Chaerephon pumilus from the westernSeychelles: resurrection of the name C. pusillus for an endemic species

STEVEN M. GOODMAN1, 2 and FANJA H. RATRIMOMANARIVO2, 3

1Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60605, USAE-mail: [email protected]

2Vahatra, BP 3972, Antananarivo (101), Madagascar3Département de Biologie Animale, Faculté des Sciences, Université d’Antananarivo, B.P. 906,

Antananarivo (101), Madagascar

We investigate the taxonomic status of a molossid bat from the western Seychelles that has been previouslyconsidered distinct and then subsequently synonomized with the widespread Chaerephon pumilus. We comparespecimens available from the Seychelles (Aldabra and Amirantes), including the holotype and paratype of C. pusillus, to specimens assigned to C. pumilus from Kenya, the Comoros Archipelago (Mayotte, Mohéli,Anjouan, and Grande Comore), and from lowland areas of the northern half of Madagascar. Based on thesecomparisons, the animals from the Aldabra and Amirantes are distinctly smaller than these other regional islandand mainland populations and we conclude that the name C. pusillus should be resurrected for this endemicSeychelles species.

Key words: Chaerephon pusillus, specific status, Aldabra, Amirantes

INTRODUCTION

The family Noctilionidae comprises a single genus, Noctilio, distributed fromthe west coast of Mexico to northern Argen-tina. One of the two living species of thegenus, N. albiventris, is known from theMiddle Miocene (Laventan) of Colombia(Monkey Beds, Villavieja Formation —Czaplewski, 1997; Czaplewski et al., 2003).Remains assignable to the other living spe-cies, N. leporinus, have been found in cavedeposits referable to the late Pleistocene andHolocene of Cuba and Puerto Rico (Rey-nolds et al., 1953; Choate and Birney, 1968;Silva Taboada, 1979). Additionally, a small-

sized extinct species, N. lacrimaelunaris, isknown from the late Miocene (Acre Con-glomerate Member between the Solimtesand Madre de Dios formations, Departmentof Madre de Dios, Perú — Czaplewski,1996).

Here we report the finding of a caninetooth assignable to an undetermined spe-cies of Noctilio from the Middle Pleistoceneof the Atlantic coast in central Argentina(Necochea County, Buenos Aires province).This is the southernmost record for thegenus and the first paleontological record of Noctilio in Argentina. The new mate-rial comes from levels that have yielded a caviomorph rodent fauna indicative of an


The fishing bat Noctilio (Mammalia, Chiroptera) in the Middle Pleistocene of central Argentina

MARIANO L. MERINO1, 3, 5, MARIA A. LUTZ1, DIEGO H. VERZI1, 4, and EDUARDO P. TONNI2, 3

1División Zoología Vertebrados, Museo de La Plata, Paseo del Bosque s/n, La Plata (B1900FWA), Buenos Aires, Argentina

2División Paleontología Vertebrados, Museo de La Plata Paseo del Bosque s/n B1900FWA, La Plata, Argentina3Comisión de Investigaciones Cientificas de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Calle 526, 10–11, CP 1900,

La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina4Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Avda. Rivadavia 1917, CP C1033AAJ,

La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina5Corresponding author: E-mail: [email protected]

We report the record of a canine tooth assignable to an undetermined species of Noctilio from the MiddlePleistocene of the Atlantic coast in central Argentina. This is the southernmost record for the genus and the firstpaleontological record of Noctilio in southern South America. In addition, this finding supports the hypothesisof an episodic warm climatic pulse suggested by other micromammals recovered from the same fossil-bearinglevels.

Key words: Noctilio, Pleistocene, Argentina, paleoclimates

INTRODUCTION

The extreme northwestern region ofPeru, Tumbes Department, is unique be-cause it harbors a typical lowland Ama-zonian fauna and flora but on the westernside of the Andes, much different from thedry forests and desert areas further south onthat side of the Andes (Koopman, 1978;Brack E., 1986). This region was classifiedas the Pacific Tropical rainforests ecologicalregion by Brack E. (1986), where trees suchas cetico Cecropia, palmeras Aiphanes,matapalo Ficus; and mammals such as pec-caries, ocelots, jaguars, river otters, redbrocket deers, white-fronted capuchins and

mantled howler monkeys are characteristic(Cabrera and Willink, 1980; Brack E., 1986;Zamora Jimeno, 1996).

The Pacific Tropical rainforests ecologi-cal region, although very small, about15,000 ha, represent the southernmost ex-tension of the Pacific Province (Cabrera andWillink, 1980; Brack E., 1986) or the Col-ombian-Pacific Fauna of Chapman (1917,1926) which extend in South Americanorthward along the Ecuadorean and Col-ombian Pacific versant. Some other classifi-cations include the Pacific Tropical rain-forests within the Dry Forests (ZamoraJimeno, 1996) or the Equatorial Dry Forestsecological regions (Rodríguez, 1996; Ponte,


Noteworthy bat records from the Pacific Tropical rainforest region and adjacent dry forest in northwestern Peru

VÍCTOR PACHECO1, 2, RICHARD CADENILLAS1, SANDRA VELAZCO1, EDITH SALAS1, and URSULA FAJARDO1

1Departamento de Mastozoología, Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos,Apartado 14-0434, Lima-14, Peru


The bat fauna of the Pacific Tropical rainforest region in Peru is poorly known. Here we report noteworthyrange extensions of 12 bat species, including: Diaemus youngi, Chrotopterus auritus, Micronycteris minuta,Mimon crenulatum, Vampyrum spectrum, Chiroderma salvini, Enchisthenes hartii, Noctilio leporinus,Thyroptera discifera, Eptesicus chiriquinus, Rhogeessa io, and Myotis riparius. These document the firstconfirmed records for the department of Tumbes. All, except E. hartii and N. leporinus, are also first recordsfor the western slope of Peru. The record of R. io is the first for Peru, while that of C. auritus is the first for the Pacific versant of the Andes. In total, 41 bat species are present in the Pacific Tropical rainforests andsurrounding dry forests, at the new Parque Nacional Cerros de Amotape, in Tumbes. This region requires urgentconservation programs, because the Pacific Tropical rainforest is threatened by human settlement, and resourceexploitation in spite of its protected status.

Key words: Chiroptera, Pacific Tropical rainforests, diversity, Peru, Tumbes, dry forests, Parque Nacional Cerros de Amotape

INTRODUCTION

Mist netting is a common method usedto capture bats (Kunz and Kurta, 1988;Gardner et al., 1989; Kunz et al., 1996;Lang et al., 2004). Some investigators haveutilized bat capture rates as a proxy for fluc-tuations in bat populations (Pedersen et al.,1996), but such efforts may be misleading,as several studies have found that mist net

capture data are biased due to a myriad ofissues that include survey effort, type of net,the surrounding habitat, weather, and theavoidance and echolocation abilities of bats(Kunz and Anthony, 1977; Francis, 1989;Kunz et al., 1996; Remsen and Good, 1996;Kuenzi and Morrison, 1998; Simmons andVoss, 1998; Lang et al., 2004).

Mist net capture data are biased due toseveral factors that involve the net itself or


Mist netting bias, species accumulation curves, and the rediscovery of two bats on Montserrat (Lesser Antilles)

ROXANNE J. LARSEN1, 5, KAREN A. BOEGLER1, HUGH H. GENOWAYS2, WILL P. MASEFIELD3,RONAN A. KIRSCH4, and SCOTT C. PEDERSEN1

1Department of Biology, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, USA2University of Nebraska State Museum, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA

3Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Trinity, Jersey, JE3 5BP, United Kingdom4Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Département Systématique, Paris Cedex 05, France

5Present address: Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USAE-mail: [email protected]

Mist nets are commonly used to survey bat populations and to estimate bat biodiversity, but several studies havefound that mist net capture data and methods are biased due to a number of factors, including size and placementof nets, and the frequency at which investigators check their nets. Despite the wealth of literature and anecdotalreports, few investigators have quantified the interactions of bats with mist nets directly. We employed nightvision camcorders to monitor bat behavior when bats encountered a mist net and then utilized these data to re-evaluate years of survey data collected on Montserrat, Lesser Antilles. We recorded 2,523 bat passes during 43.3hours of videotaping in July 2005 and June 2006. Observations conducted on successive nights provideevidence of avoidance-learning behavior in bats. When a mist net was present, 5.4% of bats in the airspace cameinto contact with the net giving an overall capture rate of 3.2% (range 0–10.3%). Mist nets are not accuratelysampling bats that utilize flyways on Montserrat and such fieldwork thereby generates potentially misleadingdata. Biodiversity assessments and conservation guidelines based on short-term mist net surveys alone are notsufficient or reliable in regards to bats. A pragmatic solution to reduce mist net bias is to repeatedly sample a target region, utilize a variety of netting sites, use variable net sets, and carefully analyze species accumulationcurves.

Key words: mist net bias, species accumulation curve, Lesser Antilles, rediscovery, Chiroderma improvisum,Sturnira thomasi

INTRODUCTION

Survival of offspring is governed byparental investment and in turn determinesinclusive fitness (Wilson, 1980). Thereforeparental investment can be considered animportant behavioral trait exhibited by indi-viduals in animal populations. Newbornbats (Chiroptera) are an excellent exampleof altricial mammals, and are born nakedwith eyes and ears closed (Altringham,1996). In addition to nutritional investmentin the form of milk, lactating bats lavishmeticulous care on their pups through ex-tensive non-nutritional support such as as-sisting in thermoregulation, transport and

security (Kunz and Hood, 2000). The dura-tion of this process varies among speciesuntil pups reach 90% of adult skeletal size(Barclay, 1995). Although maternal care de-creases when young attain weaning, a fewmicrochiropteran mothers continue suck-ling (Jones, 2000), or both mothers andweanlings forage together (e.g. Brighamand Brigham, 1989). Interestingly, an ex-tended association between mothers andnewly weaned young is known for fouramong the five megadermatid bats — Car-dioderma cor (Vaughan, 1976), Macroder-ma gigas and Megaderma spasma (cited inBradbury, 1977) and Lavia frons (Vaughanand Vaughan, 1987). Based on the reports


Maternal feeding of offspring with vertebrate prey in captive Indian false vampire bat, Megaderma lyra

HANUMANTHAN RAGHURAM1, 2 and GANAPATHY MARIMUTHU1, 3

1Department of Animal Behaviour and Physiology, School of Biological Sciences, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai 625 021, India

2Present address: Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560 012, India3Corresponding author: E-mail: [email protected]

We studied relationships between mother and weaned young of captive Indian false vampire bats, Megadermalyra. Four out of eight young (Group 1) at 60–63 days of age began to capture freshly killed frogs we pulledwith a long thread on the sandy floor of flight room. However, the mothers continued to suckle until their youngbecame 84.7 ± 3.97 (0 ± SE) days of age. When the remaining four young (Group 2) were 59.5 ± 1.85 days ofage their mothers stopped suckling. Nevertheless, these mothers transferred either entire or partly consumedfrogs (bodies with no heads, half bodies, paired hind limbs, and single hind limbs) to their young solicitors. Suchfood transfers occurred based on the body lengths of frogs. Mothers transferred small frogs entirely, but as thebody length of frogs increased, mothers transferred smaller body parts to their young. Audible vocalizations of mothers and young were associated with food transfers. When these young bats became 74.0 ± 2.63 days of age, their mothers stopped food transfers. It appears that lactating females of M. lyra provision offspring by supplementing milk with solid food, similar to what has been observed in other megadermatid bats.

Key words: Megaderma lyra, mother-young relationships, food transfer, frogs, lactation, weaning

INTRODUCTION

Otomops madagascariensis is endemicto Madagascar and is thought to be an obli-gate cave-dweller, unlike the closely relat-ed Otomops martiensseni from the Africanmainland which forms colonies in houses(Fenton et al., 2002). The distribution of O. madagascariensis covers western Mada-gascar, from north to south, and appears to

be associated with sites on limestone orsandstone where it roosts in caves (Good-man et al., 2005). Although O. martienssenihas been the subject of a number of studies(Mutere, 1973; Rydell and Yalden, 1997;Fenton et al., 2002, 2004), there are fewdata available on the biology of O. mada-gascariensis. Here we report on the popula-tion structure of O. madagascariensis fromsites in western and southern Madagascar


Diet, reproduction and roosting habits of the Madagascarfree-tailed bat, Otomops madagascariensis Dorst, 1953

(Chiroptera: Molossidae)

DAUDET ANDRIAFIDISON1, 2, AMYOT KOFOKY1, 3, TSIBARA MBOHOAHY4, PAUL A. RACEY5,and RICHARD K. B. JENKINS1, 5, 6

1Madagasikara Voakajy, B.P. 5181, Antananarivo, Madagascar2Département de Biologie Animale, Faculté des Sciences, Université d’Antananarivo,

B.P. 906, Antananarivo, Madagascar6Vahatra, B.P. 738, Antananarivo, Madagascar

4Département de Biologie Animale, Faculté des Sciences, Université de Toliara, B.P. 185 (601) Toliara, Madagascar

5School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 2TZ, United Kingdom6Corresponding author: E-mail: [email protected]

Otomops madagascariensis is a large (24–27 g) molossid bat endemic to Madagascar. Unlike its congener O. martiensseni, in nearby mainland Africa, little is known about its ecology although it appears to roost onlyin caves. It is only known from a few sites in the west and occupies a small percentage of the available caves.We studied roosting colonies in seven vertical erosion domes in the roof of a cave in Parc National Tsingy deBemaraha during July and October 2003. We also captured bats as they emerged from and returned to a roostcave in the south. Female bats examined in the west during October and in the south during November werepregnant. In the roosting colonies, one group contained 57 pregnant females and five adult males. Most othergroups also consisted of both sexes but three male-only groups were encountered in October. Diet consistedmainly of Lepidoptera and Coleoptera and there was variation between sites and study locations in thecontribution of these prey types. Otomops madagascariensis is an obligate cave dweller that appears to be rarewithin its known range and should be a target species for conservation and research.

Key words: breeding, caves, Otomops, diet, Madagascar, Molossidae, reproduction

INTRODUCTION

The Ozark big-eared bat (Corynorhi-nus townsendii ingens) is a cave-obligate subspecies of Townsend’s big-eared bat (C. townsendii) that is endemic to the OzarkMountains of northeast Oklahoma (Caire et al., 1989) and northwest and north-central Arkansas (Sealander and Heidt,1990). Corynorhinus t. ingens was listed asfederally endangered in 1979 (U.S. Fish andWildlife Service, 1984). Presumed extirpat-ed from Missouri, C. t. ingens is known toroost in > 100 caves, cliffs, and talus piles

throughout its range (U.S. Fish and WildlifeService, 1995). Population numbers of thesebats remain precariously low throughout thedistribution of the subspecies (Clark et al.,1997), with a total population < 2,000 indi-viduals (Harvey and Redman, 2003). Thissmall population size suggests that C. t. in-gens may be vulnerable to acts of distur-bance at roosting sites and susceptible tochanges in the landscape around roosts thatmay affect availability and abundance of insect prey.

Species of Corynorhinus are thought tobe moth specialists (Lacki et al., 2007),


Prey consumed by Corynorhinus townsendii ingensin the Ozark Mountain region

LUKE E. DODD1 and MICHAEL J. LACKI1, 2

1Department of Forestry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546, USA2Corresponding author: E-mail: [email protected]

Moths are known to be the primary prey of the Ozark big-eared bat (Corynorhinus townsendii ingens); however,data do not exist as to which species, families, and sizes of moths are eaten. We investigated patterns of preyconsumption of C. t. ingens from 2003 to 2005 by collecting discarded moth wings and other insect partsbeneath roosts in three maternity areas: north-central Arkansas, northwest Arkansas, and northeast Oklahoma.A total of 42 visits to roosts resulted in 579 remnants of insect prey representing eight insect orders. Of thediscarded remains, 57.2% (n = 331) were Lepidoptera, with 81.3% (n = 269) of these identified beyond theordinal level. Moths representing eight families and 49 species were eaten by C. t. ingens. Noctuidae was themost common family occurring in the diet with 25 species represented. Noctuidae and Notodontidae weretypical prey of C. t. ingens in all areas, but consumption of other moth families varied. Corynorhinus t. ingenspreyed upon a limited size range of moths, consistent with data for Corynorhinus in other locations in easternNorth America. Our data increase the number of species (n = 31), genera (n = 27), and families (n = 3) of mothsknown to be eaten by Corynorhinus. Because two of the new families of moths documented as prey ofCorynorhinus were discovered beneath feeding roosts in Oklahoma on the western edge of our study, wesuggest additional surveys are needed at feeding roosts of Corynorhinus in western North America to fullyunderstand the diets of Corynorhinus.

Key words: big-eared bats, Corynorhinus, diet, hardwood forest, insect prey, Lepidoptera, moths

INTRODUCTION

Studying the endocrinology of free-ranging bats is often a difficult or even impossible task since acquiring blood sam-ples from small animals with convention-al techniques usually requires that animalsare captured, chemically or mechanically

immobilized, and then bled using needlesand syringes. This may pose stress on theanimal which may consequently change theanimal’s behavior or the blood parametersof interest, (e.g., de Villiers et al., 1997).During the past decades, alternative tech-niques have been established for the studyof reproductive endocrinology in mammals,


Assessment of fecal testosterone metabolite analysis in free-rangingSaccopteryx bilineata (Chiroptera: Emballonuridae)

CHRISTIAN C. VOIGT1, W. JÜRGEN STREICH2, and MARTIN DEHNHARD3

1Research Group Evolutionary Ecology, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Str. 17, D-10315 Berlin, Germany; E-mail: [email protected]

2Research Group Evolutionary Genetics, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Str. 17,D-10315 Berlin, Germany

3Research Group Reproductive Biology, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Str. 17, D-10315 Berlin, Germany

Acquiring hormonal data from small, free-ranging mammals can be challenging when conventional techniquespose too much stress on animals, e.g., by trapping, handling, and bleeding. We assessed the feasibility ofmeasuring plasma testosterone levels indirectly via fecal testosterone metabolites (Tmet) in a small, tropicalmammal, the greater sac-winged bat. Saccopteryx bilineata forms stable, harem-polygynous societies, in whichmales defend female groups throughout the whole year. Firstly, we validated fecal Tmet measurements byperforming a challenge experiment using gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH). Secondly, we comparedTmet concentrations of harem males and subordinate males in fecal samples collected during the mating season,expecting that fecal Tmet concentrations should be higher in harem than in subordinate males. Thirdly, wemonitored fecal Tmet concentrations, courtship intensity and territoriality of harem males during and after themating season, expecting that fecal Tmet values in conjunction with courtship intensity and territoriality dropafter the estrous period of females passed. Our study shows that fecal Tmet concentrations responded toinjections of GnRH in male S. bilineata. Fecal Tmet concentrations were higher in harem males than insubordinate males, suggesting that plasma testosterone values were related to either age or social status.Intensity of courtship and territoriality of harem males decreased towards the end of the mating season, but fecalTmet concentrations remained constant. Male courtship intensity and territoriality were not related to fecal Tmetlevels, either because short-term social challenges are not reflected in fecal hormone measurements owing tothe propensity of fecal hormone metabolites to integrate over several hours, or because androgen levels are notstrongly related to social activities in this species.

Key words: Saccopteryx, behavioral endocrinology, challenge, testosterone, mating system

INTRODUCTION

All aspects of the biology and naturalhistory of bats are integrally related to theirability to fly (Feldhamer et al., 2004). Batsgenerally are characterized as slow andhighly maneuverable in flight when com-pared to birds, but the manner of flight ofbats varies. Knowledge of flight speed helpswith respect to our understanding of feed-ing habits, homing ability, home range, and

seasonal movements (Kennedy and Best,1972). Previous investigators (e.g., Norberg,1987; Sahley et al., 1993; Winter, 1999;Hopkins et al., 2003) have summarizedmuch of the available literature relating toflight speeds for bats, but many species re-main unstudied. Hopkins et al. (2003) notedthe limited accounts of flight speeds of batsin the Neotropics of Mexico. Because muchof the habitat in this region is diverse andthreatened by high rates of deforestation


Flight speeds of three species of Neotropical bats: Glossophaga soricina,Natalus stramineus, and Carollia subrufa

JAMES B. AKINS1, MICHAEL L. KENNEDY1, GARY D. SCHNELL2, 6, CORNELIO SÁNCHEZ-HERNÁNDEZ3, MARÍA DE LOURDES ROMERO-ALMARAZ4,

MICHAEL C. WOOTEN5, and TROY L. BEST5

1Ecological Research Center, Department of Biology, University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee 38152, USA2Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History and Department of Zoology, University of Oklahoma,

Norman, Oklahoma 73072, USA3Departamento de Zoología, Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México,

A.P. 70-153, Coyoacán, México, D.F., 04510, México4Escuinapa No. 92 bis. Col. Pedregal de Santo Domingo, C.P. 04360, México, D.F., México

5Department of Biological Sciences, 331 Funchess Hall, Auburn University, Alabama 36849, USA6Corresponding author: E-mail: [email protected]

Flight speeds of Pallas’s long-tongued bat (Glossophaga soricina), the Mexican funnel-eared bat (Natalusstramineus), and the gray short-tailed bat (Carollia subrufa) were measured in Colima, Mexico, during January2006. Bats from an abandoned mine tunnel were transported to a nearby simulated flyway, where speeds weredetermined over a known distance. For G. soricina, average speeds for 26 males and 14 females were 4.85 and4.80 m/s, respectively (P > 0.05), which are similar to those reported by other investigators. Averages for N. stramineus were 2.84 m/s for 40 males and 2.39 m/s for 23 females, values that were statistically different(P < 0.05) despite the fact that body masses for the sexes were similar. For C. subrufa, three males and threefemales averaged 3.67 and 3.52 m/s, respectively. Speeds were unrelated to body mass for any of the species.Speeds for N. stramineus and C. subrufa are the first reported, whereas those for G. soricina are the firstrecorded under near-field conditions.

Key words: Glossophaga, Natalus, Carollia, flight speed, Mexico, Neotropics

INTRODUCTION

The versatility of echolocation, one ofthe most astonishing adaptations of animals,in many ways is epitomized by the situa-tion in bats, order Chiroptera. Bats includeecholocating and non-echolocating species.In former Megachiroptera, some species inthe genus Rousettus echolocate using oral-ly-produced clicks, distinguishing themfrom all microchiropterans that use signalsfrom the larynx (vocalizations) to produceecholocation signals (Fenton et al., 1995;Jones and Teeling, 2006). Among the for-mer Microchiroptera, two approaches to

echolocation have appeared repeatedly(Jones and Teeling, 2006). First, while mostecholocators separate pulse and echo intime (low duty cycle), a few microchi-ropteran bats separate pulse and echo in fre-quency (high duty cycle echolocators —Fenton et al., 1995). High duty cycleecholocation has appeared in two differentbat lineages (Rhinolophoidea and Noctilio-noidea) where it prevails in ≈120 species ofrhinolophids and hipposiderids, and occursin the mormoopid, Pteronotus parnellii. Theuse of low intensity signals (the ‘whisperingbats’ of Griffin, 1958) is another approachto echolocation that appears in different


Echolocation and the thoracic skeletons of bats: a comparative morphological study

KRISTY DESROCHE1, M. BROCK FENTON1, 3, and WINSTON C. LANCASTER2

1Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada N6A 5B72Department of Biological Sciences, California State University Sacramento, Sacramento,

California 95819 6077, USA3Corresponding author: E-mail: [email protected]

Using analyses of digital images of the thoracic skeletons of 16 species of bats (7 families) known to producehigh intensity echolocation calls, we made qualitative and quantitative comparisons of the associations ofthoracic skeletal features to echolocation behaviour and classification by family. The bats we examined showedsignificant differences in rib, sternal, manubrial and xiphoid morphology. Pteropodids (former Megachiroptera,non echolocating or, in the case of Rousettus aegyptiacus echolocating using orally-generated signals), weredistinctly different from species of former Microchiroptera. Among former Microchiroptera, low duty cycleecholocators (Emballonuridae, most Mormoopidae, Vespertilionidae, and Molossidae) were generally moresimilar to one another than to high duty cycle echolocators (Hipposideridae and Rhinolophidae). Pteronotusparnellii, a high duty cycle echolocator, was more similar in thoracic morphology to other mormoopids than toother high duty cycle echolocators (hipposiderids and rhinolophids). Thoracic skeletal morphology suggests thatlaryngeal echolocation is associated with some modifications of the thoracic skeleton apparently beyond thoserelated to flight.

Key words: Chiroptera, echolocation, duty cycle, morphology, thoracic skeleton

INTRODUCTION

Physical deformities in animals can beeither malformations or abnormalities, withthe former referring to defects that occurduring ontogeny and the latter referring tothose caused by physical trauma after nor-mal development (Eaton et al., 2004).Malformations often are more common inyoung rather than adult individuals, pre-sumably because these deformities can in-terfere with normal functioning and lead to an early death of the affected individual(Kunz and Chase, 1983; Rockwell et al.,2003). However, some malformations andmany abnormalities are consistently foundeven among adults (Schultz et al., 1998;Eaton et al., 2004). For example, color aber-rations, such as albinos or leucistic indi-viduals, often are reported for many species

of mammals, including bats (Uieda, 2000).Other malformations appearing in adult bats include polydactyly, supernumeraryappendages, and deformed tails (Kunz and Chase, 1983; Caire and Thies, 1988).However, most reports of deformities,whether they are malformations or abnor-malities, are descriptive, and the frequencyof such defects in a population rarely isquantified.

The square-eared anomaly is a termcoined by LaVal and LaVal (1980), basedon observations in Missouri, USA, andrefers to the presence of reduced or abbrevi-ated pinnae in some bats (Fig. 1). These authors reported the phenomenon in 15 in-dividuals from four species of Myotis: thelittle brown bat (M. lucifugus), Indiana bat(M. sodalis), northern bat (M. septentrio-nalis), and grey bat (M. grisescens). In each


The square-eared anomaly in New World Myotis

ALLEN KURTA1, 3 and GARY G. KWIECINSKI2

1Department of Biology, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI 48197, USA2Department of Biology, University of Scranton, Scranton, PA 18510, USA


We investigated the occurrence of abbreviated pinnae (squared ears) in little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) and northern bats (Myotis septentrionalis) in Michigan, USA. Although the trait was not observed in 308 M. septentrionalis, squared ears occurred in 56 (0.1%) of 5,863 M. lucifugus that were examined. Squared earswere equally common in males and females. Both ears typically were affected to the same degree and most oftenreduced by 50% of their height, although the amount of pinna that was missing varied from 5 to 50%. Previousauthors speculated that the trait was an ontogenetic malformation, but microscopic examination of squared earsfrom M. lucifugus in Michigan indicated that the trait consistently was associated with trauma, most likelyfrostbite.

Key words: abnormality, anomaly, chilblains, deformity, frostbite, pinna, squared ear, Myotis lucifugus

INTRODUCTION

Local activity patterns as well as geo-graphic distribution of mammals can oftenbe explained by a patchy availability of cer-tain resources, such as foraging habitats and associated food (Primack, 1998). How-ever, interspecific processes, e.g. competi-tion (Gaston, 2003) may be also importantfor explaining local activity patterns in thecase of bats (cf. Heller and von Helversen,1989, Patterson et al., 2003) which — due

to their ability to fly — can make use of var-ious, even distant and temporary feeding locations and thus differ from ground-dwelling mammals of comparable size.

The bat Eptesicus nilssonii is abundantand continuously distributed in Scandina-via, yet rare and only patchily distributed inCentral Europe and even classified as ‘criti-cally endangered’ in Germany (Bundesamtfür Naturschutz, 1999). This raises the ques-tion to which extent this particular distri-bution is caused by resource availability:


Small scale activity patterns of Eptesicus nilssonii – an indication ofhabitat preference or interspecific processes?

MORITZ HAUPT1, 2, 3 and SABINE SCHMIDT1

1Institut für Zoologie, Stiftung Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover, Germany2Universität Bielefeld, Fakultät für Biologie, Lehrstuhl XI, Kognitive Neurowissenschaften,

Universitätsstr. 25, D-33615 Bielefeld, Germany3Corresponding author: E-mail: [email protected]

Habitat use and interspecific processes are key factors shaping regional distribution as well as local activitypatterns of mammals. To assess the importance of differential habitat use and interspecific processes for thedistribution of local activity in Eptesicus nilssonii, a critically endangered bat species in Germany, a bat detectortransect survey was conducted in central Germany. One transect end was close to a maternity roost of E. nilssonii. We compared the bats’ use of habitat types and the use of distance zones centred around thismaternity roost. We arranged the 11 bat species detected into four foraging categories, E. nilssonii, Pipistrelluspipistrellus, larger open-space bats (Vespertilio murinus, Nyctalus noctula, Eptesicus serotinus) and narrow-space bats (Myotis species). General bat activity was highest in lake and lowest in agricultural habitats. Wefound significant differences in the use of habitats and distance zones between the foraging categories.However, these differences did not lead to inversed activity gradients for E. nilssonii, P. pipistrellus and narrow-space bats, and these bats were often seen to forage simultaneously at the same transect site. Open-space bats were rarely detected along our transect. We found indications that habitats and distance zones used by E. nilssonii were used considerably less by larger open-space bats. Moreover, bats of the latter foraging categorywere never seen to forage simultaneously with E. nilssonii. Our results provide a first indication thatinterspecific processes rather than habitat use may shape regional activity patterns of E. nilssonii. Theseinterspecific processes are relevant for species conservation planning.

Key words: small scale distribution of activity, transect survey, Eptesicus nilssonii

INTRODUCTION

Roost fidelity is low in many species, es-pecially among tree-dwelling bats (Lewis,1995). Field observations (Lausen and Bar-clay, 2002; Mazurek, 2004; Rancourt et al.,2005) suggest that species of bats dwellingin holes and crevices switch their roostsseveral times during a season, even everyfew days. This behaviour was observedmainly in species roosting in tree hollows(Barclay and Brigham 2001; Kerth et al.,2001; Willis and Brigham, 2004). However,several studies suggest that roost switch-ing was registered even in Pipistrellus pipi-strellus s.l., usually roosting in buildings(e.g., Thompson, 1992; Park et al., 1996).

Thompson (1990) or Feyerabend and Simon(2000) found large numbers of roosts ex-ploited by one colony of pipistrelles. Smallgroups of female pipistrelles often leavetheir respective roosts and move into a mainnursery roost a few days prior to parturition,probably to reduce costs associated withthermoregulation (Swift, 1980; Webb et al.,1996; authors’ personal observations).

Recent studies show that females of spe-cies using tree cavities are not restricted toindividual trees and one colony may bespread among multiple trees on a givennight, conforming with a fission-fusionmodel (Kerth and König, 1999; Willis andBrigham, 2004). The motivation underly-ing roost switching and reasons why groups


Influence of the microclimate of bat boxes on their occupation by the soprano pipistrelle Pipistrellus pygmaeus: possible cause of

roost switching

TOMÁŠ BARTONIÈKA1, 2 and ZDENÌK ØEHÁK1

1Department of Zoology and Ecology, Masaryk University, Kotláøská 2, 611 37 Brno, Czech Republic 2Corresponding author: E-mail: [email protected]

Between April and October 2003–2004, the changes in occupation of three bat boxes used by Pipistrelluspygmaeus were studied using a passive IR monitors and data loggers. Bat boxes were situated in a floodplainforest in south-eastern Moravia. Generalized additive models indicated that internal humidity described betterthe fluctuation in bat numbers during pregnancy and lactation than did changes in the internal temperature.Three variables (internal humidity, external temperature, and number of bats) described 87% of the variabilityin internal roost temperature, while the number of bats described only 29% of the variability. A negativecorrelation was found between the internal temperature and the number of bats roosting in a bat box the nextday during pregnancy and lactation. The number of bats was also positively correlated with the internalhumidity. The internal temperature of a roost with bats was biased by temperature strategies induced by the batsduring particular reproductive periods. Mean temperature of occupied bat boxes was higher during pregnancythan during lactation. Females were able to go into torpor even during lactation period.

Key words: Pipistrellus pygmaeus, roost changing, microclimate, bat boxes

INTRODUCTION

Light pollution resulting from the in-creasing illumination of the planet bymankind is having an increasing influenceon wildlife (Longcore and Rich, 2004; Richand Longcore, 2006). The ecological conse-quences of artificial night lighting are be-coming increasingly clear (e.g., Fedum,1995; Borg, 1996; Harder, 2002; Eisenbeis,2006; Frank, 2006; Montevecchi, 2006).Scientific data shows that this artificial dis-turbance also influences nature conserva-tion policy and activities (e.g., Eisenbeisand Hassel, 2000; Health Council, 2000; LeCorre et al., 2002; Salmon 2003, 2006).

Ecological light pollution has obviouseffects on bats as well as many other diur-nal, crepuscular and nocturnal species.Many groups of insects, of which moths arethe most well-known, are attracted in largenumbers to lights, and bats are quick to takeadvantage of these concentrations of prey(Rydell, 1991, 2006; Blake et al., 1994;Rydell and Baagre, 1996a, 1996b; Gaisleret al., 1998; Swensson and Rydell, 1998).However, artificial illumination not only affects the hunting-ground but may also in-fluence roosts and emergence behaviour(Downs et al., 2003). In 2003, we observedthat bats did not emerge after dusk from a church which was directly illuminated by


The effects of the illumination of buildings on house-dwelling bats and its conservation consequences

SÁNDOR BOLDOGH1, 4, DÉNES DOBROSI2, and PÉTER SAMU3

1Aggtelek National Park Directorate, Tengerszem-oldal 1, 3758 Jósvafõ, Hungary2Kiskunság National Park Directorate, Liszt Ferenc u. 19, 6000 Kecskemét, Hungary

3Hungarian Bat Research Association, Szabadság u. 13, 5452 Mesterszállás, Hungary4Corresponding author: E-mail: [email protected]

As the illumination of buildings at night increases, light pollution and negative impacts on wildlife also increase.In order to assess the effect of direct lighting on house-dwelling bats, we examined colonies of Rhinolophusferrumequinum, Myotis emarginatus and M. oxygnathus in illuminated and non-illuminated buildings found inclose proximity to each other. We investigated the onset and timing of nocturnal emergence and measured thebody mass and the forearm length of juvenile bats. Results show that bright artificial lighting delays the onsetor significantly prolongs the duration of emergence and, in the worst cases, may destroy the whole colony.Juveniles are significantly smaller in illuminated buildings than in non-illuminated ones. The differences in length of the forearm and in body mass may suggest that the parturition time starts later and/or the growthrate is lower in bats living in illuminated buildings. Thus, the illumination of buildings could have seriousimplications for the conservation of house-dwelling bat colonies.

Key words: light pollution, bat, conservation, artificial roost, Myotis oxygnathus, M. emarginatus

INTRODUCTION

The lesser bulldog bat, Noctilio albiven-tris, and the greater bulldog bat, N. lepori-nus (Noctilionidae) occur from Mexico toArgentina and Uruguay and are known toforage over water courses and ponds (Hoodand Pitocchelli, 1983; Hood and Jones,1984; Fenton et al., 1993; Kalko et al.,1998; Nogueira and Pol, 1998). Noctilio al-biventris (20–40 g) feeds mainly on insectswhereas N. leporinus (45–90 g) primarilyeats fish, but both species are able to feed on insects and fish (Howell and Burch,1974; Hood and Pitocchelli, 1983; Hoodand Jones, 1984; Lewis-Oritt et al., 2001;Bordignon, 2006). Noctilio albiventris oftencaptures insects in the air but notably gleansthem from water surfaces (Kalko et al.,1998; Nogueira and Pol, 1998). Compar-ed to other Neotropical insectivorous bats,N. albiventris prey upon a wider variety of insect orders and a wider range of preysize (Aguirre et al., 2003). Although mostavailable data do not indicate herbivory

for N. albiventris, seeds of Brosimum andMorus (Moraceae) and pollen of Ceiba(Bombacaceae) have been recorded in theirfaeces or stomachs (Howell and Burch,1974). Data on N. albiventris feeding hab-its, however, are very scarce and limited toCentral America and only Bolivia in SouthAmerica (Hooper and Brown, 1968; Howelland Burch, 1974; Whitaker and Findley,1980; Aguirre et al., 2003). Here, we stud-ied food items recorded from faecal samplesof N. albiventris in three sites in thePantanal wetlands in Brazil. We describe orders of insects, and plant species (seedsand pollen) consumed by this bat.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The Pantanal floodplain (ca. 160,000 km2) ismarkedly seasonal, with a dry period from April toSeptember and a wet period from October to March.Vegetation is composed of forest patches intermixedwith seasonally flooded grasslands (Prance andSchaller, 1982; Araujo and Sazima, 2003). Noctilioalbiventris individuals were mist-netted in forestpatches during 47 field expeditions from May 1998 toApril 2007, at three sites: Rio Negro farm (19°34’S,

SHORT NOTES

Feeding habits of Noctilio albiventris (Noctilionidae) bats in the Pantanal, Brazil

FERNANDO GONÇALVES1, ROBERTO MUNIN1 ,2, PRISCILA COSTA1, and ERICH FISCHER1, 3

1Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, 79070-900 Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brasil

2Programa de Pós-Graduaçno em Ecologia e Conservaçao, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul,79070-900 Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brasil3Corresponding author: E-mail: [email protected]

Key words: bulldog bats, Noctilio, diet, frugivory, insectivory, wetlands


Received 21 May 2007, accepted 12 December 2007

partially funded by CNPq-PELD, EWI and FUN-DECT; F. Gonçalves, R. Munin and P. Costa weresupported by PIBIC-CNPq grants.

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BORDIGNON, M. O. 2006. Diet of the fishing batNoctilio leporinus (Linnaeus) (Mammalia, Chi-roptera) in a mangrove area of southern Brazil.Revista Brasileira de Zoologia, 23: 256–260.

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538 Short Notes

Seasonal molting in Myotis petax (Chiroptera) in the Russian Far East

MIKHAIL P. TIUNOV1, 2 and TATIANA A. MAKARIKOVA1

1Institute of Biology and Soil Sciences, Far Eastern Division, Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok 690022, Russia


Key words: Myotis petax, seasonal molting, skin, pregnancy, lactation, Russian Far East

INTRODUCTION

Patterns of seasonal molting have beenwell studied in relatively few species of

Palearctic bats (e.g., Myotis myotis, Pi-pistrellus nathusii and Nyctalus noctula— Mazak, 1965; Ilyin, 1990). In P. pipi-strellus, details of the sequence of events

542 Short Notes

Availability of building roosts for bats in four towns in southwestern Ontario, Canada

KAREN D. SOPER1, 3 and M. BROCK FENTON2

1University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario; 670 Emery Street, East, London, Ontario, Canada N6C 2G42Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5B7


Key words: Myotis, Eptesicus, building roosts, foraging habitat

INTRODUCTION

Sites for roosting and areas for foragingare vital to the survival of bats (Grindal andBrigham, 1999; Fenton, 2003), but the rela-tive importance of these two kinds of re-sources remains unclear (Fenton, 1997).Building roosts provide some species ofbats with superior climatic conditions forsome situations (Lausen and Barclay, 2002)and access to building roosts may be criticalto successful reproduction by some bats(Lausen and Barclay, 2006).

In Southern Ontario, Canada, buildingsare common roost sites for two species (My-otis lucifugus, Eptesicus fuscus); occasionalroosts for two (Pipistrellus subflavus, My-otis septentrionalis) and rarely by another(Myotis leibii) (Van Zyll de Jong, 1985). Atleast half of Ontario’s bat species make fre-quent or occasional use of building roostsbut in spite of this situation, there are fewdata about the incidence of bats in differentkinds of buildings. There is an indicationthat bats roost more often in older build-ings located closer to parkland/woodlandand bodies of water compared to randomly selected, unoccupied buildings (Brighamand Fenton, 1987; Entwistle et al., 1997;Williams and Brittingham, 1997; Gaisler etal., 1998).

The incidence of bats roosting in build-ings could reflect the availability of build-ings and/or adjacent habitats for foraging.To assess this, we compared the incidence

of bat roosts in buildings in four communi-ties in Southwestern Ontario which are sur-rounded by different matrices of urban, for-est/park and agricultural lands. Using re-sponses to a questionnaire, we located batroosts in buildings. By visiting each roostwe determined how bats gained access, andcompared buildings used as roosts with a random selection of buildings in eachcommunity.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We collected data from four towns (Dorchester,Glencoe, Lucan and Parkhill) with well-definedperimeters based on representation on 1:50,000 maps.These locations were chosen because they offered different types of surrounding habitats, and contain-ed a mixture of water and urban areas, as well as forest/parkland and cultivated/agricultural lands. To assess the surrounding habitats we used 1:10,000Colour Infrared Aerial Photographs, taken between1997 and 1999 and quantified the habitat within a 5 km radius of the geometric centre of each com-munity. Using Northern Eclipse Image Analysis 7.0software, we quantified (in pixels) the area within a 5 km radius around the towns that was woodland (or parkland), water, agricultural land and urban.

To assess the presence of bats in buildings in thefour communities, we developed a questionnaire,modeled after Williams and Brittingham (1997). Inthe summer of 2004, 6,686 questionnaires were dis-tributed, one to each building (or household) in thefour communities. Householders were asked to com-plete the questionnaires and return them via drop box-es located at their local libraries. To select houses forcomparison with bat roosts, the telephone directoryfor each community was opened at random and thefirst and fiftieth names and addresses in each columnwere selected. We visited randomly selected buildings

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