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Editors: Ludmilla M.S. Aguiar and Valdir A. Taddei CSG: Co-Chairman: Paul A. Racey CSG: Co-Chairman: Anthony Hutson

Volume 7 (1-2)

2001

A Newsletter of The World Conservation Union (IUCN)

and the Species Survival Commission (SSC)

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A

rticles

I

STHEAREAOF THE

A

RTHUR

T

HOMAS PARK

,

WITHITS

82.72

HA

,

SUFFICIENTTO

MAINTAIN VIABLECHIROPTERAN POPULATIONS

?

Juliana S. Félix 1

Nelio R. dos Reis1,2

Isaac P. de Lima1

Élen F. Costa1

Adriano L. Peracchi3

1 Departamento de Biologia Animal e Vegetal –

C.C.B. Universidade Estadual de Londrina -Campus Universitário - Londrina, PR - 86051-990 Brazil

2 Fone: 55-43-371-4477; fax: 55-43- 371-4207 -

e-mail: nrreis@uel.br

3 Instituto de Biologia da Universidade Federal

Rural do Rio de Janeiro - Cx. Postal: 74503 - Rio de Janeiro, RJ – 23851-970 Brazil.

Species preservation is highly dependent on the creation of biological preservation areas (Humphreys & Kitchener, 1982). Although new parks are created every year, the truth is that various of the existing parks are under constant attacks and reductions, in the name of other interests from surrounding human pressures. Nowadays, less than 5% of the world’s forests are protected as parks and preservation areas; and even those are vulnerable to political and economic pressures (Brown, 1985).

Establishing preservation areas in ecosystems that still have not been damaged will not be enough any more. Most of this planet's areas are too scarce and climate changes may prevent their maintenance

(Peters & Darling, 1985). The forests are being destroyed so fast that they will probably disappear in the next century leading hundreds of thousands of species to extinction. Thus, even if an endangered species is saved from extinction, it will probably lose most of its internal diversity (Wilson, 1997). Today, this intraspecific genetic diversity is fastly decreasing on most of the world’s surface, an unannounced loss of one of humanity’s most vital resources. In addition, this resource is mostly irreplaceable (Ehrlich, 1997).

Recently, within Londrina’s metropolitan area, the last “preservation site” consists of what has been left of the Arthur Thomas Municipal Park (ATMP), with an area of 82,72 ha. This site used to shelter a rich mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian and fish fauna (Ornelas,1991). Within this context, the aim of this study is to verify if this area is sufficient to shelter bat populations.

M

ETHODOLOGY

The ATMP is located within the urban perimeter of Londrina, which is at 23º 23’30"S latitude and 51º 11’5"W longitude. It has a humid subtropical climate with an average annual temperature of 22ºC and annual rainfall rate of approximately of 1500 mm (Iapar, 1994). The park has an area of 82.72 ha and is cut by the Cambé stream (Fig.1). It is covered by 66 ha of native vegetation, sheltering species such as ‘peroba-rosa’ (Aspidosperma polyneuron), ‘pau-d’alho’ (Gallesia integrifolia), ‘paineira’ (Chorisia speciosa), ‘primaveras-arbóreas’ (Bougainvillea glabra), ‘canjarana’ (Cabralea canjerana), cedar trees (Cedrella sp.), ‘gurucaia’ (Parapiptadenia rigida), ‘ingá’ (Inga sp.), ‘alecrim-de-campinas’ (Holocalix balansae), fig trees (Ficus sp.), ‘jerivá’ (Syagrus romanzoffiana), palm trees (Euterpe edulis), cinnamon trees (Nectandra puberula) and various animal species that were observed during the collection period such as (Didelphis albiventris) skunks, (Dasypus novemcictus) armadillos, (Cebus apella) monkeys, (Cerdocyon thous) wild dogs, (Nasua nasua) ‘quatis’, (Hydrochaeris hidrochaeris) ‘capivaras’, (Dasyprocta azarae) ‘cotias’, (Silvilagus brasiliensis) ‘tapetis’ and various bird species.

Field studies were carried out from May/1999 to April/ 2000 with 2 collections per month in the park. The capture techniques were adapted from those described by Greenhall & Paradiso (1968). A standard methodology was followed in all of the collections

Figure 1. Location of Arthur Thomas Park in Londrina city, Brazil.

Cover photo: Platyrrhinus lineatus - Marco Aurélio R. Mello

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sampled in this region, they were carried out during the first three hours after sunset, four days a month, with an average of 96m2 of mist nets. The collections

at the Arthur Thomas Park were compared to two extreme conditions for a more clarifying analysis – the Mata dos Godoy State Park, an untouched model forest fragment with 680 ha and the metropolitan area, which is practically sterile.

It is important to mention that the collections extended until there was no occurrence of any new species for 6 consecutive months. Two specimen of each species were identified following the criteria of Vizotto & Taddei (1973) and are at the moment placed in the museum of the Rural Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and at the Zoology Museum of Londrina State University.

R

ESULTS

We captured a total of 555 individuals containing 12 species from 11 genera belonging to two families -Phyllostomidae and Vespertilionodae. In order to facilitate the interpretation of the analysis, data from previous studies in Londrina, like Muller & Reis (1992), Reis et al.(1993a), Reis et al.(1993b), Reis & Muller (1995) and Reis et al.(1998) were added to the present study. This data reveals that in this park there are 25 species that have been collected to date (Tab.1). Noctilio leporinus, Eumops glaucinus, Molossops abrasus, Molossus ater, Molossus molossus, Nyctinomops laticaudatius, N. macrotis and Tadarida brasiliensis were not collected during the present study, although they had already been collected in the park’s surroundings, which could indicate that these individuals also occur in the park and were therefore included in this study. In this region, in addition to roosting in builidings, many molossids roost in hollows of big trees, like the ‘peroba rosa’ (Aspidosperma plyneuron), which is found within the limits of the park.

A. lituratus was the most commonly found species, having been captured in all the collections, representing 61.8% of the total amount captured in the ATMP, followed by C. perspicillata (12%), Sturnira lilium (10.2%) and Platyrrhinus lineatus (4.15%), which altogether represent 88.15% of al the collected individuals. The other species represent only 11.85%. C. auritus, M. megalotis, P. hastatus, A. caudifer, A. jamaicensis, P. bilabiatum, E. brasiliensis, E. diminutus, L. borealis and M. ruber represent less than 1% of the total number of captured bats. E. brasiliensis and E. diminutus represent less than 0.1% of the capture rate.

D

ISCUSSION

The damage caused to natural resources today must be the most common reason for the disappearance of species in Brazil. Due to its species richness compared to other places, Brazil suffers more from habitat fragmentation (Whitmore, 1997). An environmental crisis caused by the increase of technology is evident, resulting in the non-structured use of natural resources (Marini-Filho & Martins, 2000). All of this led us to evaluate if the ATMP, with 82.72 ha, would be sufficient to shelter viable bat populations.

It is believed that the ideal number of species in the Londrina region is at least 39, according to 20 years of periodic collections carried out at Mata dos Godoy State Park, with 680 ha of pristine, well preserved and protected forest, far away from the city center. As a matter of comparison, there are 62 species in the entire Atlantic Forest in the state of São Paulo (Pedro et al.,1995). At the same time, 25 species were captured in the ATMP, in other words, 64,1% of the 39 species considered to be ideal for that region. On the other hand, 14 species other than the 12 species which can be found in the urban area of Londrina were collected in the ATMP (Tab.1). In degraded areas in the French Guyana, 48 out of the 75 original species did not occur (Brosset et al., 1996), which represents a 46% loss. In the ATMP 35.8% was lost.

Why does species loss occur? It is useful to refer to the edge effects described by Lewin (1984). The ATMP is subjected to this type of effect. It has a rectangular shape and suffers dehydration due to wind and rain effects when entering the forest, leaving only a small area in the centre isolated from these problems. Another evident fact of this edge effect is the uncontrolled growth of pioneer vegetation, like Piperaceae, Solanaceae and Cecropiaceae, which favor common bat species with high adaptation potential that can find abundant food. These bats breed in a disorganized manner occupying all the available space and consequently disfavor the more sensitive species (Reis et al., 2000). Here, A. lituratus proliferation in a modified environment is remarkable.

Another related question is to what extent the noise of cars coming from the nearby highway affects the insectivores (Eptesicus spp., Lasiurus spp. and Myotis spp.), which ideally should be protected by the vegetation. Perhaps that is why only 5 of the 10 species of Vespertilionidae in the region were found in the park. Goosem (1997) affirmed that highways next to forest fragments violently affect the wild life. After 20 years of periodic field studies, it can be concluded that ATMP, with its numerous problems mentioned above, is not what we can consider ideal, once 14 of the 39 existing species in the region were

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Species of the Mata dos Godoy and surrounds Arthur Thomas Park Metropolitan Area

Total % Total %

Family Noctilionidae

Noctilio albiventris Desmarest, 1818

Noctilio leporinus (Linnaeus, 1758) Ev

Family Phyllostomidae Sub-family Phyllostominae

Chrotopterus auritus (Peters, 1856) 21 0,98

Micronycteris megalotis (Gray, 1842) 12 0,56

Phyllostomus hastatus (Pallas, 1767) 16 0,75

Sub-family Glossophaginae

Anoura caudifer (E. Geoffroy, 1818) 4 0,19

Glossophaga soricina (Pallas, 1766)

Sub-family Carollinae

Carollia perspicillata (Linnaeus, 1758) 257 12

Sub-family Stenodermatinae

Artibeus fimbriatus Gray, 1838 79 3,68

Artibeus jamaicensis Leach, 1821 10 0,47

Artibeus lituratus (Olfers, 1818) 1326 61,8 7 1,3

Artibeus obscurus Schinz, 1821 Chiroderma doriae Thomas, 1891 Chiroderma villosum Peters, 1860

Platyrrhinus lineatus (E. Geoffroy, 1810) 89 4,15 1 0,2

Pygoderma bilabiatum (Wagner, 1843) 7 0,33

Sturnira lilium (E. Geoffroy, 1810) 219 10,2

Uroderma bilobatum Peters, 1866

Vampyressa pusilla (Wagner, 1843) 46 2,14

Sub-family Desmodontinae

Desmodus rotundus (E. Geoffroy, 1810)

Diaemus youngi (Jentink,1893)

Diphylla ecaudata (Spix, 1823 )

Family Vespertilionidae Sub-family Vespertilioninae

Eptesicus brasiliensis (Desmarest, 1819) 1 0,05 14 2,6

Eptesicus diminutus Osgood, 1915 2 0,09

Eptesicus furinalis (d´Orbigny, 1847) Histiotus velatus (I. Geoffroy, 1824)

Lasiurus borealis (Muller, 1776) 3 0,14 1 0,2

Lasiurus ega (Gervais, 1856) 2 0,4

Myotis levis (I. Geoffroy, 1824)

Myotis nigricans (Schinz, 1821) 51 2,38

Myotis ruber (E. Geoffroy, 1806) 3 0,14

Rogheessa tumida H. Allen, 1866

Family Molossidae

Eumops glaucinus (Wagner, 1843) Ev 20 3,8

Molossops abrasus (Temminck, 1827) Ev Ev

Molossus ater E. Geoffroy, 1805 Ev 214 40

Molossus molossus (Pallas, 1766) Ev 38 7,1

Nyctinomops laticaudatus (E. Geoffroy, 1805) Ev 201 38

Nyctinomops macrotis (Gray, 1840) Ev 34 6,4

Tadarida brasiliensis (I. Geoffroy, 1824) Ev Ev

Total of species 25 12

Total of individuals 2146 100 532 100

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not captured: N. albiventris, G. soricina, A. obscurus, C. doriae, C. villosum, U. bilobatum, D. rotundus, D. youngi, D. ecaudata, E. furinalis, H. velatus, L. ega, M. levis and R. tumida. Moreover, there are 10 species collected in the park which represent less than 1% of the total amount captured (Tab.1). These species may be endangered. It is crucial to emphasize that in the park there are 14 additional species to those present only in the urban area, including an endangered species (M. ruber and a probably extinct one: P. bilabiatum). That alone would already justify the park’s preservation because even though there are problems, this site is a better procreation habitat than the urban area, which is a more important reason than the size of the area itself. That does not mean that the minimum size is not important, what we need is to preserve sufficient areas to guarantee the maintenance of viable populations, as stated by Zimmerman & Bierregaard (1986).

R

EFERENCES

Brosset, A., P. Charles-Dominique, A.Cockle, J.-F. Cosson & D. Masson. 1996. Bat communities in French Guiana. Can. J. Zool. 74: 1974-1982 Brown, R.L. 1985. State of the world 1985: A

Worlwatch Institute Report on Progress towards a Sustainable Society. Nova York: W. W. Norton, 301pp.

Ehrlich, P.R. 1997. A perda da diversidade – causas e conseqüências. In: Wilson, E. O. Biodiversidade. Rio de Janeiro: Nova Fronteira, pp.27 - 35. Goosem, M. 1997. Internal Fragmentation: The effects

of roads, highways, and powerline clearings on movements and mortality of rainforest vertebrates. In: Laurence, W. F. & R.O. Bierregaard-Junior. Tropical forest remands. Ecology, management, and conservation of fragmented communities. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, pp 241-255.

Greenhall, A. M. & J.L. Paradiso. 1968. Bats and bat banding. Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife Resource Publication 72, Washington, 47 p. Humphreys, W. F. & D.J. Kitchener. 1982. The effect

of habitat utilization on species - area curves: implications for optimal reserve area. Journal of Biogeography, v.9, p.391 – 396.

Iapar – Instituto Agronômico do Paraná, Londrina, PR. Cartas climáticas do Estado do Paraná 1994.Londrina, 1994. 49p. ilust. (Iapar. Documento, 18)

Lewin, R. 1984. Parks: How big is big enough? Science, 225, p. 611-612.

Marini-Filho, O.J. & R.P. Martins. 2000. Teoria de metapopulações – novos princípios na biologia da conservação. Ciência Hoje, Rio de Janeiro, v. 27, n. 160, p. 22-29.

Muller, M.F & N.R. Reis, 1992. Partição de recursos alimentares entre quatro espécies de morcegos frugívoros ( Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae ) Revta bras. Zool., Curitiba, 9(3/4):345 – 355.

Ornelas, M.E. 1991. Degradação ambiental em áreas de preservação: Parque Arthur Thomas: Londrina - PR.. Londrina, Monografia (Bacharelado em Geografia) – Universidade Estadual de Londrina. Pedro W. A., M.P. Geraldes, G.G. Lopez & C.J.R. Alho.

1995. Fragmentação de hábitat e a estrutura de uma taxocenose de morcegos em São Paulo (Brasil). Chiroptera Neotropical 1(1):4-6.

Peters, R.L. and J.D.S. Darling, 1985. The greenhouse effect and nature reserves. BioScience 35(11): 707-717.

Reis, N.R., M.F. Muller, E. S. Soares & A. L. Peracchi. 1993a. Lista de Quirópteros do Parque Estadual Mata do Godoy e arredores de Londrina- Paraná. Semina, 14(2): 120-126

Reis, N. R., A. L. Peracchi & M.K. Onuki. 1993b. Quirópteros de Londrina, Paraná, Brasil ( Mammalia, Chiroptera ). Revta Bras. Zool. Curitiba, 10:(3)371-381.

Reis, N.R. & M. F. Muller. 1995. Bat diversity of forests and open areas in a subtropical region of South Brazil. Revista Ecológia Austral, Argentina, 5: 31-36.

Reis, N.R., Peracchi, A.L., I.P. Lima, M.L. Sekiama & V.J. Rocha, 1998. Updated list of the Chiropterians of the city of Londrina, Paraná, Brazil. Chiroptera Neotropical, 4(2): 96-98. Reis, N.R., A.L. Peracchi, M.L Sekiama & I.P. Lima.

2000. Diversidade de morcegos (Chiroptera: Mammalia) em fragmentos florestais no Estado do Paraná, Brasil. Revta Bras. Zool. 17(3): 697-704. Vizotto, L.D. & V.A. Taddei. 1973. Chave para

identificação de quirópteros brasileiros. São José do Rio Preto. Bol. de Cien., Fac. de Filos. Cien. e Letras 1:1-72.

Whitmore, T.C. 1997. Tropical forest disturbance, disappearance, and species loss. In: W. F. Laurence, and R.O Bierregaard-Junior. Tropical forest remnands. Ecology, management, and conservation of fragmented communities. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, pp 3-12.

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P

RELIMINARYINVENTORY OFTHEBAT SPECIESOF THE

P

OÇODAS

A

NTAS

B

IOLOGICAL

R

ESERVE

, RJ

Márcia Baptista1

Marco A.R. Mello2

1Setor de Ecologia, DBAV, IBRAG, Universidade do

Estado do Rio de Janeiro

2PPGE, Departamento de Zoologia, IB,

Universidade Estadual de Campinas

E-mail: marmello@ligbr.com.br, Internet: http:// zap.to/morcegos

The Atlantic Forest is an ecosystem that is quickly vanishing from southeastern Brazil. Most remaining areas are located in the hills of the Serra do Mar (Fundação SOS Mata Atlântica et al 1998). The reduction of lowland forest has been even more intense. This process threatens the rich animal and plant life in this system. Among mammals, bats are the second most diverse order in this system, being critical for the dynamics of tropical forests (Marinho-Filho 1991).

Poço das Antas Biological Reserve is the largest lowland Atlantic Forest remnant in the state, covering about 6100 ha. It is located in the lowlands of central Rio de Janeiro state, in the Silva Jardim municipality (22º30’-22º33’S; 49º15’-42º19’W). The reserve’s main habitat is a swamp-like, flooded forest (locally named “mata paludosa”). Poço das Antas is one of the last representatives of this ecosystem.

Despite the great conservational significance of Poço das Antas for the state, only a few people have studied its bat fauna. There is only one study with bats being conducted in the southern area of the reserve (Mello & Fernandez 2000).

The aim of the present study was to make a preliminary list of the bats species recorded in the Poço das Antas Biological Reserve.

Some of the reserve’s environments were sampled (Figure 1), like the Aldeia Velha River; the Portuense

forest, a well-preserved rocky hill area; the main road crossing the reserve (at three points) in the north-south heading; some human-made structures, like houses and bridges; and the system of small forested hills known as the “Ilhas dos Barbados”, which vary in size from 1.5 to 16ha. The Ilhas dos Barbados has been sampled for bats, monthly, since 1997, what makes it the most well represented area of our analysis. In this article, we considered data from our samplings from 1996 to 1999, as well as records by other researchers, found in the Museu Nacional, in Rio de Janeiro. It is important to notice that there are still many other sites to be sampled in the reserve. This list is only a preliminary approach to answer the question: how many bat species are there in Poço das Antas?

Bats were captured using mist nets (3x7m and 3x12m), placed along possible “flyways”, like rivers, streams, trails and gaps in the forest. Hand captures were also conducted in roosts, like abandoned houses and rock crevices. Nets were opened the entire night, for almost all samples. More than half of the individuals were marked with aluminum rings (A.C. Hughes, Inc.), attached to the bat’s right forearm.

We registered the species sex, age, weight and other body measures, like forearm, tibia, and skull length for all captured individual. Species-level identification was based on the works of Cloutier & Thomas (1992), Davis (1980), Jones & Hood (1993), Marques (1994), Zimmerman, B.L. & R.O. Bierregaard, 1986.

Relevance of the equilibrium theory of island biogeography and species-area relations to conservation with a case from Amazonia. Jour. of Biogeogr.13:133-143.

Wilson, E. O. 1997. Biodiversidade. Rio de Janeiro: Nova Fronteira.

Taxon no. individuals

Carollia perspicillata 1075 Sturnira lilium 147 Artibeus lituratus 92 Phyllostomus hastatus 41 Molossus ater 15 Noctilio leporinus 12 Glossophaga soricina 9 Myotis nigricans 7 Platyrrhinus lineatus 7 Mimon crenulatum 6 Desmodus rotundus 3 Artibeus obscurus 2 Chrotopterus auritus 1 Lonchophylla sp. 1 Pygoderma bilabiatum 1 Total 1419

Table 1: bat species captured using mist-nets outside roosts in the Poço das Antas Biological Reserve, RJ, from July 1997 to November 1999. The number of individuals captured was calculated considering only the first capture of each individual for each species.

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Pine (1972) and Vizzoto & Taddei (1973). We named species after Koopman (1993).

B

ATSPECIESLIST

Some bat species were found only in day roosts. The following species were captured inside houses (abandoned or not): Carollia perspicillata, Phyllostomus hastatus, Molossus ater and Myotis nigricans. In the Portuense forest we captured two bat species in rock crevices roosts: Peropteryx macrotis and P. kappleri.

Most captures were made using mist-nets, outside roosts. The species recorded this way, and their relative frequencies are presented in table 1.

The preliminary list of bat species from Poço das Antas Biological reserve, considering both mist-net and roost captures contains 24 species (table 2). The species included in table 2, but not cited above or included in table 1, were recorded by other researchers, which registered specimens in the Museu Nacional, Rio de Janeiro municipality. Eptesicus brasiliensis has been included in table 2, but not in table 1, because it had been captured in August 2000. We included also data

from Vaz (1983) and Baptista & Ribeiro de Mello (1998).

The number of species recorded in the present study is consistent with other inventories conducted in southeastern Brazil, approximately 20 species (Esberárd et al. 1996 and 1999, Melo 2001, Reis et al 1996).

A

CKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We would like to thank our colleagues, who worked with us in the field and also at the university: Adriana M. Marques, Gilberto M. Schitinni, Igor B. França, Jacqueline M. Gomes, Jorge L. do Nascimento and Pedro Selig. We are also very grateful to Fernando A. S. Fernandez, who advised us in the beginning of the project; Shirley S. P. Silva and Helena G. Bergallo for revising the manuscript; André Pol, Marcelo Nogueira and Adriano Peracchi for identifying some bats species; IBAMA for giving us the research license to work in Poço das Antas, and all of the reserve’s staff, who helped us in many ways.

R

EFERENCES

Baptista, M. & Ribeiro de Mello, M.A. 1998. Listagem Figure 1: map of the Poço das Antas Biological Reserve, showing the sites where bats were surveyed. Legend of the sites sampled: 1. Ilhas dos Barbados; 2. Portuense Forest; 3. houses at the base of the Golden Lion Tamarin Association; 4. forest near the Aldeia Velha River; 5. main road inside the reserve, and a house in the surroundings; 6. house in the entrance of the reserve; 7. dam in the São João River, and a house nearby.

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Table 2: preliminary inventory of the bat species from Poço das Antas Biological Reserve, RJ.

Family Emballonuridae

Rhynchonycteris naso (Wied-Neuwied, 1820) Peropteryx macrotis (Wagner, 1843)

Peropteryx kappleri Peters, 1867

Family Noctilionidae

Noctilio leporinus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Family Phyllostomidae

Subfamily Phyllostominae

Mimon crenulatum (E. Geoffroy, 1801) Phyllostomus hastatus (Pallas, 1767) Chrotopterus auritus (Peters, 1856)

Subfamily Glossophaginae

Glossophaga soricina (Pallas, 1766) Lonchophylla cf. bokermanni Thomas, 1903 Anoura geoffroyi Gray, 1838

Anoura caudifer (E. Geoffroyi, 1818)

Subfamily Carollinae

Carollia perspicillata (Linnaeus, 1758)

Subfamily Stenoderminae

Sturnira lilum (E. Geoffroy, 1810) Platyrrhinus lineatus (Geoffroy, 1810) Artibeus jamaicensis Leach, 1821 Artibeus lituratus Olfers, 1821 Artibeus obscurus Schinz, 1821 Pygoderma bilabiatum (Wagner, 1843)

Subfamily Desmodontinae

Desmodus rotundus (E. Geoffroy, 1810)

Family Vespertilionidae

Myotis nigricans (Schinz, 1821) Eptesicus brasiliensis (Desmarest, 1819)

Family Molossidae

Tadarida brasiliensis (I. Geoffroy, 1824) Molossus ater E. Geoffroy, 1905 Molossus molossus (Pallas, 1766)

preliminar das espécies de morcegos da Reserva Biológica de Poço das Antas, Silva Jardim, RJ (Mammalia: Chiroptera). XIII Jornadas Argentinas de Mastozoologia - Libro de Resúmenes. Puerto Iguazú, Argentina.

Cloutier, D. & Thomas, D.W. 1992. Carollia perspicillata. Mammalian Species, 417: 1-9. Davis, W.B. 1980. New Sturnira (Chiroptera:

Phyllostomidae) from Central and South America, with key to currently recognized species. Occasional Papers Museum Texas Tech University, 70:1-5. Esbérard, C.E.L.; Chagas, A.S.; Baptista, M. & Luz,

E.M. 1996. Levantamento de Chiroptera na Reserva Biológica de Araras, Petrópolis, RJ- I - Riqueza de Espécies. Revista Científica do Instituto de Pesquisa Gonzaga da Gama Filho, 2(1): 67-83.

Esberárd, C.E.L. 1999. Diversidade de Chiroptera em unidades de conservação do Maciço da Tijuca,

município do Rio de Janeiro, RJ. Dissertação de Mestrado. Seropédica, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro.

Fundação SOS Mata Atlântica; Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais & Instituto Sócio-Ambiental (Eds.). 1998. Atlas da Evolução dos Remanescentes Florestais e Ecossistemas Associados no Domínio da Mata Atlântica no Período 1990-1995. (1ª Edição). Ministério da Ciência e Tecnologia, São Paulo.

Jones, J.K & Hood, C.S. 1993. Synopsis of South America bats of the family Emballonuridae. Occasional Papers Museum Texas Tech University, 155: 1-32.

Koopman, K.F. 1993. Order Chiroptera: In: Wilson, D.E. & Reeder, D.A.M. (eds). Mammal Species of the World, a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington. Marinho-Filho, 1991. The coexistence of two

frugivorous bat species and the phenology of their food plants in Brazil. Journal of Tropical Ecology, 7: 59-67.

Marques, S.A. 1994. A systematic review of the large species of Artibeus Leach,1821 (Mammalia, Chiroptera) with some phylogenetic inferences. Boletim do Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi, série zoologia, 10(1):1-83.

Melo, G.G.S. 2001. Padrões Ecológicos de uma comunidade de morcegos de Mata Atlântica da Ilha Grande, RJ. Monografia de Bacharelado. Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro. Pine, R.H. 1972. The Bats of the Genus Carollia. The

Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, Texas. Reis, N.R. ; Perachi, A.L.; Muller, M.F.; Bastos, E.A.

& Soares, E.S. 1996. Quirópteros do Parque Estadual Morro do Diabo, São Paulo. Revista Brasileira de Biologia, 56(1):87-92.

Mello, M.A.R. & Fernandez, F.A.S. 2000. Reproductive ecology of the bat Carollia perspicillata (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) in a fragment of the Brazilian Atlantic Coastal forest. Zeitschrift für Säugetierkunde , 65: 340-349. Vaz, S.M. 1983. Contribuição ao estudo da Fauna de

Mamíferos da Reserva Biológica de Poço das Antas. Brasil Florestal, 55: 33-35.

Vizotto, L.D. & Taddei, V.A. 1973. Chave para Determinação de Quirópteros Brasileiros. EdUSP, São José do Rio Preto.

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STAÇÃO

E

COLÓGICADOS

C

AETETUS

,

ESTADODE

S

ÃO

P

AULO

Wagner A. Pedro1

Fernando C. Passos2

Burton K. Lim3

1Departamento de Apoio, Produção e Saúde Animal,

UNESP, CP 341, 16050-680, Araçatuba, SP, Brasil

2Departamento de Zoologia, UFPr, CP 19020,

81531-990, Curitiba, PR, Brasil

3Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Biology,

Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen’s Park, Toronto, Ontario M5S 2C6, Canada

O Brasil, juntamente com a Colômbia, México e Indonésia, é um país considerado megadiverso (Mittermeier et al.1992) devido à grande quantidade de espécies animais e vegetais que abriga. Atualmente, essa biodiversidade está ameaçada por uma conjunção de causas que podem levar a perda de várias dessas espécies. Dentre essas causas estão a incursão do homem nos ambientes naturais e a contínua fragmentação dos hábitats em subdivisões menores e menores (Terborgh 1992).

Para que possamos manter a diversidade biológica nos trópicos devemos conhecer as alterações ecológicas que as populações e comunidades sofrem num sentido amplo, devido a fragmentação dos hábitats, e assim identificar os mecanismos associados à extinção local de espécies, para estabelecer estratégias de conservação.

De acordo com Fenton et al. (1992) morcegos têm grande potencial como indicadores de níveis de destruição de hábitats, além de serem considerados bons instrumentos para estudos sobre diversidade, devido a grande variedade e abundância de espécies nas regiões tropicais.

Alguns trabalhos sobre padrões de utilização de recursos alimentares, distribuição temporal e espacial de espécies de morcegos foram desenvolvidos na região Neotropical (Fleming et al. 1972, Heithaus et al. 1975, Sazima e Sazima 1977, Marinho-Filho e Sazima 1989, Marinho-Filho 1991, Pedro 1992, Aguiar 1994, entre outros). Contudo, há uma enorme lacuna no conhecimento de aspectos básicos da história natural da maior parte das espécies de morcegos no Brasil (Pedro 1998), e poucos estudos têm comparado a estrutura de diferentes conjuntos taxonômicos de morcegos em fragmentos florestais (exceções são as pesquisas de Reis e Muller 1995, e

Pedro 1998).

Nosso objetivo nessa pesquisa foi descrever a estrutura trófica e morfométrica do conjunto taxonômico de morcegos da Estação Ecológica dos Caetetus, visando fornecer subsídios para a tomada de medidas voltadas para a conservação da fauna de Chiroptera na área de estudo como também demonstrar aspectos da estruturação de comunidades de morcegos em regiões tropicais.

O projeto foi desenvolvido na Estação Ecológica dos Caetetus (22o 15’ a 22o 30’S, 49o 30’ a 49o 45’W),

localizada na divisa dos municípios de Gália e Alvinlândia, na região centro-oeste do estado de São Paulo (figura 1). A descrição a seguir é baseada em Passos (1997). A Estação apresenta 2178 ha de área coberta de vegetação nativa. Antigamente a área correspondente a Estação Ecológica dos Caetetus fazia parte da Fazenda Paraíso, de propriedade do Sr. Olavo A. Ferraz, sendo mantida preservada como reserva de caça. De caçador, o Sr. Ferraz acabou tornando-se um protetor da fauna, impedindo a caça dentro da área.

Em 1977 a Fazenda Paraíso foi adquirida pelo Governo do estado de São Paulo, passando a ser responsabilidade do Instituto Florestal e, desde então, notabilizou-se por ser uma das poucas localidades de ocorrência do mico-leão-preto, Leontopithecus chrysopygus, considerado uma das dez espécies de mamíferos mais ameaçadas de extinção do planeta, no estado de São Paulo.

O clima na Estação Ecológica dos Caetetus apresenta uma sazonalidade marcante, sendo o período de abril a setembro correspondente a estação seca, com precipitação variando de 35 a 75 mm (média entre os anos de 1951 a 1991), e temperaturas mais baixas com médias mensais de 16o a 25oC. Em alguns dias durante

o inverno podem ocorrer geadas. Nos outros meses, de outubro a março, representantes da estação chuvosa, há precipitação elevada, variando de 120 a 200 mm mensais e temperaturas altas, com médias mensais entre 22o a 26o C. As médias anuais de precipitação

variam de 1000 a 1600 mm.

A vegetação na Estação Ecológica dos Caetetus é considerada floresta mesófila semidecídua. A região centro-oeste do estado de São Paulo, na qual localiza-se a área de estudo, vem aprelocaliza-sentando ao longo do processo de colonização pelo homem, um alto grau de fragmentação de hábitats florestais, substituídos por plantio de café, seringueira, pastagens, entre outras culturas. Em geral, apenas alguns pequenos remanescentes de mata, com áreas entre um a cinco hectares, na grande maioria bem alterada, têm sido mantidas. Assim, a Estação Ecológica dos Caetetus

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representa o último remanescente de floresta nativa desta região, constituindo-se em importante refúgio da fauna em nível regional.

Bem preservada, a Estação Ecológica dos Caetetus apresenta a maior parte de sua área coberta por vegetação primária, com poucas manchas de vegetação secundária onde predominam bambus e lianas, e áreas alagadas onde o palmiteiro é a espécie predominante. Diversas espécies de árvores de madeira de lei estão presentes, incluindo perobas, jequitibás, cedros e arueiras, entre outras. De maneira geral, a estrutura da vegetação apresenta um estrato arbóreo, com árvores de dossel, sombreando um sub-bosque de arbustos e árvores jovens. A vegetação apresenta altura variável, porém, nas áreas de mata primária, que representam a maior parte da reserva, as copas das árvores podem alcançar entre 20 a 30 metros de altura, com emergentes de 30 a 40 metros. Por outro lado, em áreas de vegetação secundária ou em clareiras, as copas podem estar entre 5 a 10 metros, e as árvores emergentes entre 10 a 15 metros de altura. A vegetação compõem-se de muitas espécies que perdem suas folhas no período de estação seca. Em uma fase de transição, com o aumento da precipitação, estas espécies que perderam suas folhas iniciam o processo de brotamento e ao longo dos meses mais chuvosos a vegetação se apresenta na sua forma mais

exuberante, com folhagem nova.

No total foram realizadas 40 noites de capturas dos morcegos, 13 no mês de julho de 1998, sete no mês de junho, sete no mês de outubro, nove nos meses de novembro e dezembro de 1999, e quatro em julho de 2001. Os morcegos foram capturados principalmente com “mist nets”, medindo 6,0 x 2,0 m; 7,5 x 2,0 m; 12,0 x 3,0 m, e 30,0 x 15 m. Também foram utilizadas duas harp traps. As redes foram estendidas ao pôr-do-sol e recolhidas entre seis a onze horas após terem sido estendidas.

Para evitar-se tendências na amostragem, devido ao uso de 'redes-de-neblina', que privilegiam a captura de Phyllostomidae, em detrimento das outras famílias (Pedro 1998), foi realizada busca direta em abrigos diurnos, tais como ocos de árvores, frestas e cavidades na rocha, nesses mesmos períodos de captura. Cada morcego capturado sofreu um processamento, que incluiu:

- a identificação de espécie,

- a medida do comprimento do antebraço, com paquímetro.

Os morcegos mortos foram depositados na Coleção do Laboratório de Chiroptera do Departamento de Figura 1. Localização da Estação Ecológica de Caetetus no estado de São Paulo.

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maioria dos estudos de comunidades de morcegos em áreas florestadas brasileiras (Pedro 1998).

A diversidade de espécies, calculada pelo índice de Shannon-Wiener, resultou em 2,26. Este valor reflete a forte dominância das poucas espécies abundantes dentro desse conjunto taxonômico. Valores similares, entre 1,89 e 2,07, foram obtidos por Fleming et al. (1972), em estudos conduzidos em florestas da América Central. Aguiar (1994) obteve uma diversidade de 1,94 numa região de Mata Atlântica do sudeste brasileiro (Caratinga, estado de Minas Gerais) e Fazzolari-Correa (1995) de 2,3 em outra região de Mata Atlântica no sudeste brasileiro (Ilha do Cardoso, estado de São Paulo). Zortéa (2001), obteve um índice de 2,21 para um conjunto taxonômico de morcegos do cerrado brasileiro. Curiosamente, há constância na diversidade de conjuntos taxonômicos de morcegos, medidas por esse índice, ao redor de 2,0, o que pode significar que, embora a composição de espécies mude, a diversidade é essencialmente constante ao longo de uma grande variedade de ecossistemas (ver Pedro & Taddei 1997). A distribuição das espécies, pelas variáveis comprimento do antebraço (tamanho) e hábitos alimentares, revelou que há predominância de espécies de tamanho pequeno (An < 45 mm) e de hábito alimentar insetívoro (39,13%), seguida pelas espécies de tamanho pequeno e de hábito alimentar frugívoro (21,74%) (Tabela 2). A análise da distribuição das espécies de 15 conjuntos taxonômicos, de áreas florestadas brasileiras, por guildas de alimentação, realizada por Pedro (1998), mostrou que as espécies frugívoras são numericamente bem representadas em todos os conjuntos taxonômicos, independentemente do tamanho do fragmento. O tamanho do fragmento pode ser considerado um dos aspectos correlacionados com a integridade do hábitat. Com relação às espécies insetívoras, há uma tendência do número de espécies aumentar, proporcionalmente, na medida em que aumenta o tamanho do fragmento florestal, ou seja, à medida que aumenta a integridade do hábitat. Entre as guildas de nectarívoros, sanguívoros e carnívoros, as relações entre o número de espécies e o tamanho -ou integridade - do fragmento não são claras. Na Estação Ecológica dos Caetetus, a comparação dos resultados com os do estudo de Pedro (1998) sugere um bom estado de conservação do fragmento florestal, com boa representação das espécies insetívoras. As ocorrências de Micronycteris sylvestris e de Platyrrhinus recifinus são de particular interesse, pela existência de poucos registros dessas espécies no estado de São Paulo e, até o presente, conhecidas apenas da Mata Atlântica strictu sensu. A presença dessas espécies em floresta mesófila semi-decídua Tabela 1. Ocorrência e abundância das espécies de

morcegos da Estação Ecológica dos Caetetus, no período de julho de 1998 a julho de 2001.

Família Número de indivíduos Phyllostomidae Micronycteris sylvestris 3 Micronycteris microtis 3 Chrotopterus auritus 4 Glossophaga soricina 2 Carollia perspicillata 74 Sturnira lilium 60 Platyrrhinus lineatus 6 Platyrrhinus recifinus 16 Vampyressa pusilla 16 Artibeus fimbriatus 12 Artibeus lituratus 159 Chiroderma doriae 8 Chiroderma sp. 5 Pygoderma bilabiatum 2 Desmodus rotundus 30 Vespertilionidae Lasiurus blossevillii 15 Myotis ruber 18 Myotis nigricans 19 Myotis sp. 11 Molossidae Molossops neglectus 2 Molossops sp. 1 Cynomops planirostris 1 Nyctinomops aurispinosus 1 Total 468

Apoio, Produção e Saúde Animal, Unesp, campus de Araçatuba.

As capturas totalizaram 468 morcegos pertencentes a 23 espécies, 17 gêneros e três famílias (Tabela 1). Artibeus lituratus foi a espécie dominante, representando 33,9% das capturas, seguida por Carollia perspicillata (15,8%) e Sturnira lilium (12,8%), as três espécies somando 62,5% do total de morcegos capturados, ressaltando a importância dessas espécies frugívoras na dinâmica dessa comunidade. Essas espécies podem ser consideradas candidatas a espécies-chave nessa comunidade, como elos móveis (mutualistas-chave), por serem importantes na perpetuação de muitas espécies de plantas, pertencentes às famílias Moraceae, Cecropiaceae, Piperaceae e Solanaceae.

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constitui registro inédito sobre uso de hábitat. A alta riqueza em espécies, notadamente de espécies insetívoras, bem como a ocorrência de espécies listadas como ameaçadas de extinção no Brasil, Platyrrhinus recifinus, Chiroderma doriae e Myotis ruber, estimulam medidas de preservação nessa área.

A

GRADECIMENTOS

À FAPESP, auxílios 98/08940-0 e 98/13556-1, e ao CNPq, que concedeu bolsas para WAP e FCP (Processos 300845/98-7 e 300667/99-0), ao Roberto Saito, Rolf Sievers, Alberto Micheletti e Gledson Bianconi, pela apoio nos trabalhos de campo, e ao Wilson Contieri, pelo apoio logístico na Estação Ecológica dos Caetetus. Contribuição número 1350 do Departamento de Zoologia/UFPR. Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Biology e ROM Foundation forneceram fundos para BKL, contribuição número 255 do Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, Royal Ontario Museum.

R

EFERÊNCIAS

Aguiar, L. M. S. 1994. Comunidades de Chiroptera em três áreas de Mata Atlântica em diferentes estádios de sucessão – Estação Biológica de Caratinga, Minas Gerais. Dissertação de Mestrado, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte.

Fazzolari-Correa, S. 1995. Aspectos sistemáticos, ecológicos e reprodutivos de morcegos na Mata Atlântica. Tese de Doutorado, IB, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo.

An (mm) Insetívoros Frugívoros Polinívoros Carnívoros Sanguívoros Total /nectarívoros

< 45 M. microtis M. sylvestris

L. blossevillii C. perspicillata G. soricina 15 (65,22%)

M. ruber S. lilium M. nigricans P. recifinus Myotis sp. V. pusilla C. planirostris P. bilabiatum Molossops sp. M. neglectus 45 - 60 P. lineatus

N. aurispinosus Chiroderma sp. D. rotundus 5 (21,74%)

C. doriae

> 60 A.fimbriatus

A. lituratus C. auritus 3 (13,04%) Total 10 (43,48%) 10 (43,48%) 1 (4,35%) 1 (4,35%) 1 (4,35%) 23 (100%) Tabela 2. Distribuição das espécies de morcegos da Estação Ecológica dos Caetetus pelas variáveis comprimento do antebraço (An) e hábito alimentar predominante.

Fenton, M.B., L. Acharya, D. Audet, M.B.C. Hickey, C. Merriman, M.K. Obrist, D. M. Syme & B. Adkins. 1992. Phyllostomid bats (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) as indicators of habitat disruption in the Neotropics. Biotropica, 24: 440-446. Fleming, T.H., E.T. Hooper & D.E. Wilson. 1972.

Three Central American bat communities: structure, reproductive cycles, and movement patterns. Ecology, 53: 555-569.

Magurran, A. E. 1988. Ecological Diversity and Its Measurement. Croom Helm Limited, London. 179 p.

Marinho-Filho, J. S. 1991. The coexistence of two frugivorous bat species and the phenology of their food plants in Brazil. J. Trop. Ecol., 7: 59-67. Marinho-Filho, J. S. & I. Sazima. 1989. Activity

patterns of six phyllostomid bat species in Southeastern Brazil. Rev. Bras. Biol., 49: 777-782. Mittermeier, R. A., T. Werner, J. M. Ayres & G.A.B. Fonseca. 1992. O país da megadiversidade. Ciência Hoje, 14: 20-27.

Passos, F. C. 1997. Padrão de atividades, dieta e uso do espaço em um grupo de mico-leão-preto (Leontopithecus chrysopygus)na estação ecológica dos Caetetus, SP. Tese de Doutorado, Universidade Federal de São Carlos.

Pedro, W. A. 1992. Estrutura de uma taxocenose de morcegos da Reserva do Panga (Uberlândia, MG), com ênfase nas relações tróficas em Phyllostomidae (Mammalia : Chiroptera). Dissertação de Mestrado, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de

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Campinas, Campinas.

Pedro, W. A. 1998. Diversidade de morcegos em habitats florestais fragmentados do Brasil (Chiroptera; Mammalia). Tese de Doutorado, Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia e Recursos Naturais, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, São Carlos, 128 p.

Pedro, W. A. & Taddei, V. A. 1997. Taxonomic assemblage of bats from Panga Reserve, southeastern Brazil: abundance patterns and trophic relations in the Phyllostomidae (Chiroptera). Bol. Mus. Biol. Mello Leitão (N. Sér.), 6: 3-21. Reis, N. R. & Muller, M. F. 1995. Bat diversity of

forests and open areas in a subtropical region of south Brazil. Ecologia Austral, 5: 31-36.

Sazima, I. & M. Sazima. 1977. Solitary and group foraging: two flower-visiting patterns of the lesser spear-nosed bat Phyllostomus discolor. Biotropica, 9: 213-215.

Terborgh, J. 1992. Maintenance of diversity in tropical forests. Biotropica, 24: 283-292.

Zortéa, M. 2001. Diversidade, reprodução e dieta de uma taxocenose de morcegos do cerrado brasileiro. Tese de Doutorado, Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia e Recursos Naturais, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, São Carlos. 128 p.

F

ORAGING

B

EHAVIOROFTHE

F

ISHINGBAT

,

N

OCTILIO LEPORINUS

(N

OCTILIONIDAE

).

Marlon Zortéa1

Ludmilla Aguiar2

1Federal University of Goiás –Jataí Campus –

mzortea@jatai.ufg.br

2Embrapa Cerrados – BR 020 km 18. Cx. P. 08223

– 73301-970, Planaltina, DF. ludmilla@cpac.embrapa.br

I

NTRODUCTION

Noctilio leporinus is a bat known to be adapted for catching fish in waterbeds (Bloedel 1955, Suthers 1965, Altenbach 1989). It has long legs and curved nails, which facilitate the capture of prey. Even with all this apparatus for capturing fish, insects are also important to its diet (Goodwin 1928, Brooke 1994). Brooke (1994) in a long-term study of N. leporinus diet, on an island near Puerto Rico, based on the dry weight of remains in scats of guano, observed that fish and insects were used in different proportions

throughout the study. Insects of several orders are used by N. leporinus: Coleoptera, Lepdoptera, Diptera, Hemiptera and Orthoptera (Goodwin 1928, Altenbach 1989, Brooke 1994). Besides fish and insects, N. leporinus may also consume crustaceans and arachnids (scorpions) in its diet (Brooke 1994). The type of foraging N. leporinus utilizes was studied comprehensively by Schnitzler et al.(1994). According to these authors, N. leporinus seems to adopt different foraging strategies when searching for prey. In this study we describe some opportunist episodes related to foraging strategies of N. leporinus during capture of insects from two areas on southeastern Brazil.

S

TUDY

A

REAAND

M

ETHODS

Observations were conducted in two locations: Povoação, in the northern part of the state of Espírito Santo 39o 10’45"W, 19 o 30' 30"S) and Rio Doce Park,

in the state of Minas Gerais (42o 28´W, 19o 29´S),

both in the southeastern Brazil.

Povoação borders the Atlantic Ocean in the east and Rio Doce in the south. It has many lagoons. The natural Atlantic Forest vegetation in this region is highly depleted and the little remaining forest is used selectively as shade for cocoa plantations. Observations were made in one of the large lagoons in the region (Monsarás) and in a small village, which has approximately 1,000 inhabitants and is surrounded by pastures and cocoa plantations.

The Rio Doce Park is an area with 36,000 ha, the largest continuous preservation area of Atlantic Forest in the state of Minas Gerais. It is an unique area since it presents a system of 50 lagoons, which occupy 6% of the total area. The vegetation is a mosaic of primary and secondary Atlantic forest in various stages of succession.

R

ESULTS

On several occasions we observed N. leporinus capture insects at night. On 15/03/1995 at 18:40 hs we were observing 2 individuals foraging together at the Monsarás lagoon, mostly flying very close to the water surface, patrolling the area with a range of approximately 200 m. At 19:00 we noticed, close to the margin, swarms of Ephemeroptera, with thousands of these insects over the lagoon. In a short time period (5-10 minutes) the area near us was being covered with at least 40 individuals of N. leporinus. The bats flew with no visible pattern that seemed to reflect the ease for capturing prey, given the abundance of insects in the environment. Sometimes, the insects were drawn to the lamp's light and many bats passed very close to us. Besides capturing insects in the air, we

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observed the capture of insects that had fallen in the water. This great movement of bats lasted approximately 1:30h ending at 20:40 h. After this period there was no longer a concentration of insects and once again only two animals were seen in the area, with regular flights at a low altitude close to the water's surface.

The Povoação village has precarious lighting although it does possess nearly 6 km of illuminated roads with yellow light posts. In the center of the village, an individual of N. leporinus was observed several times flying in trap line following the light posts. The flight was normally at an altitude that varied from 5 m.(the height of the lamps) to 2 m from the ground. Identification of the animal was facilitated by its relatively slow flight that allowed visualizing its long legs and by its characteristic odor as it flew close by the observers. Furthermore, on some occasions we observed bats feeding on one of the posts. We believe that this occurs when the bat captures large insects. In the area farthest from the center of the village, on a road of 2 km, which connects the village to the sea, we observed a different means for capturing insects used by N. leporinus. On various occasions we observed a bat covering an area of 100 m with circular flights in the form of an 8, circling 3 light posts. Circuits were realized around the posts at a height close to the lamp (5 m), however, when the bat flew to the other extreme, where the last post was located, the bat flew very low, only a few centimeters from the ground (15-25 cm), where they were observed capturing insects. This type of foraging was done by one individual. On the ground we observed a large quantity of insects, principally Coleoptera. The flight, very close to the ground, is similar to that observed over water, that is, in a straight line without any great maneuvering or deviation from the route.

Besides these observations, we registered two N. leporinus that had been run over close to the village in an area without illumination, the stomach content of these two individuals was 100% full of insects. In the Rio Doce Park, the presence of a group of about 25 bats, was observed once in a two year period foraging insects that flew around the lights of the posts located on the road which borders one of the lagoons. The light from the light posts also was yellow, as those in Povoação. It was during the dry season and the water level of the lagoon was low. Nets were set up under the posts and 13 bats were captured. The bats were also observed flying in a figure 8 pattern. When the nets were opened, the captured bats emitted sounds as they were taken out of the net, and the remaining bats kept flying around the net over the observers heads. The stomach contents of the bats were analyzed

and all were found to contain 100% insects, with no trace of fish. It was interesting to observe that the bats were using the posts in the same observation área of the bacurais that were along the road.

D

ISCUSSION

Although N. leporinus is a bat known to be well adapted to catching fish, in some seasons, insects may constitute part of, and sometimes the only item of its diet. Other bat species that utilize fish also include insects in their diets, such as: Myotis vivesi, M. adversus, Megaderma lyra e Nycteris grandis (Robison 1984, Fenton et al. 1981, Nowack 1991). Curiously, another specie of Noctilio (N. albiventris) seems to be completely insectivorous. N. leporinus is an extremely opportunistic species which seems to adapt well to anthropic modifications, and in some cases is able to benefit from it. This becomes evident when these bats use locations with light posts for foraging as observed by Brooke (1994).

When the two individuals of N. leporinus were run over, we had the impression that these animals were looking for insects and the consequent collision happened when they were trying to gather insects that had been attracted to the light of the vehicles. This supposition was reinforced by posterior analysis of the stomach content of these animals. Brooke (1997) mentioned 6 individuals run over on the island of Culebra, Puerto Rico, which may be an indicator that bats actively hunt insects drawn by the light. However, further observations are necessary to prove this supposition.

Recent advances in bat monitoring techniques have shown hunting strategies and typical flight paths of N. leporinus (Schnitzler et al. 1994). These authors showed a scheme of 4 typical flight patterns, and some were very similar to those observed in Povoação and in Rio Doce Park. The flight in trap line along the street with illumination posts is similar to that observed when the bats hunted close to the shoreline as they flew up or down stream, without turning to make additional runs. One flight scheme of coming and going between illumination posts, observed in this study, was similar to the pattern shown by Schnitzler et al. (1994) when they observed N. leporinus making rounds near a boat house in Costa Rica.

Our field observations, where we found N. leporinus capturing insects near the ground, and those of Nowick and Dale (1971) confirm the supposition that this species can also capture prey from the ground. Brooke (1994) and Taboada (1979 and Schnitzler et al. 1994) observed traces of fiddler crab claws in the shelter and remains of carabid beetles in the feces.

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One interesting observation from this study was the concentration of N. leporinus over swarms of Ephemenoptera above the lagoon. N. leporinus prefer to forage alone, although they may be found in small groups of 4 to 5 individuals (Schnitzler et al., 1994) or in larger groups of up to 15 individuals (Brooke 1997). The estimated number of bats on the Monsarás lagoon (40) during the abundance of Ephemeroptera leads us to an important question. How did the bats know about the availability of this resource if the area was being monitored by apparently only two bats? McCracken & Bradbury (1981) have hypothesized that areas adjacent to foraging areas of Phyllostomus hastatus enables the bats to exchange information, being able to converge to a point when an individual discovers a rich food source. This possible association between individuals of Phyllostomus hastatus was also suggested for N. leporinus (Brooke, 1997), where benefits may occur between members of the group through communication between individuals. This type of communication may be passively transferred between members of the group that forage in areas adjacent to the food source, or simply by the fact that the bats pay attention to the behavior of others or hear their echolocation calls (Brooke 1997). Our observations, of a high concentration of bats during a short period of time in a single area enhance the hypothesis of McCracken & Bradbury (1981) and Brooke (1997).

R

EFERENCES

Altenbach, J.S. 1989. Prey capture by the fishing bats Noctilio leporinus and Myotis vivesi. Journal of Mammalogy 70: 421-424.

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Brooke, A.P. 1994. Diet of the fishing bat, Noctilio leporinus (Chiroptera: Noctilionidae). Journal of Mammalogy 75: 212-218.

Brooke, A.P. 1997. Social organization and foraging behaviour of the fishing bat, Noctilio leporinus (Chiroptera: Noctilionidae). Ethology 10: 421-436. Fenton, M.B., Thomas, D.W., & R. Sassen. 1981. Nycteris grandis (Nycteridae): an african carnivorous bat. Journal of Zoology 194: 461-465. Goodwin, G.G. 1928. Observations on Noctilio.

Journal of Mammalogy 9: 104-113.

McCracken, G.F. & Bradbury, J.W. 1981. Social organization and kinship in the polygynous bat Phyllostomus hastatus. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 8: 11-34.

Nowack, R.M. 1991. Walker’s Mammals of the World. Vol.I, 5th edition. Baltimore and London, The Johns Hopkins University Press.

Robinson, ,S.K. 1984. Myotis adversus (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae): Australia’s fish eating bat. Austral. Mamm. 7: 51-52.

Schnitzler, H., Kalko, E.K.V., Kaipf, I. & Grinnell, A.D. 1994. Fishing and echolocation behavior of the greater bulldog bat, Noctilio leporinus, in the field. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 35: 327-345. Suthers, R.A. 1965. Acoustic orientation by

fish-catching bats. J. Exp. Zoology 158: 319-348.

We would be most grateful if you could send us information on projects, research groups, events (congresses, symposia, and workshops), recent publications, activities of bat societies and NGOs, news items or opinions of recent events and suchlike, either in the form of manuscripts (double-spaced) or in diskettes for PC compatible text-editors (ASCII files, AmiPro, MS-Word, Wordperfect, Wordstar). Articles, not exceeding six pages, can include small black-and-white photographs, figures, maps, tables and references, but please keep them to a minimum.

Please send contributions to the editors:

Chiroptera Neotropical home page

http://www.unb.br/ib/zoo/chiroptera

Ludmilla M. de S. Aguiar

CLN 212 bloco D sala 103 70.864540 -Brasília - DF - Brasil. Email: chiroptera@uol.com.br

Valdir A. Taddei

Laboratório de Chiroptera, Departamento de Biologia - UNIDERP - Universidade para o Desenvolvimento do Estado e da Região do Pantanal - CP 2153 - CEP 79003-010 - Campo Grande - Mato Grosso do Sul. email: vataddei@srv1-sjp.sjp.zaz.com.br

C

ontributions

Design and Composition:

Ricardo B. Machado & Ludmilla Aguiar. Este número foi produzido graças ao apoio e os recursos do Programa do Brasil da Conservation International

This number was supported by Conservation International - Brazil

(16)

Ludmilla Aguiar/Valdir Taddei (editors)

CLN 212 bloco D sala 103 - 70864-540 - Brasília-DF - Brasil

www.unb.br/ib/zoo/chiroptera

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Referências

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