Notes on a Colony of Peropteryx leucoptera (Emballonuridae) in Brazil

-------------------. Journal Title: Bat research news Volume: 40 Issue: 2 Edition: --e=~ Month, ear: 1 page~~_~ Article Title: Notes on a colony of Peropteryx leucoptera (Emballonuridae) in Brazil Article Author: Penn State ILL RAPIDArticle ILLiad TN: 2671664 111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 Call #: QL737.C5B328 v.38-40 1997-99 Location: 4P 1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 ILL:-17527279 RAPID:GUA NEW: Main Library Odyssey:128.192.54.3 Email: Notice: This material may be protected by copyright Notes: / In Process: Summer 1999 Bat Research News 37 Notes on a Colony of Peropteryx leucoptera (Emballonuridae) in Brazil Enrico Bernard Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Pr0Ject--INPNSI. Caixa Postal 478, Manaus, Amazonas 69011-970. Brazil [email protected] The white-winged bat. Peropterys: leucoptera. is one of only three species in the ernballonurid genus Peropteryx. P. leucoptera is confined to the Amazon Basin in eastern Colombia. Venezuela, the Guianas. eastern Peru, and Brazil (Koopman. 1993). Species of Peropteryx are exclusively insectivorous. Handley (1976) reports capturing some Peropteryx (but not P. leucopteras in forests. swamps. savannas. and cultivated areas and states that roosts of Peroptervx include shallow caves, rock crevices. human constructions. and dead trees. On 6 May 1998. during a survey of the bat fauna of Alter do Chao. near Santarern, Para State. Brazil (2'31'S, 55'OO'W), I found a roost of P. leucoptera. Alter do Chao is in a relatively dry area dominated by Amazonian savannas (Sanaiotti, 1991). The dry season runs from July to November, and average annual rainfall is 2.200 mrn. Savanna vegetation is dominated by grasses and clumps of shrubs composed mainly of species of Myrtaceae and Melastomataceae (Miranda. 1993). Small G;125 hal fragments of tropical forest occur within the savannas. and I found the colony of P. leucoptera in one of those fragments. Twelve white-winged bats (fable 1) were roosting in an unidentified. dead. hollow tree that was lying on the ground in an 8-ha forested area. The trunk of the tree was 10m long and ca. 1.5 m m diameter. There was one main entrance at the base of the fallen tree and three smaller openings along the trunk, Age of each bat was estimated by closure of phalangeal epiphyses. Those with open epiphyses were classified as young. and those in an intermediate stage were classified as subadults, Nipples of females were examined for lactation. and bellies were palpated to detect embryos. The colony consisted of three adult females (one carrying a young). three adult males. and five subadults, all grouped together. This grouping suggests the lack of harems. and the presence of several subadults, as well as pregnant females, may indicate that the colony was a maternity roost. Simmons and Voss (1998) report groups of 2-8 P. leucoptera in primary forests of French Guiana. Studies on P. kappleri in Costa Rica indicate colonies of 1-6 individuals. with several adults of each sex present (Bradbury and Vehrencamp. 1977). suggesting a lack of harems in P. kappleri as well. However. Willig (1983). working in east-central Brazil. found aggregations of P. macrotis containing up to 10 individuals, with only a single adult male in each group, which suggests the maintenance of harems. The presence of two pregnant females and subadults (Table 1) suggests that births began 2-3 months earlier. This is in accordance with reproductive data for P. macrotis; pregnant females of that species were captured in April in Mexico. February-April in Guatemala. July in Colombia, and August in Peru (Nowak, 1994). Two of the subadults captured by me had darker fur than the others, possibly indicating changes in coloration with age. Charles 0, Handley and staff at the United States National Museum of Natural History. Washington. D. c.. helped identify the bats. Work in Alter do Chao was possible due to grants from CNPq and INPA PPJ to W. E. Magnusson. A. Albernaz provided logistical support. and E, Farias helped with field collections. Literature Cited Bradbury, J. W. and S. L. Vehrencamp. 1977. Social organization and foraging in emballonurid bats. I. Field studies. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 1:337-81. Handley. C. 0.. Jr. 1976. Mammals of the Smithsonian Venezuelan Project. Brigham Young University, Science Bulletin. Biological Series, 20: 1-89. Koopman. K. F. 1993. Chiroptera. Pp. 137-241. in Mammalian species of the world (D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder, eds.). Smithsonian Institution Press. Washington. D. C. Miranda, I. 1993. Estrutura do estrato arb6reo do cerrado amazonico em Alter do Chao, Para, Brasil. Revista Brasileira de Botanica, 16:143-150. Nowak, R. M. 1994. Walker's Bats of the World. The John Hopkins University Press. Baltimore, Maryland. Sanaiotti. T. M. 1991. Ecologia de Paisagens: savanas amazonicas. Pp, 77-81, in Bases Cientificas para Estrategias de Preservacao e Desenvolvimento da Amazonia: fates e perspectivas. Vol. I (Val et al., eds.). Manaus, Brazil. Simmons. N. B. and R. S. Voss. 1998. The mammals of Paracou, French Guiana: a neotropicallowland rainforest fauna. Part 1. bats. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 237:28-36. Willig. M. R. 1983. Composition. microgeographic variation. and sexual dimorphism in caatingas and cerrado bat communities from northeast Brazil. Bulletin of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. 23:1-131. Bernard continued .. 38 Bat Research News Volume 40: No. :2 Bernard continued ... Table 1. Characteristics of 12 Peropteryx leucoptera captured in a forest fragment in Alter do Chilo, Brazil. Sex Body mass Forearm Age (g) length (mm) F847 adult F945 adult F10 45 adult M6 36 young M7 43 subadult M7 45 subadult M845 subadult M845 subadult M8 45 adult M 8 45 adult M 8 45 adult M8 46 adult * .. .. * * Reproductive condition lactating pregnant pregnant nonreproducti ve nonreproductive nonreproductive nonreproductive nonreproductive nonreproductive nonreproducti ve nonreproductive nonreproductive A Safe and Effective Method to Remove Bats From Abandoned Water Wells Daniel R. England I and David A. Saugey- 'Department of Biology, Southern Arkansas University, Magnolia, AR 71753 and 2United States Forest Service, Ouachita National Forest, Jessieville, AR 71949 Abandoned water wells and cisterns may constitute pit-fall dangers to humans and animals, particularly if the uppermost portion of the well's casing is at or near ground level. This potential danger, along with an increased propensity for lawsuits and focus on landowner liability, has increased the rate of filling and closure of wells. In addition. state and federal environmental agencies concerned with contamination of ground water have stepped up efforts to close abandoned wells. This trend is unfortunate for bats because a number of species use these or similar manmade structures during the hibernation period (Saugey et aI., 1993: Schrnidly, 1991; Tumlison et al., 1992), and wells and cisterns may constitute critical winter habitat in areas devoid of caves or mines. The technique described here was developed during a long-term study of Rafinesque's big-eared bat Corynorhinus rafinesquii in the Gulf Coastal Plain of southern Arkansas. Wells used by bats in our study ranged in depth up to 10 meters, depending upon fluctuating water levels, and provided an interesting challenge in capturing and removing bats. Inside diameters of all wells that we measured were about 1 m. Wells most likely to be used by bats were those with casings constructed of I-m-tall concrete tiles stacked on end to the desired height or those of mortar and brick. The inside surfaces of these types of casings were sufficiently rough to provide good footing for roosting bats. Wells with casings constructed of smoothwalled. brown. ceramic tile material never harbored bats. To remove bats from wells, we manufactured a device from a standard umbrella fitted with two control cords and two hardened edges. Modifications to the umbrella included removing the lock-latch normally used to maintain the umbrella in an "open" position and covering the tips of the struts that support the fabric. Duct tape, wrapped several layers thick around these lips, not only helped secure the fabric to struts, but also helped the tips slide along the casing more easily. This greatly reduced the potential of the umbrella to become snagged on roughened areas of the wall or in joints between tiles. Control cords consisted of heavy-duty twine or parachute cord attached to the umbrella at one end and to short sections of wooden dowels or polyvinylchloride (PVC) pipe at the other, One control cord was firmly attached to the central shaft of the umbrella, just above the handle, and secured with several knots and an abundance of duct tape. This cord was used to raise and lower the umbrella inside the well. A second cord was attached near the tip of a fabric-support strut. This cord was tied to the umbrella's frame where it could not slip off the end of the strut and secured with duct tape. The function of this cord was to rotate the Summer 1999 Bat Research News 39 umbrella for positioning one of two, hardened, collecting edges beneath roosting bats. Control cords were rolled onto the dowel or pipe when not in use. The hardened collecting edges may be constructed from virtually any material that will not absorb water or harm bats. We chose smooth, flexible, plastic material that is used to make signs ("For Sale," "No Trespassing," etc.) and available at any hardware store. An edge was made from two pieces of plastic that were cut to fit the outside curve of the umbrella. The two pieces were placed on each side of the umbrella's material and fastened securely. sandwich style. with aluminum pop rivets. The outside edges of these surfaces were filed smooth and then covered with several layers of duct tape. as were rivets. to prevent sharp edges from harming bats. Two of these hardened surfaces were needed. and each extended about 0.3 m along the edge of the umbrella, with members of the pair positioned opposite one another. This placement was imponant because it provided balance and allowed for two collecting areas; if one side of the catch basin was full of bats. the device could be rotated and additional collections made without having to remove the umbrella from the well, Aweight was secured on the outside of the umbrella basin. at the center point of the shaft. to provide stability and prevent excessive tipping during collection. During use. the device is lowered in a collapsed position until it is located below the level of roosting bats. Opening is accomplished by a tug on the central cord that allows the frame to expand to the inside diameter of the well. Once expanded, the second cord rotates the umbrella until a hardened edge is positioned beneath individuals or a cluster of bats. The central cord is then used to raise the device. Bats in torpor are gently lifted away from the casing by the hardened edge and fall into the catch basin formed by the soft material of the umbrella. The umbrella must be raised slowly to prevent damage to toes and claws as the edge removes bats from the casing's surface. If active bats are encountered, the expanded umbrella effectively seals off downward escape and forces bats to fly toward the surface where they may be captured with hand nets or allowed to exit the well. A veil of lightweight birdnetting draped over researchers and the well opening will reduce the number of bats that escape. To date. we have removed over 2.000 bats from wells with few injuries to the bat's feet. and we have never observed broken leg or wing bones as a result of using this device. Certainly, use of this device during the hibernation period constitutes a temporary, and possibly significant. disturbance to hibernating bats, especially in areas where winters are harsh and protracted and energy stores typically marginal. In those areas, this technique probably should be used only to save bats from entombment pending closure of a well or removal of individuals to establish identity. Literature Cited Saugey, D. A., V. R. McDaniel, D. R. England, M. C. Rowe, L. R. Chandler-Mozisek. and B. G. Cochran. 1993. Arkansas range extensions of the eastern smallfooted bat Myotis leibii and northern long-eared bat Myotis septentrionalis and additional county records for the silver-haired bat Lasionycteris noctivagans. hoary bat Lasiurus cinereus, southeastern myotis Myotis austroriparius, and Rafinesque's big-eared bat Plecotus rafinesquii. Proceedings of the Arkansas Academy of Science, 47: 102-106. Schmidly, D. J. 1991. The bats of Texas. Texas A&M University Press, College Station, Texas, 188 pp. Tumlison. R., M. Karnes, and M. Clark. 1992. New records of vertebrates in southwestern Arkansas. Proceedings of the Arkansas Academy of Science, 46: 109-111. ,.. ,.. ,.. ,.. ,.. How Often Should Researchers Go to the Field to Conduct Demographic Studies on Carollia perspicillata? Marco A. Ribeiro de Mello", Jorge L. Nascimentoand Fernando A. S. Fernandez' Departmento de Ecologia.Jnstituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, CEP: 21941-590 .. CXP: 68020, Brazil 'marmellotsibiologia.ufrj.br. [email protected], '[email protected] Most demographic studies of bats in South America are simply by-products of studies that do not focus primarily on population dynamics. Consequently, sampling is seldom designed for reliable characterization of demographic patterns. Many researchers go to (he field every other month or at even longer intervals. During our work, we wondered whether such a frequency (every other month) would be suitable for detecting some features of the demography of our target species. Our study took place at the Poco das Antas Biological Reserve, Rio de Janeiro, southeastern Brazil. The area is the largest (5,500 hal remnant of lowland Atlantic Forest (Mata Atlantica) in the state of Rio de Ribeiro. et al. continued ..