Bats from Centro-Sul e Medio Paraiba regions of the Rio de Janeiro state (Mammalia, Chiroptera) / Quirópteros das regiões Centro-Sul e Médio Paraíba do estado do Rio de Janeiro (Mammalia, Chiroptera)

The aim of this paper is to provide a checklist of bat species recorded in the Medio Paraiba e Centro-Sul regions of the state of Rio de Janeiro. Records were based on review of the specimens housed in the Adriano Lucio Peracchi (ALP) and the Rio de Janeiro National Museum (MN) Mastozoological Collections, and literature sources. There are 42 bat species of 30 genera reported or collected in these regions, comprising five families: Emballonuridae (one species), Phyllostomidae (23 species), Noctilionidae (one species), Molossidae (six species) and Vespertilionidae (ten species). It is emphasized the record of Platyrrhinus recifinus (Thomas) and Myotis ruber (E. Geoffroy), regarded as Vulnerable in the Brazilian Threatened Species List. The bat species richness found for the Medio Paraiba and Centro- Sul regions comprises 56 % of the total richness of the state. Further studies using diversified sampling methods may lead to increase of the richness, and are need to obtain satisfactory knowledgement of the bat fauna from these regions and to know its actual contribution to richness of bat species of the Rio de Janeiro state.

O objetivo desse trabalho é fornecer uma lista das espécies de morcegos registradas nas regiões Médio Paraíba e Centro-Sul do estado do Rio de Janeiro. Foram obtidos registros baseados em revisão dos exemplares depositados nas Coleções de Mamíferos Adriano Lúcio Peracchi (ALP) e do Museu Nacional do Rio de Janeiro (MN) e em fontes bibliográficas. No total, foram colecionadas ou reportadas para essas regiões, 42 espécies de 30 gêneros de morcegos pertencentes a cinco famílias Emballonuridae (uma espécie), Phyllostomidae (23 espécies), Noctilionidae (uma espécie), Molossidae (seis espécies) e Vespertilionidae (10 espécies). Dentre essas espécies, destacam-se os registros de Platyrrhinus recifinus (Thomas) e Myotis ruber (E. Geoffroy), listadas como Vulneráveis na Lista das Espécies Brasileiras Ameaçadas de Extinção. A riqueza obtida para as regiões Médio Paraíba e Centro-Sul corresponde a 56 % da riqueza total do estado. Estudos adicionais utilizando métodos diversificados de amostragem podem levar a um incremento da riqueza observada e são necessários para se obter o conhecimento satisfatório sobre a quiropterofauna dessas regiões e conhecer a sua real contribuição para a riqueza de espécies de morcegos do estado do Rio de Janeiro.

First record of Miller"s mastiff bat, Molossus pretiosus (Mammalia: Chiroptera), from the Brazilian Caatinga / First record of Miller"s mastiff bat, Molossus pretiosus (Mammalia: Chiroptera), from the Brazilian Caatinga

Herein, we report the occurrence of Molossus pretiosus in the region of Jaiba, northern part of the state of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil. This is the second Brazilian record for this molossid, and it is the first documentation from the Caatinga biome. This bat is a common roof dweller in Jaiba, and was frequently captured in nets set near bodies of water. Numbers of individuals found at roosts were small ( 10), and included reproductively active females in a harem-like formation (single-male with multi-females). Reproductive activity was associated with the rainy season, and there was within-group synchronization of pregnancy. Specimens captured away from roosts were obtained in nets set over or adjacent to water sources in habitats ranging from anthropic fields to well preserved arboreal caatingas. A mensural analysis based on 17 specimens (12 females and 5 males) confirmed secondary sexual dimorphism (5 out of 10 variables), and revealed little size variation among localities from Brazil and Central America. M. pretiosus is similar to M. rufus but averages smaller in size. M. pretiosus is the fourth bat species that, in Brazil, is restricted to the open habitats, such as the Caatinga, Cerrado, and Pantanal that separate the forested habitats of Amazonia and Mata Atlantica.

Herein, we report the occurrence of Molossus pretiosus in the region of Jaiba, northern part of the state of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil. This is the second Brazilian record for this molossid, and it is the first documentation from the Caatinga biome. This bat is a common roof dweller in Jaiba, and was frequently captured in nets set near bodies of water. Numbers of individuals found at roosts were small ( 10), and included reproductively active females in a harem-like formation (single-male with multi-females). Reproductive activity was associated with the rainy season, and there was within-group synchronization of pregnancy. Specimens captured away from roosts were obtained in nets set over or adjacent to water sources in habitats ranging from anthropic fields to well preserved arboreal caatingas. A mensural analysis based on 17 specimens (12 females and 5 males) confirmed secondary sexual dimorphism (5 out of 10 variables), and revealed little size variation among localities from Brazil and Central America. M. pretiosus is similar to M. rufus but averages smaller in size. M. pretiosus is the fourth bat species that, in Brazil, is restricted to the open habitats, such as the Caatinga, Cerrado, and Pantanal that separate the forested habitats of Amazonia and Mata Atlantica.

The feeding specialization in Chiroderma doriae (Phyllostomidae, Sternodermatinae) with comments on its conservation implications

Taddei (1973, 1980) demonstrated that feeding habits of some Neotropical fruit-eating bats, such as Chiroderma doriae has specific food requirements. As we report below, this author presented consistent evidence associating C. doriaeto fruits of Ficus, a resource that may play a keystone role in tropical forests (Terbogh, 1986, Shanahan et al. 2001). However, very few data on the feeding habits of this bat have appeared in the literature and the feeding specialization reported by Taddei (1973, 1980) has been largely overviewed (Nowak 1994, Eisenberg & Redford 1999, Shanahan et al. 2001).

The feeding specialization in Chiroderma doriae (Phyllostomidae, Sternodermatinae) with comments on its conservation implications

Taddei (1973, 1980) demonstrated that feeding habits of some Neotropical fruit-eating bats, such as Chiroderma doriae has specific food requirements. As we report below, this author presented consistent evidence associating C. doriaeto fruits of Ficus, a resource that may play a keystone role in tropical forests (Terbogh, 1986, Shanahan et al. 2001). However, very few data on the feeding habits of this bat have appeared in the literature and the feeding specialization reported by Taddei (1973, 1980) has been largely overviewed (Nowak 1994, Eisenberg & Redford 1999, Shanahan et al. 2001). 

First record of Miller"s mastiff bat, Molossus pretiosus (Mammalia: Chiroptera), from the Brazilian Caatinga / First record of Miller"s mastiff bat, Molossus pretiosus (Mammalia: Chiroptera), from the Brazilian Caatinga

Herein, we report the occurrence of Molossus pretiosus in the region of Jaiba, northern part of the state of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil. This is the second Brazilian record for this molossid, and it is the first documentation from the Caatinga biome. This bat is a common roof dweller in Jaiba, and was frequently captured in nets set near bodies of water. Numbers of individuals found at roosts were small ( 10), and included reproductively active females in a harem-like formation (single-male with multi-females). Reproductive activity was associated with the rainy season, and there was within-group synchronization of pregnancy. Specimens captured away from roosts were obtained in nets set over or adjacent to water sources in habitats ranging from anthropic fields to well preserved arboreal caatingas. A mensural analysis based on 17 specimens (12 females and 5 males) confirmed secondary sexual dimorphism (5 out of 10 variables), and revealed little size variation among localities from Brazil and Central America. M. pretiosus is similar to M. rufus but averages smaller in size. M. pretiosus is the fourth bat species that, in Brazil, is restricted to the open habitats, such as the Caatinga, Cerrado, and Pantanal that separate the forested habitats of Amazonia and Mata Atlantica.

Herein, we report the occurrence of Molossus pretiosus in the region of Jaiba, northern part of the state of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil. This is the second Brazilian record for this molossid, and it is the first documentation from the Caatinga biome. This bat is a common roof dweller in Jaiba, and was frequently captured in nets set near bodies of water. Numbers of individuals found at roosts were small ( 10), and included reproductively active females in a harem-like formation (single-male with multi-females). Reproductive activity was associated with the rainy season, and there was within-group synchronization of pregnancy. Specimens captured away from roosts were obtained in nets set over or adjacent to water sources in habitats ranging from anthropic fields to well preserved arboreal caatingas. A mensural analysis based on 17 specimens (12 females and 5 males) confirmed secondary sexual dimorphism (5 out of 10 variables), and revealed little size variation among localities from Brazil and Central America. M. pretiosus is similar to M. rufus but averages smaller in size. M. pretiosus is the fourth bat species that, in Brazil, is restricted to the open habitats, such as the Caatinga, Cerrado, and Pantanal that separate the forested habitats of Amazonia and Mata Atlantica.

Is the area of the Arthur Thomas Park, with its 82.72 ha, sufficient to maintain viable chiropteran populations?

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 worlds forests are protected as parks and preservation areas; and even those are vulnerable to political and economic pressures (Brown, 1985).

Bats from Centro-Sul e Medio Paraiba regions of the Rio de Janeiro state (Mammalia, Chiroptera) / Quirópteros das regiões Centro-Sul e Médio Paraíba do estado do Rio de Janeiro (Mammalia, Chiroptera)

The aim of this paper is to provide a checklist of bat species recorded in the Medio Paraiba e Centro-Sul regions of the state of Rio de Janeiro. Records were based on review of the specimens housed in the Adriano Lucio Peracchi (ALP) and the Rio de Janeiro National Museum (MN) Mastozoological Collections, and literature sources. There are 42 bat species of 30 genera reported or collected in these regions, comprising five families: Emballonuridae (one species), Phyllostomidae (23 species), Noctilionidae (one species), Molossidae (six species) and Vespertilionidae (ten species). It is emphasized the record of Platyrrhinus recifinus (Thomas) and Myotis ruber (E. Geoffroy), regarded as Vulnerable in the Brazilian Threatened Species List. The bat species richness found for the Medio Paraiba and Centro- Sul regions comprises 56 % of the total richness of the state. Further studies using diversified sampling methods may lead to increase of the richness, and are need to obtain satisfactory knowledgement of the bat fauna from these regions and to know its actual contribution to richness of bat species of the Rio de Janeiro state.

O objetivo desse trabalho é fornecer uma lista das espécies de morcegos registradas nas regiões Médio Paraíba e Centro-Sul do estado do Rio de Janeiro. Foram obtidos registros baseados em revisão dos exemplares depositados nas Coleções de Mamíferos Adriano Lúcio Peracchi (ALP) e do Museu Nacional do Rio de Janeiro (MN) e em fontes bibliográficas. No total, foram colecionadas ou reportadas para essas regiões, 42 espécies de 30 gêneros de morcegos pertencentes a cinco famílias Emballonuridae (uma espécie), Phyllostomidae (23 espécies), Noctilionidae (uma espécie), Molossidae (seis espécies) e Vespertilionidae (10 espécies). Dentre essas espécies, destacam-se os registros de Platyrrhinus recifinus (Thomas) e Myotis ruber (E. Geoffroy), listadas como Vulneráveis na Lista das Espécies Brasileiras Ameaçadas de Extinção. A riqueza obtida para as regiões Médio Paraíba e Centro-Sul corresponde a 56 % da riqueza total do estado. Estudos adicionais utilizando métodos diversificados de amostragem podem levar a um incremento da riqueza observada e são necessários para se obter o conhecimento satisfatório sobre a quiropterofauna dessas regiões e conhecer a sua real contribuição para a riqueza de espécies de morcegos do estado do Rio de Janeiro.

Is the area of the Arthur Thomas Park, with its 82.72 ha, sufficient to maintain viable chiropteran populations?

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 worlds forests are protected as parks and preservation areas; and even those are vulnerable to political and economic pressures (Brown, 1985).