Bats Out of Africa: Disentangling the Systematic Position and Biogeography of Bats in Cabo Verde.

Cabo Verde Archipelago presents one of the largest knowledge gaps in the distribution and taxonomy of bats in the world. Old works indicated that there are five species classified as European taxa. We have conducted an integrative taxonomy to revise the systematic position and distribution of Cabo Verdean bats with molecular, morphological, and ecological data, to test their native or exotic origin, and infer possible colonization patterns based on fieldwork and museum samples. Results showed that Cabo Verde Hypsugo is closely related to those from the Canary Islands, in which the taxonomic status is under debate, presenting unique mitochondrial and nuclear haplotypes. We also expanded the distribution of Taphozous nudiventris for Fogo Island through pellets and acoustic identification, showed unique haplotypes for this species, and that Miniopterus schreibersii shared a haplotype with European, North African, and Western Asian specimens. The morphological and acoustic identification of Cabo Verdean specimens was challenging because of the lack of modern morphological descriptions and similarity of echolocation calls within the same genus. More studies are definitely needed to access the systematic of bat species in the archipelago, but this work is the first step for the establishment of conservation actions of the probable only native Cabo Verdean mammals.

First record of predation of Nyctinomops laticaudatus (É. Geoffroy, 1805) by Chrotopterus auritus (Peters, 1856) (Mammalia: Chiroptera).

The Wooly False Vampire Bat, Chrotopterus auritus (Peters, 1856) (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae), feeds on small mammals, birds, lizards, frogs and occasionally large insects and fruits. In this paper we report an additional evidence of bat predation by C. auritus. A male of this species was captured with a partially eaten Broad-eared Free-tailed Bat, Nyctinomops laticaudatus (É. Geoffroy, 1805) (Chiroptera: Molossidae). This record was obtained during a research project conducted in the Biological Reserve of Sooretama, Southeastern Brazil.

First record of pigmentation disorder in the Fringe-lipped Bat Trachops cirrhosus (Spix, 1823) (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) from southeast Brazil.

Piebaldism is a genetic pigmentation disorder, which is caused by absence of melanocytes in parts of the skin and/or hair follicles, with eyes and claws normally pigmented. The occurrence of piebaldism in natural populations is rare and the effects on fitness are still unknown. This article reports the first case of pigmentation disorders in the Fringe-lipped Bat Trachops cirrhosus (Spix, 1823) (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) caught in Barra do Triunfo, city of João Neiva, northeastern state of Espírito Santo, southeast Brazil.