New Species of the Genus Periglischrus (Acari: Spinturnicidae) from Monophyllus Bats (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) in the West Indies, Including a Morphometric Analysis of Its Intraspecific Variation.

The discovery of a new species, Periglischrus empheresotrichus, was determined through a review of museum collections, as well as a field survey of ectoparasites of island bats. This new species parasitizes on two bat species of the genus Monophyllus Leach, the Greater Antillean Long-tongued bat Monophyllus redmani Leach and the Lesser Antillean Long-tongued bat Monophyllus plethodon Miller. The female, male, deuthonymphs, and protonymph are described and illustrated. P. empheresotrichus n. sp. has an insular distribution, we evaluated the morphological variation of the adult populations, and concluded that intra-specific variation is correlated both with host species and locality (island) in the West Indies.

Ammonotely in a neotropical frugivorous bat as energy intake decreases.

We tested the role of increased ammonia in urine as an energy- and/or nitrogen (N)-saving mechanism in the great fruit-eating bat Artibeus lituratus (Phyllostomidae). We compared N excretion in two groups of bats fed energy-rich (2.75 kJ g(-1) wet mass) or energy-poor diets (0.7 kJ g(-1) wet mass). Within each diet, bats were assigned to different N contents. In order to function as an energy-saving mechanism, ammonia production should increase with decreasing energy intake. To function as an N-saving mechanism, ammonia production should increase with decreasing N intake. Because we varied both diet energy density and N content, our study design allowed us to test these two possibilities simultaneously. Bats had higher food intake rate and, consequently, higher N intake rate on the energy-poor diet, but energy intake rate was lower. Most bats on the energy-rich diet were ureotelic whereas on the energy-poor diet bats were ureotelic, ammonotelic or ureo-ammonotelic. Bats fed the energy-poor diet had a higher excretion rate of ammonia and a higher percent of N excreted as ammonia. Percent N ammonia and ammonia excretion rate were inversely related to energy intake, but they were not related to N intake. By favoring ammonia production over urea, bats on the energy-poor diet may save up to 1% of their basal metabolic rate. Consumption of energy-dilute fruits by fruit bats might affect the way in which N wastes are excreted, favoring the excretion of ammonia N when food intake is accompanied by the ingestion of large volumes of water.

Relationships between renal morphology and diet in 26 species of new world bats (suborder microchiroptera).

The renal morphology of 24 species of mormoopid and phyllostomid bats feeding on six different diets was examined to test evolutionary changes in several structural traits presumably led by dietary shifts from ancestral insectivorous diets. The kidneys of a fish-eating vespertilionid and an insect-eating emballonurid were also examined but not included in the phylogenetic comparison. The length, width, and breadth of the kidneys were used to calculate relative medullary thickness (RMT). Tissues were processed for stereological analysis, and the volumes of the kidney, nephron components, and vasculature were determined. RMT did not correlate with body mass in either animal-eating or plant-eating phyllostomid and mormoopid bats. The shift from insectivory to frugivory and nectarivory was accompanied by a reduction in RMT, a reduction in the percent of renal medulla, and an increase in the percent of renal cortex. No changes in these traits were observed in bats that shifted to carnivorous, omnivorous or sanguinivorous habits. No changes were observed in renal vasculature, in the percentage of cortical and medullary nephron components or of capillaries surrounding the nephrons in any feeding group. Vespertilionid and emballonurid species had similar values in all traits examined as compared to insectivorous phyllostomids and mormoopids. Our data suggest that diet does not influence a single area of the nephron, but rather the entire nephron such that the relative amounts of renal cortex and medulla are affected.