During 2003During , 2007During , 2008During and 2010 assemblages were studied at different dry valleys in Guatemala. Ten individuals of Choeronycteris mexicana (7 females and 3 males) were captured almost exclusively during the dry season. Pollen of columnar cacti (Stenocereus pruinosus and Pilosocereus leucocephalus) and Ceiba aesculifolia were found in samples recovered from hair. Remains of insects were recovered from feces samples of one individual. Reproductive females and a juvenile were captured between March and June of the different years. The captures coincided with the blooming of columnar cacti flowers, and with the presence of Leptonycteris yerbabuenae. Our data suggest that C. mexicana is a seasonal visitant at sub-humid biological corridor in Guatemala.
Diversity of understory birds in tropical forests, natural recovery areas, and African oil palm crops in wetlands of the Izabal Lake, Guatemala. – African oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) crops have been identified as one of the most important threats to biodiversity of tropical forests. By mean of mist nets, species richness, diversity and structure of understory bird communities were studied in three vegetation types of a Neotropical wetland: humid tropical forest remnants, natural regeneration sites (“guamiles”), and African oil palm plantations. We captured a total of 734 birds of 106 species, belonging to 22 families. The habitat with highest diversity was forest (63 species and 329 individuals), followed by guamiles (62 species and 368 individuals) and finally oil palm plantations (11 species and 37 individuals). As expected, statistical differences were found among the studied habitats. Only 11% of species and 5% of the total captured birds were recorded in the African oil palm plantations. Our data show that oil palm cultivation represents a serious threat to biological diversity, making it a priority to generate guidelines based on scientific and conservation criteria.
The wrinkled-faced bat (Centurio senex) is an enigmatic species widely distributed in Mesoamerica. Besides its wide distribution it is considered rare in almost the entire range and little is known about its life history. We provide notes and discuss on the natural history of the species and performed a distribution model and an elevation profile in order to understand the distribution patterns in Northern Central America. We found that C. senex inhabits ecosystems from lowlands to 1943 m, with higher probability of occurrence in the Pacific region and the mountains of Guatemala in which seasonal precipitation regimes predominates.
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