Aim:This study aims to contribute to the identification of ecological determinants of tropical moist forest montane biodiversity, analysing changes in the structure of bat assemblages along an elevational gradient and testing the role of species traits shaping those assemblages.Location: Mountain ranges in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Methods:We compiled a dataset with the composition of phyllostomid bat assemblages at 32 forested sites, ranging from 60 m to 1,960 m a.s.l. We quantified how abundance and diversity changed along this elevational gradient, and assessed the capacity of each species to be present and abundant at each elevation, identifying traits that may influence that capacity.Results: Abundance and species diversity declined markedly with increasing elevation. Tolerance to low temperatures, low habitat specialization and cave roosting facilitated success at higher elevations. Owing to trait filtering, and to changes in resource availability with elevation, assemblages were progressively dominated by a smaller number of mostly generalist species as elevation increased. Higher elevations harbour only a subset of the species that are present in the lowland forest, with no mountain specialized species. Main conclusions:High mountains harbour phyllostomid assemblages that are impoverished subsets of those at lower elevations. Phyllostomids have a tropical origin and may thus have a low potential to adapt to montane forest environments, which possibly explains the observed climatic trait filtering. Habitat filtering is also important, keeping forest specialists mostly at lowest elevations. Protected areas in the Atlantic Forest are mostly limited to mountains. While these areas are clearly important to protect biodiversity, including phyllostomid assemblages, it is now critical to protect and restore the few remnants of lower elevation Atlantic Forest where higher productivity and resource levels, increased complexity of vertical structure, and fewer climatic constraints favour the success of a wider range of phyllostomid bat species of tropical origin. K E Y

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We studied infestation rates and parasite-host associations between streblid flies and phyllostomid bats in an Atlantic Forest area of Rio de Janeiro state, southeastern Brazil. We captured 301 individuals from seven Phyllostomidae bat species. Out of that total, 69 bats had been parasitised by nine Streblidae species; the most frequent species were Trichobius joblingi and Trichobius tiptoni. The species Paraeuctenodes longipes, associated with Anoura geoffroyi, was the most frequent species. The highest mean intensity was observed for Paraeuctenodes longipes, associated with A. geoffroyi, and Paratrichobius longicrus associated with Artibeus lituratus, both ectoparasite species with a mean intensity of five individuals per bat. Trichobius joblingi exhibited the highest mean abundance, which was over three on its host species. Streblid richness in the study area was similar to the richness found in other studies carried out in the Atlantic Forest. We observed that streblid richness in this biome depends more on inherent characteristics of each physiognomy and on the host-species than on the sampling effort.

Here we report the first records of the vespertilionid bat Histiotus montanus in southeastern Brazil. A male was found sheltering under a rock and collected by hand in the Serra do Papagaio State Park, Aiuruoca municipality, state of Minas Gerais. The taxonomic aspects of this species are discussed, and measurements of the sample are provided.

A first survey of mite species that ectoparasitize bats in the states of Ceará and Mato Grosso was conducted. The specimens of bats and their mites were collected in areas of the Caatinga and Pantanal biomes. A total of 450 spinturnicids representing two genera and ten species was collected from 15 bat species in the Private Reserve of the Natural Patrimony Serra das Almas, Ceará State, Northeast Brazil and 138 spinturnicids represented by two genera and four species were found in seven bats species collected in Private Reserve of the Natural Patrimony Sesc Pantanal, Mato Grosso State, Central-Western Brazil. The occurrence of Cameronieta genus and the species Mesoperiglischrus natali as well as four new associations (Periglischrus iheringi -Chiroderma vizottoi; P. micronycteridis -Micronycteris sanborni; P. paracutisternus -Trachops cirrhosus; Spinturnix americanus -Myotis riparius) are registered for the first time in Brazil.Keywords: Periglischrus, Mesoperiglischrus, Cameronieta, Caatinga, Pantanal, Brazil. ResumoÁcaros ectoparasitos de morcegos são reportados pela primeira vez para os Estados do Ceará e Mato Grosso. Os espécimes de morcegos com seus ectoparasitos foram coletados em áreas dos biomas Caatinga e Pantanal. Foi coletado o total de 450 espinturnicídeos representados por dois gêneros e dez espécies sobre 15 espécies de morcegos na Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural Serra das Almas, Ceará, Nordeste Brasileiro e em sete espécies de morcegos coletadas na Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural Sesc Pantanal, Mato Grosso, Centro-Oeste Brasileiro foram encontrados 138 espinturnicídeos representados por dois gêneros e quatro espécies. A ocorrência do gênero Cameronieta e da espécie Mesoperiglischrus natali, além de quatro novas associações (P. iheringi -Chiroderma vizottoi; Periglischrus micronycteridis -Micronycteris sanborni; P. paracutisternus -Trachops cirrhosus; Spinturnix americanus -Myotis riparius) são registradas pela primeira vez no Brasil.

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Normally, the Phyllostomidae bat community varies in number of individuals depending on food availability, which in turn varies with changes in annual rainfall. The aims of this study were to list species of Phyllostomidae bats in Curió Municipal Natural Park located in the municipality of Paracambi, state of Rio de Janeiro, southeastern Brazil, and determine possible differences in species richness, abundance and composition between rainy and dry seasons. Sampling was carried out between September 2011 and August 2012 with the use of mist nets. The total sampling effort was 51,840 m 2 h, and 745 individuals of 18 bat species were caught. Myotis riparius (Vespertilionidae) was the only non-Phyllostomidae species caught. Artibeus lituratus and Carollia perspicillata were the most abundant species. The collector curve did not become stabilized, with 21 ± 2 phyllostomid species being estimated for the park. No significant difference in species richness or change in the community composition was found between seasons; however a higher number of individuals was captured in the rainy season. The occurrence of specie indicator of goodquality habitats (Chrotopterus auritus, Micronycteris microtis and Trachops cirrhosus) and species threatened with extinction (Chiroderma doriae and Dermanura cinerea) indicate that the park is an important forest remnant for the conservation of bats and needs to be monitored.