In Brazil, restingas are under severe human-induced impacts resulting in habitat degradation and loss and remain one of the less frequently studied ecosystems. The main objectives of the present study are to describe the bat community in a restinga in Paulo Cesar Vinha State Park, Guarapari municipality, state of Espírito Santo, southeastern Brazil. Fieldwork was conducted twice a month from August 2004 to September 2005. A total sampling effort of 40,300 m 2 /h, represents the largest sampling effort for sampling bats in restingas to date. Bats were sampled in five different vegetational types in the area. Captured bats were processed recording information on species, sex, age, forearm length and weight. Shannon Diversity and Jaccard indexes were used to analyse diversity and similarity among habitats in the Park. A total of 554 captures belonging to 14 species and two families were obtained. Noctilio leporinus was recorded through direct observation and an ultra-sound detector also registered the presence of individuals from the family Molossidae, without being possible to distinguish it at specific level. Frugivores were the most representative guild. Richness was higher in Clusia shrubs (11 species) and Caraís lagoon (10 species). Shannon diversity index was estimated at H' = 1.43 for the overall sample, with Caraís lagoon representing the most diverse habitat (H' = 1.60). The greater similarity (J = 0.714) was observed for the two areas under high human influence.
Faunal mortality from roadkill has a negative impact on global biodiversity, and bats are among the roadkilled animals. In South America, the Atlantic Forest covers southeastern Brazil, a region which sustains a large bat diversity. In this biome, the Sooretama reserves are crossed by the federal highway BR-101, one of the busiest in Brazil. We analyzed bats roadkilled along the 25 km stretch of highway that crosses the Sooretama reserves. Data were collected between the years 2010 and 2015. In total, 773 individuals distributed among 47 bat species were roadkilled during this period. The insectivorous feeding guild was the most affected, accounting for 25 species and 74% of the recorded roadkill, and those flying in the open area were the most frequently roadkilled (41.9%). Bat mortality rates did not differ between months of the year. However, the relation between rainy days and roadkill was negative. Monitoring by foot was more efficient than by car for detection of bat carcasses. Radars with a speed limit below 60 km/h reduced the rates of roadkill. The diversity of deceased bats found in this study represents 40% of the known species in the Atlantic Forest, and is the largest among current studies of species killed on highways globally. The present study raises concerns about the high diversity and abundance of roadkilled insectivorous bats and the conservation of these animals in the Neotropical region.
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.
Sucker-footed bats from the family Myzopodidae that have adhesive disks similar in appearance, however with different anatomical and evolutionary origins (i.e., they evolved convergently) (Riskin and Fenton 2001; Boada et al. 2010; Schliemann and Goodman 2011). Furthermore, thyropterids have an elongated, slender muzzle; circular and well-separated nares; small size (forearm length = 31-41 mm); funnel-shaped ears; and the third and fourth toes, including the claws, are fused (Wilson 2008). The Patricia's Disk-winged bat Thyroptera wynneae was recently described by Velazco et al. (2014) from material collected in northeastern Peru and southeastern Brazil, and is one of the smallest members of the genus (forearm length = 33.0-34.2 mm). Thyroptera wynneae and T. discifera overlap in size, but can be separated by the tricolored ventral pelage of the former, unique within the genus, as T. discifera and T. tricolor have unicolored ventral pelage, and T. devivoi and T. lavali, bicolored ventral pelage (Wilson 1978; Velazco et al. 2014). The overall coloration of the pelage is grayish brown in T. devivoi, yellowish brown in T. discifera, medium brown in T. lavali, white or whitish in T. tricolor, and light brown in T. wynneae. Unique to T. wynneae is the rostrum considerably shorter than the braincase; and the height of the lower incisors, which are subequal compared to differently sized lower incisors in the remaining thyropterids (Velazco et al. 2014).
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