Bat diversity in three roosts in the Coast region of Oaxaca, México

Abstract

In this paper, we analyze the richness, abundance, diversity and trophic guilds in a mine (La Mina) and two caves (El Apanguito and Cerro Huatulco) in the municipalities of Pluma Hidalgo and Santa María Huatulco, in the state of Oaxaca, México, a state with high species richness of bats nationwide. Fieldwork was conducted from July 2016 to June 2017. Using a harp trap, we captured 5,836 bats belonging to 14 species, 10 genera and five families. The greatest species richness was found in Cerro Huatulco (12 species), followed by La Mina (nine species) and El Apanguito (four species). Overall, the most abundant species were Pteronotus fulvus (40.59% of captures) and Pteronotus mesoamericanus (32.01%). Half of the species captured corresponded to the insectivore trophic guild. Results show that the three roosts, but particularly Cerro Huatulco and El Apanguito, maintain high species richness and abundances of individuals due to processes that favor colonies of thousands of individuals. We therefore argue that they represent priority roosts for the conservation of bats in the State of Oaxaca.

Estimation of bat colony size even with low recapture rates: an example based on the Cormack-Jolly-Seber model in Oaxaca, México

“…The total estimated number of bats in the three studied roosts was 20 105, with higher concentrations in El Apanguito (13 615 individuals) and Cerro Huatulco (4 074 individuals). These estimations, together with high species richness, reproduction processes, and occupation dynamics between these roosts (Hernández-Aguilar & Santos-Moreno, 2020a;Hernández-Aguilar & Santos-Moreno, 2020b), allow us to propose these sites as Bat Protection and Conservation Areas in Mexico. We also recommend continuing to monitor the bat populations of these sites and, if possible, implementing other methods to evaluate the accuracy of our estimations.…”

“…The entrances to La Mina are 3 m high and 2 m wide, for El Apanguito it is 1.20 x 1.5 m and at Cerro Huatulco it is 10 x 15 m. The Mine contains water for most of the year and only Cerro Huatulco has four chambers, the remaining two have only one chamber. A complete description of the roosting sites can be found in Hernández-Aguilar & Santos- Moreno (2020a;2020b). The climate is hot subhumid with rainfall in the summer and the main vegetation in the zone is medium semi-evergreen forest with coffee plantations (Trejo, 2004;OEIDRUS, 2005).…”

“…The roosts evaluated in this study had not been previously explored, so there are no previous studies that indicated the high diversity of species that the three roosts harbor. However, the results of the diversity (richness and abundance) of the three refuges have been published recently (Hernández-Aguilar & Santos-Moreno, 2020a), so work will continue so that the three sites are considered important sites for bat populations from Mexico. Therefore, the objective of this study was to estimate the colony size of 14 bat species that were recorded throughout one year in a mine and two caves.…”