Does frugivory in Citharexylum solanaceum (Verbenaceae) drive nomadism in the Ipanema bat Pygoderma bilabiatum (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae)?

Abstract

Neotropical bats are recognized as effective seed dispersers, especially of small-seeded pioneer plants during early stages of forest regeneration. There had been few reports on the ecology of the bat Pygodermabilabiatum (Wagner, 1843), which appears to be mainly frugivorous and to undertake vertical migrations in Brazil. Our analyzes of fecal samples of P.bilabiatum specimens captured in mist nets and direct observations of their feeding behavior on Citharexylumsolanaceum Cham. fruits in a mosaic of restored forests and forest fragments in southeastern Brazil constitute one of the few records of consumption of large-seeded fruits by P.bilabiatum, and indicate that it may be an important disperser for large-seeded plants. We found evidence that the temporal availability of those fruits may influence the movement ecology of those bats.

Dietary affinities, resource overlap and core structure in Atlantic Forest phyllostomid bat communities

“…Typically, the only dietary constituent encountered in the intestinal tract of or defecated by Pygoderma bilabiatum is fruit pulp (Myers 1981). Indeed, in quantitative studies, the amount of pulp in the diet of Pygoderma bilabiatum ranged from 33% to 100% (Passos et al 2003, Passos de Lima 2008, Scultori & Silva 2018, Stevens & Amarilla‐Stevens 2021). Of two large samples from eastern Paraguay, 97% and 99% of samples, from 116 and 105 individuals, respectively, contained only fruit pulp (Stevens & Amarilla‐Stevens 2021).…”

“…Of two large samples from eastern Paraguay, 97% and 99% of samples, from 116 and 105 individuals, respectively, contained only fruit pulp (Stevens & Amarilla‐Stevens 2021). As a result, investigators have assumed that Pygoderma bilabiatum consumes primarily fruits with large seeds, which has been documented (Scultori & Silva 2018). Across Atlantic Forest, while the species is relatively rare, evidence of consumption of small‐seeded fruits and their seeds by Pygoderma bilabiatum is amassing (Perrachi & Albuquerque 1971, Faria 1997, Passos et al 2003).…”