First record of albinism in a mustached bat (Chiroptera, Mormoopidae) from South America

Abstract

Chromatic alterations, including albinism, are rare in wild animals. In bats, at least 160 cases of albinism have been recorded in individuals from ten families. For Mormoopidae, a single case of albinism and two cases of piebaldism are known in the world. This paper documents the first case of albinism in Mormoopidae in South America, which represents the first record of pigmentation alteration in Wagner's mustached bat, Pteronotus personatus (Wagner, 1843) throughout its range. We provide a discussion on the impacts of interaction in roosts on fitness and survival of albino individuals.