Patagonian bats: new size limits, southernmost localities and updated distribution for Lasiurus villosissimus and Myotis dinellii (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae)

Abstract

Vespertilionid species are widely distributed in South America. They are highly diverse, with physiological and behavioral adaptations which allow them to extend their distributions into temperate areas. In Patagonia, this family is represented by seven species in three genera (Histiotus, Lasiurus and Myotis). In this study, we analyzed the distribution of two vespertilionid species, Lasiurus villosissimus and Myotis dinellii, including new southernmost records, and their relationship with environmental variables. Two different spatial scales were analyzed: a continental approach for species distribution analyses (South America), and local trapping of bats in northwestern Chubut province, Argentina. We present new southern limits for L. villosissimus and M. dinellii, and included new records for Patagonian bats. The big hoary bat L. villosissimus was recorded as the largest bat inhabiting Patagonia, relating it as a bat mainly inhabiting low, humid and temperate/warm areas. The little yellow bat M. dinellii, instead, is the smallest mammal and the smallest bat recorded in Patagonia to date, related mainly with dry, mid-altitude and temperate/warm areas.

Lasiurus villosissimus (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae)

“…Lasiurus villosissimus is the largest species of Lasiurus in South America (total length >90 mm, forearm length >50 mm—Giménez and Schiaffini 2020; Díaz et al 2021). Pelage is long (6.8 mm), soft, dense, and frosted.…”

“…Ventral coloration is similar to that of the dorsum, but the hairs are shorter, and the yellow bands are narrower; the hairs on the abdomen are bicolored, with wide dark brown bases and cream tips. The neck and upper part of the head are markedly yellow; the rostrum is dark, almost black (Barquez et al 1999; Muñoz Arango 2001; Van Cakenberghe 2019; Giménez and Schiaffini 2020). Yellow tufts are present at the base of the thumb, at the base of the 5th finger, and at the distal end of the forearm over the propatagium (Mann 1978; Barquez et al 1999).…”

“…Yellow tufts are present at the base of the thumb, at the base of the 5th finger, and at the distal end of the forearm over the propatagium (Mann 1978; Barquez et al 1999). Ears are small and rounded, with a black outer edge and yellow hairs on the inner margins and on the basal one-half of the outer surface of the pinnae (Mann 1978; Barquez et al 1999; Giménez and Schiaffini 2020). On the dorsum, the hairs extend to the sides of the body and fur completely covers the uropatagium, becoming less dense toward the distal edge (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire 1806; Barquez et al 1999).…”

Environmental Seasonality Regulates Community Evenness in Neotropical Bat Communities

“…By using average instead of total biomass, we decoupled the effects of abundance from body size. We used species biomass (mass in grams) reported in the literature (Wilson and LaVal, 1974;Mies et al, 1996;Reid, 1997;Bernard, 2001;Santos et al, 2003;Smith et al, 2003;Haynes and Lee, 2004;Canals et al, 2005;Ortega and Alarcón-D, 2008;Jones et al, 2009;Oprea et al, 2009;Tavares and Velazco, 2010;Moratelli et al, 2011;Tejedor, 2011;Nogueira et al, 2012;Barquez et al, 2017;Verde et al, 2017;Cardoso, 2018;Velazco and Patterson, 2019;Giménez and Schiaffini, 2020) or from individuals captured in some of the selected communities (Pillatti, Esberard, and Moratelli, personal communication). We used the R package vegetarian to calculate all evenness indices.…”

First record of Lasiurus (Aeorestes) villosissimus (É. Geoffroy St.-Hilaire, 1806) (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae) in San Juan province, Argentina

“…It is solitary and uses leaves and tree branches as refuges (Gardner and Handley 2007;Barquez and Díaz 2020). This species has long been considered a subspecies of L. cinereus (Beauvois, 1796) (Barquez et al 1999;Gardner and Handley 2007), but molecular studies by San Luis, Santa Fe, Santiago del Estero, and Tucumán (Barquez and Díaz 2020;Giménez and Schiaffini 2020;Fig. 1).…”