Reproductive pattern of the large fruit-eating bat, Artibeus amplus (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) in the Venezuelan Andes

Abstract

Bimodal polyestry is the most common reproductive pattern in tropical bats, and it consists in producing one offspring per female twice a year. Reproductive patterns are closely related to rainfall regimes, frequently occurring twice a year in tropical regions. The goal of our study was to determine the reproductive pattern of the large fruit-eating bat, Artibeus amplus Handley, 1987 in a cave in the Venezuelan Andes inhabited by a large, stable colony. Thus, in this study we describe for the first time this important biological aspect of this unknown Neotropical bat species through the examination of external reproductive characteristics of males (inguinal or scrotal testes) and females (pregnant, lactating, post-lactating), based on 211 individuals (120 males and 91 females) captured between September 2008 and August 2009, in Cueva del Parque Las Escaleras, Estado Táchira, Venezuela. During this period of monthly sampling for a full year, most males displayed large scrotal testes, averaging 10 mm maximum length. The examination of females indicated that although pregnancy was first observed in November 2008, it reached a maximum during January and February 2009. Although adult males with scrotal testes throughout the year could imply that females have more than one pregnancy, our results suggested a seasonally monoestrous reproductive pattern for A. amplus. This study represents the first report of reproductive pattern for this poorly-known Neotropical frugivorous species. The observed monoestrous reproductive pattern supports the existence of synchronization between precipitation and reproduction. This synchronization has been frequently observed in most species of fruit bats. In this study, Artibeus amplus presumably adjust the parturition to anticipate the rainy season, as a strategy that allows maintenance of offspring during high availability of fruits. Rev. Biol. Trop. 65 (1): 335-344. Epub 2017 March 01.

Effect of forestry (Pinus sp.) on the bat community (Mammalia: Chiroptera) in Neotropical region

“…Inferences in nearby areas can also be corroborated by the lack of significance in beta diversity. Foraging behaviour and the movement of bat species can be affected by (i) spatio-temporal variation in food resources (Cisneros et al 2015b) and/or (ii) seasonal differences in the time and energy requirements linked to reproduction (Cisneros et al 2015b;Ruiz-Ramoni et al 2017).…”

Review of chromatic disorder in the genus Artibeus (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae), with new data for A. lituratus (Olfers, 1818)

“…Although rare in nature, such anomaly phenotypes have already been documented in several species of mammals worldwide (Brito & Valdivieso-Bermeo 2016;Talamoni et al 2017). In the order Chiroptera, albinism, leucism, and piebaldism are known to occur, documented in species from different families (Boada & Tirira 2010;Sánchez-Hernández et al 2012;Muñoz-Romo et al 2014;Lucati & López-Baucells 2017).…”