Roosting behavior and group stability of the big fruit-eating bat Artibeus lituratus (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae)

Abstract

The roosting behavior of the big fruit-eating bat, Artibeus lituratus (Phyllostomidae, Stenodermatinae) in an Andean region of Venezuela is described. Sixty-four video recordings made at three separate foliage roosts during 1 year showed that group size varied between two and 14 individuals. One male was regularly observed roosting with more females than others, and this male was associated with the highest quality roost, defined here as the highest, most structurally stable, and least disturbed. Males invariably occupied exclusive roosts during the study, whereas females frequently moved among adjacent roosts. The high roost fidelity of males appears to be related to the defense of the highest quality roosts. Because females were observed roosting with each of the three males present at the study site, female groups were considered unstable. We suggest that shuttling movements of individuals may reflect a commonly observed adaptation of foliage roosting bats related to the avoidance of predators and/or parasites. The type of male-female association observed in A. lituratus is consistent with a resource defense polygyny hypothesis.

Abundance responses of frugivorous bats (Stenodermatinae) to coffee cultivation and selective logging practices in mountainous central Veracruz, Mexico

“…depend on roosts in tall trees, and on the understory for food provision (Evelyn and Stiles 2003;Mello et al 2008), therefore individuals of these species may prefer forest fragments. In contrast, large frugivorous bats like A. jamaicensis and A. intermedius do not depend so heavily on big trees with holes to roost, as they can roost in palm fronds and the foliage of canopy and subcanopy trees (Ortega and Castro-Arellano 2001;Evelyn and Stiles 2003;Muñoz-Romo et al 2008). The ability of Artibeus species to use a variety of habitats, including shade coffee plantations, can be attributed to their long-distance movements and their broader diet (Ortega and Castro-Arellano 2001;Galindo-González 1998;Bernard and Fenton 2003;Gorresen and Willig 2004).…”

The dynamics of tent‐roosts in the palm Sabal mauritiiformis and their use by bats in a montane dry forest

“…) and A. lituratus in the New World (Muñoz‐Romo et al . ) return to their roosts between foraging trips and have smaller feeding ranges than females, which may be a roost defense mechanism. This hypothesis requires that females identify the tent‐building male and keep track of how many tents he has built or is defending and their quality.…”

“…The potential for polygyny is related to the fidelity of females to roosting sites and whether they move among roosts with males, at least within a limited area dominated by a male (Kunz & Lumsden 2003, Campbell et al 2006, because these sites become crucial resources for breeding females (Hodgkison et al 2003). Males of Balionycteris maculata in the Old World (Hodgkison et al 2003) and A. lituratus in the New World (Muñoz-Romo et al 2008) return to their roosts between foraging trips and have smaller feeding ranges than females, which may be a roost defense mechanism. This hypothesis requires that females identify the tent-building male and keep track of how many tents he has built or is defending and their quality.…”

Polydactyly in the largest New World fruit bat, Artibeus lituratus

“…In contrast, A. lituratus roosts under dense canopies in small harems (3–17 individuals) defended by the harem males against external conspecifics (Fischer & Fischer 1995). Harem males occupy exclusive roosts but females frequently move among adjacent roosts or to those of different harem males (Muñoz‐Romo et al. 2008).…”