Use of roof as roost of Eumops perotis (Molossidae: Chiroptera) in southeast Brazil

Abstract

The bat Eumops perotis (Schinz, 1821) is broadly distributed in the Americas. Studies on its biology are still scarce and the few studies available are relatively outdated. In the present study, we describe the biology of Eumops perotis in an artificial roost in the municipality of Pindorama, State of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil, which was monitored for 12 months. We captured 50 individuals; 43 adults (34 males and 9 females) and seven juveniles (three males and four females). Nineteen adults were recaptured throughout the year (15 males and four females) during samplings. Males were ~33% heavier than females. Males remained in the roost throughout the year, while females were absent in June, July, and August. The presence of males with scrotal testes and pregnant females from July to November and the presence of pregnant females and pups from February to April suggest monoestry for this colony. Inside the roost, the behavior of E. perotis was similar to other molossid bats (e.g. contact posture, formation of groups, and presence of isolated males). During winter, the individuals of this colony consumed mostly coleopterans, but their diet also included orthopterans and lepidopterans, mainly in the summer. Therefore, this study contributes to increase the knowledge of the natural history of this species in the Neotropical region.

Substrate gleaning: Plasticity in the foraging and echolocation behavior of the batMolossus molossus

“…These observations reinforce that the legs of even poorly crawling bats are able to support the body's weight during walking (Riskin et al, 2005). A similar quadrupedal body posture has been observed for other species of molossid bats while moving within their roosts (i.e., Eumops perotis, Breviglieri & Esbérard, 2018) or when accessing roosts (i.e., Molossops temminckii and Molossus rufus, Breviglieri & Uieda, 2014). While most bats can make use of quadrupedal locomotion, the evolution of flight is thought to have imposed biomechanical trade-offs that made many bats poor walkers and may impose high metabolic requirements when moving on the ground (Riskin et al, 2005(Riskin et al, , 2016Voigt et al, 2012).…”

Going out for dinner—The consumption of agriculture pests by bats in urban areas

“…molossus and E . perotis collected from the urban areas of Colombia [ 72 ] and Brazil [ 73 ], respectively. In both studies, the feces of the bat species were checked with a stereomicroscope and found to have an abundance of food items related to Coleoptera.…”