Activity Patterns of Neotropical Bats (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) in Guerrero, Mexico

Abstract

Glossophaga soricina, Artibeus jamaicensis, Artibeus lituratus, and Artibeus phaeotis were studied under natural conditions in the Costa Grande region of Guerrero, Mexico, and data were gathered on diversity, monthly variation, capture-recapture frequency, and activity patterns of the bat community. The species diversity index was 1.505. Glossophaga soricina was abundant from May through July, Artibeus jamaicensis was abundant in November and December, Artibeus lituratus from September to January, and Artibeus phaeotis in September thru November. In general, large bats (A. jamaicensis and A. lituratus) were recaptured no more than twice, but small ones (G. soricina and A. phaeotis) were recaptured up to three to five times. We recaptured 5.8% of A. jamaicensis, 9.6% of A. lituratus, 11.6% of G. soricina, and 23.4% of A. phaeotis. Animals recaptured on the same night that they were banded constituted 34.5% of the recaptures. Glossophaga soricina and A. phaeotis were recaptured in the same locality where they were banded. The first 5 h after sunset yielded 58.2% of the captures, and the remaining 41.8% was obtained in the following 8 h. Considerable attention has been given to the community structure and composition of tropical bat faunas (LaVal, 1970; Fleming et al., 1972; LaVal and Fitch, 1977). However, these studies have only rarely included diversity and activity patterns as factors influencing the structure and function of the community. We studied the structure of a tropical bat community in a banana grove and coconut plantation and analyzed various factors including the average number of recaptures, nightly and monthly activity, and changes of species diversity throughout the year.