Biological Studies of Selected Peruvian Bats of Tingo Maria, Departamento de Huanuco

Abstract

Activity and reproductive patterns of 22 species of subtropical rainforest bats of eastern Peru were sampled in the dry season (July). Studies were conducted in cave, field, and forest (bosque) habitats and evidence of potential reproduction is presented for 20 of the species. Two species, Pteronotus personatus and Chirotopterus auritus, were not previously reported from Peru. Several recent studies in South America have dealt with Peruvian mammals-especially bats (Davis and Dixon, 1976; Gardner, 1976; Tuttle, 1970). In a few cases, collections were made in the vicinity of Tingo Maria, Departamento de Hu'anuco, the locality of the present study (Rouk and Carter, 1972; Gardner and Carter, 1972). Our study extended from 5 July to August 1976, during the dry season. Tingo Maria, elevation 670 m, lies within the subtropical forest of the east Andean Foothills and in the drainage of the Rio Huallaga (see Dourojeanni and Tovar, 1972, and Sherbrooke, 1975, for descriptive details). In this study, conducted simultaneously with an investigation of the oilbird (Steatornis caripensis), 286 bats of 22 species were handled, in most cases captured by mist net or Tuttle trap. Voucher specimens are housed in the Joseph Moore Museum, Earlham College, Javier Prado Museum (Lima, Peru), and the Museo Zoologico del Universidad Nacional Agraria de la Selva (Tingo Maria, Peru). Linear dimensions of specimens are in millimeters and weights in grams and, except for palatal length (Pine, 1972), cranial measurements were taken according to Smith (1972). Crown-rump length measurements are of embryos within extra-embryonic membranes. This content downloaded from 207.46.13.113 on Thu, 06 Oct 2016 04:11:22 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms TRANSACTIONS OF THE KANSAS ACADEMY OF SCIENCES Potential breeding of males was inferred if post-mortem examination showed sperm present in enlarged cauda epididymal tubules (visible under .7 magnification of a Bausch and Lomb Stereozoom microscope) and testes were enlarged. In such cases, a breeding scale score of '3 was recorded. If cauda epididymal tubules were not visible and testes not enlarged, a score of 1 was given. A 2 was used to designate an intermediate reproductive condition. All bats were examined for ectoparasites which, when found, were preserved in 70% ETOH.