Abstract
Phyllostomus hastatus bat is species broadly distributed over the Neotropical region, which uses as diurnal roosts caves, hollow trees, palm leaves and human buildings. Thirteen diurnal roosts of P. hastatus were analysed from 1990 to 2009 in several localities of Rio de Janeiro State, regarding environment (rural, urban or protected area), type of roost (hollow tree, basement or roof), sex ratio and cohabitation. A nocturnal roost was also analysed. Sex ratio of P. hastatus varied considerably among roosts what may be explained by the fact this species can roost alone, in couples, in harems or in groups of bachelor males. Phyllostomus hastatus was observed in cohabitation with three other species: Molossus rufus, Molossus molossus and Myotis nigricans. Due to the frequency of cohabitation observed between P. hastatus and species of the genus Molossus, one or more advantages for the members of this association may be expected. The simultaneous usage of a feeding roost by a group of bachelor males is unknown information in the literature, and may suggest that this kind of group may interact with each other even when away from their diurnal roosts.
Highlights
Phyllostomus hastatus (Pallas, 1767) is a bat species broadly distributed over the Neotropical region, which occurs from southern Belize to northern Argentina (Santos et al, 2003)
The objective of the present study was to record the composition of groups of P. hastatus inside diurnal roosts and in one nocturnal roost, relating the environment type, the structure used, sex ratio, cohabitation and a variation of the number of bats in a roof sampled at monthly intervals are presented
The diurnal roosts of P. hastatus observed in Rio de Janeiro state were located in conservation units, urban and rural environments, comprising hollow trees and human buildings (Table 1)
Summary
Phyllostomus hastatus (Pallas, 1767) is a bat species broadly distributed over the Neotropical region, which occurs from southern Belize to northern Argentina (Santos et al, 2003). Phyllostomus hastatus is considered a big sized species (>100 g), being the second heaviest species in Neotropical Region and has an omnivorous diet (McNab and Morrison, 1963; Gardner, 1977; Simmons and Voss, 1998; LaVal and Rodríguez-Herrera, 2002; Santos et al, 2003; Oprea et al, 2006) Individuals of this species use as diurnal roosts caves, hollow trees, palm leaves and human buildings (Peracchi et al, 1984; Patterson, 1992; Pinto-da-Rocha, 1995; Ascorra et al, 1996; Trajano and Gimenez, 1998; Bredt et al, 1999; Esbérard et al, 1999; Esbérard, 2001; Esbérard et al, 2005) and may be found sharing huge roosts with over 15 different bat species Biol., 2010, vol 70, no. 4, p. 1047-1053 their diurnal roosts couples, harems of over 100 females, groups of bachelor males and sole individuals may be found (McCraken and Bradbury, 1981; McCracken and Wilkinson, 2000; Esbérard, 2001)
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