New reports of morphological anomalies in leaf-nosed bats (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) from Colombia

Abstract

Abstract Morphological anomalies in bats are rarely reported. We present new reports of three types of morphological anomalies (chromatic, wing, and ear) from specimens in a biological collection and from individuals captured during field sampling. We recorded piebaldism on seven individuals from six species: Carollia perspicillata, Glossophaga commissarisi, Hsunycteris thomasi, Phyllostomus elongatus, and Trachops cirrhosus from Guaviare collected in 2022, and Tonatia saurophila from Casanare collected in 2020. These represent three new reports for the continent (P. elongatus, G. commissarisi, and H. thomasi). We also recorded the broken digits anomaly on two individuals from two species: Platyrrhinus sp. and Sturnira sp. from Chocó collected in 2019. In addition, we found one case of the absence of pinnae and tragus in C. perspicillata from Santander collected in 2018; an absence not previously reported in bats. We encourage researchers to report their observations of bats with morphological anomalies, as this information could be useful in estimating occurrence rates and addressing questions about its effects on populations.