Mormoops Megalophylla Research Articles

A New Spirurid (Nematoda) Parasite from Mormoopid Bats in Mexico

A new nematode species, Spirura mexicana n. sp., is described from specimens recovered from the esophageal mucosa of the Parnell's mustached bat Pteronotus parnellii , Davy's naked-backed bat Pteronotus davyi, Wagner's mustached bat Pteronotus personatus, and the ghost-faced bat Mormoops megalophylla in the State of Morelos, Mexico. This nematode is characterized by having a relatively short prostoma, 5-6 pairs of caudal papillae, and a smooth distal end of the tail in females. This is the first species of Spirura described from bats in the New World.

Registros nuevos de murciélagos para el Centro de Investigaciones Costeras La Mancha, Actopan, Veracruz

We report 8 new records of bats for the Centro de Investigaciones Costeras La Mancha (CICOLMA), located in the coastal zone of Actopan, Veracruz, Mexico, accounting for a total of 23 species. The new records belong to Phyllostomidae (Artibeus intermedius, Chiroderma villosum, Uroderma bilobatum, Centurio senex, Leptonycteris curasoae), Mormoopidae (Mormoops megalophylla) and Vespertilionidae (Myotis fortidens, Myotis velifera) families. The conservation efforts of the CICOLMA biological station are important, because in spite of its small area, it keeps an important bat diversity from the coastal region of Veracruz.

Tropical and western influences in vertebrate faunas from the Pliocene and Pleistocene of Florida

Extralimital and extinct species of birds and mammals with either tropical or western affinities are characteristic of numerous Florida Pliocene and Pleistocene vertebrate faunas. These sites document nonanalog or disharmonious faunas, recording the association of certain genera or species that are no longer sympatric, in particular taxa now restricted to drier habitats in western North America or tropical habitats in Middle America occurring together with species still found in Florida and the southeastern United States. Extralimital or extinct taxa of western origin in Florida Plio-Pleistocene nonanalog faunas include: the mammals Antrozous, Lepus, Spermophilus, Thomomys, and Baiomys; and the birds Gymnogyps californianus, Teratornis merriami, Aquila chrysaetos, Tympanuchus cupido, two species of Glaucidium, and Pica pica. A large influx of tropical species occurred in Florida late Blancan and early Irvingtonian sites, primarily consisting of taxa of South American origin involved in the Great American Biotic Interchange. Besides large Interchange mammals, other mammals with tropical affinities now extinct or extralimital to Florida include: the bats Desmodus archaeodaptes, Desmodus stocki, Mormoops megalophylla, Pteronotus pristinus, and Eumops underwoodi, the carnivores Leopardus pardalis, Leopardus wiedii, Panthera onca, two species of Conepatus, and Tremarctos floridanus, and the peccary Pecari. Tropical birds in Florida Plio-Pleistocene faunas include the extralimital Tachybaptus dominicus, Laterallus exilis, Jacana spinosa, Buteogallus urubitinga, Milvago chimachima, Vanellus chilensis, and Ceryle torquata; as well as several extinct species including Titanis walleri, a chachalaca (Family Cracidae), Amplibuteo concordatus, Spizaetus grinnelli, and Cremaster tytthus. These tropical and western taxa indicate the presence of biogeographic corridors during Plio-Pleistocene glacial intervals that connected the Florida peninsula to both the arid western United States and tropical Middle America. A mosaic of desert grassland and savanna habitats intermixed with wetlands apparently extended eastward from the arid Southwest through Texas and along a southeastern corridor to the Florida peninsula. A Gulf Coast savanna corridor supporting savanna and thorn scrub habitats probably existed during glacial low sea level stands on the exposed continental shelf and coastal plain along the northern margin of the Gulf of Mexico, connecting the Florida peninsula with Mexico and Central America. The occurrence of both tropical and western taxa in some of the same faunas strongly indicates that these distributional patterns were contemporaneous and corresponded to climatic conditions and vegetational associations that no longer exist in Florida.

Doppler-shift compensation behavior by Wagner’s mustached bat, Pteronotus personatus

Doppler-shift compensation behavior (DSC) is a highly specialized vocal response displayed by bats that emit pulses with a prominent constant frequency (CF) component and adjust the frequency of their CF component to compensate for flight-speed induced Doppler shifts in the frequency of the returning echoes. DSC has only been observed in one member of the Neotropical Mormoopidae, a family of bats that use pulses with prominent CF components, leading researchers to suspect that DSC is a uniquely derived trait in the single species Pteronotus parnellii. Yet recent phylogenetic data indicate that the lineage of P. parnellii originates from the most basal node in the evolutionary history of the genus Pteronotus. DSC behavior was investigated in another member of this family, Pteronotus personatus, because molecular data indicated that this species stems from the second most basal node in Pteronotus. DSC was tested for by swinging the bats on a pendulum. P. personatus performed DSC as well as P. parnellii under identical conditions. Two other closely related mormoopids, Pteronotus davyi and Mormoops megalophylla, were also tested and neither shifted the peak frequency of their pulses. These results shed light on the evolutionary history of DSC among the mormoopids.

MURCIÉLAGOS DE LA SIERRA TARAHUMARA, CHIHUAHUA, MÉXICO

Se actualizó el inventario de los murciélagos de la Sierra Tarahumara con base en colectas realizadas entre 2001 y 2004, el examen de ejemplares de colección, así como en información bibliográfica. Cuatro especies se registran por primera vez para el estado de Chihuahua (Dermanura azteca, D. tolteca, Myotis fortidens, Nyctinomops aurispinosus), cuatro por segunda vez (Balantiopteryx plicata, Mormoops megalophylla, Choeronycteris mexicana, Sturnira lilium) y tres se documentan por primera vez para esta porción de la Sierra Madre Occidental (Myotis auriculus, M. thysanodes, Tadarida brasiliensis), llevando el número de especies conocidas a 31. Los registros disponibles sugieren que las cañadas de la Sierra Madre Occidental funcionan como corredores a lo largo de los cuales hay movimientos de las faunas de ambientes templados a tropicales y viceversa.

Surveying bats for conservation: the status of cave‐dwelling bats on Curaçao from 1993 to 2003

AbstractIn view of their ecological importance and the abundance of threats on a developing Caribbean island, we surveyed the bats of Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles, and examined changes in the populations of seven threatened species over a decade, using previously published data as a baseline for comparison. The most important caves for bats (in terms of species representation and reproduction) were visited yearly, and monthly in 2001. Noctilio leporinus still occurs on the island, but does not appear to be numerous (six observed in 2003). We captured Myotis nesopolus nesopolus, but its roosting sites remain unknown. Leptonycteris curasoae curasoae numbers varied greatly, even within a year, and it may travel to and from other islands and Venezuela. Overall, however, the population of this species on Curaçao seems to be declining (1000 in 1993 and 625 in 2003); the disappearance of this pollinator could have severe consequences for the Curaçao ecosystem. Mormoops megalophylla intermedia is declining as well; in 2003, we counted 403 individuals including 75 pups, from 500 to 600 adults in the 10 previous years, representing a 25–30% decline in 1 year. We estimated the population of Natalus tumidirostris to be 890 in 2003. We also found a group of 60 Pteronotus davyi in Kueba di Ratón in 2003. Glossophaga longirostris elongata (1417 individuals counted) is the only species for which our data indicate relative stability over 10 years; L. curasoae and Mor. megalophylla are declining and other species must be monitored closely. Most caves are disturbed; four major caves require attention for the conservation of the most fragile species. Without immediate attention, Mor. megalophylla, in particular, risks imminent extinction. Despite problems associated with bat counts on Curaçao, it is clear that regular surveys are crucial to understand bat populations and their fluctuations in caves, and to allow management responses to declines, particularly for areas undergoing rapid urbanization.

Observations on the vomeronasal organ of Pteronotus macleayii and Pteronotus quadridens (Chiroptera: Mormoopidae) / Observations sur l'organe voméronasal de Pteronotus macleayii et Pteronotus quadridens (Chiroptères: Mormoopidae)

New observations on the morphology of the vomeronasal organ (VNO) of Pteronotus macleayii and P. quadridens indicate that of the six known species of the genus Pteronotus, four (parnellii, gymnonotus, macleayii, and quadridens) are endowed with a functional VNO, whereas P. personatus is not, and information is lacking on the sixth species, P. davyi. Such incongruity of a conservative structure like the VNO within the genus Pteronotus is unexpected. Among the remaining mormoopids, Mormoops megalophylla has a rudimentary VNO, but observations on the VNO of M. blainvillii are required before discussion of the VNO of the genus Mormoops can be undertaken.

FLIGHT SPEEDS OF FOUR SPECIES OF NEOTROPICAL BATS

Flight speeds of Davy's naked-backed bat (Pteronotus davyi), Wagner's mustached bat (P. personatus), Parnell's mustached bat (P. parnellii), and Peter's leaf-chinned bat (Mormoops megalophylla) were studied in Colima, Mexico, during January 2000. Bats were assessed in a simulated cave passage cleared in a dense thorn forest. Rates of travel over a known distance were measured using stopwatches. Individual flight speeds varied from 7.4 (female P. davyi) to 30.6 km/h (male M. megalophylla); mean flight speeds ranged from 11.3 (male P. davyi) to 19.1 km/h (female P. parnellii). There was a positive correlation between mean forearm length and mean flight speed. Larger bats flew faster than smaller ones. Results of this investigation provide the first report of flight speed for female P. davyi (13.1 km/h) and extend our knowledge concerning the flight speeds of other taxa studied.

Bat ectoparasites from the Trans-Pecos region of Texas, including notes from Big Bend National Park.

Ectoparasites of 13 species of molossid, mormoopid, and vespertilionid bats from the Trans-Pecos region of Texas were studied, as follows: Antrozous pallidus (LeConte), Corynorhinus townsendii (Cooper), Eptesicus fuscus (Palisot de Beauvois), Lasiurus cinereus (Palisot de Beauvois), Mormoops megalophylla (Peters), Myotis thysanodes G. S. Miller, Myotis velifer (J. A. Allen), Myotis volans (H. Allen), Myotis yumanensis (H. Allen), Nyctinomops femorosaccus (Merriam), Nyctinomops macrotis (Gray), Pipistrellus hesperus (H. Allen), and Tadarida brasiliensis (I. Geof. St.-Hilaire). The bats were netted, examined for ectoparasites and released. Ectoparasites recovered included three species of flea, three species of streblid, three species of nycteribiid, two species of cimicid, two species of tick, and 17 species of mite. New ectoparasite records are given for hosts in seven instances and for the Trans-Pecos region of Texas in three instances.

Environmental conditions favoring bat infection with Histoplasma capsulatum in Mexican shelters.

Histoplasma capsulatum was isolated from gut, lung, liver, and spleen of 17 of 208 captured bats belonging to 6 different genera and species. Three of the 17 infected bats were from the State of Guerrero and 14 were from the State of Morelos. All were adult bats: 6 males (1 Pteronotus parnellii, 2 Natalus stramineus, 2 Artibeus hirsutus, and 1 Leptonycteris nivalis) and 11 females (1 Myotis californicus, 1 Mormoops megalophylla, 8 A. hirsutus, and 1 L. nivalis). High rates of bat infection with H. capsulatum were found in the monitored sites of the State of Morelos. Histoplasma infection of N. stramineus, A. hirsutus, and L. nivalis should be considered as the first records in the world. The fungus isolated from infected bats was identified by its typical mycelial-phase morphology and by its yeast-phase conversion. Exoantigen production confirmed the fungal identification by the presence of specific precipitation lines in double immunodiffusion assays using human immune serum. Histopathologic studies showed intracellular yeast-like cells compatible with H. capsulatum yeast-phase in tissues of several bats, especially in pulmonary (intra-alveolar and septal) macrophages, with none or minimal tissue reaction. In contrast to past reports, present data support a high risk of bat infection with H. capsulatum in Mexican cave environments.

Babesia sp. in Colombian bats (Microchiroptera).

Two leaf-chinned bats (Mormoops megalophylla) collected in 1963 in central Colombia were heavily infected with Babesia sp., probably Babesia vesperuginis. Both bats had pronounced splenomegaly. This is the first report of a Babesia sp. infection of a bat in the Americas.

The status of bats on Curaçao

The bat population of the island of Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles, was surveyed in 1992 and 1993. The 1993 survey concentrated mostly on caves, which were found to host most of the bats. Glossophaga longirostris elongata was the most abundant species with fewer than 2000 individuals encountered. However, this species may also be found in small groups in buildings and caves that were not censused. More critical is the status of the other six species found on the island: Leptonycteris curasoae (800–1000), Mormoops megalophylla intermedia (570–650), Natalus tumidirostris (50–60), and three species for which the number of individuals is unknown and probably low: Myotis nesopolus, Pteronotus davyi and Noctilio leporinus. Three caves contain all of the above species, except N. leporinus, and should be actively protected. Two species expected to be present on Curaçao, Artibeus jamaicensis and Molossus pygmaeus, were not found. The apparent decrease in bat numbers this century is likely a result of uncontrolled cave disturbance and removal of resources through development. I propose that all species be considered endangered on the island of Curaçao, except for Glossophaga longirostris, which is threatened.

Thermal Ecology of Moustached and Ghost-Faced Bats (Mormoopidae) in Venezuela

The moustached bats, Pteronotus davyi, P. personatus , and P. parnellii , and the ghost-faced bat, Mormoops megalophylla (Mormoopidae), are homeotherms with normal to slightly low basal rates of metabolism for mammals of their body mass. They are unable to resist temperatures below 15°C for long, and none of the four species studied appears able to enter torpor. Thermal conductance of each species is high compared to expected values for mammals, but within the upper range of available values for bats. Except in P. personatus , adult females have lower basal rates of metabolism than conspecific males. We hypothesize that this sexual difference in basal rate of metabolism is related to the different thermal conditions at roost sites for each sex and that roost temperature is an important selective force in the evolution of thermoregulatory patterns and basal rate of metabolism in bats.

CONSERVATIVE CHROMOSOMAL CHANGE IN THE BAT FAMILY MORMOOPIDAE

G-band patterns are described for the karyotypes of both genera and all subgenera of mormoopid bats. A nomenclatural system is proposed for the mormoopid genome in which each autosomal arm is numbered and all bands on each arm are numbered from the centromere to the telomere. G-band patterns indicate that the karyotypes have remained stable throughout the evolution of the family; both species of Mormoops appear to differ from Pteronotus only by the presence in the former of a prominent G-positive region proximal to the centromere of arm 2. Mormoops blainvilli also possessed a prominent G-positive band in the distal end of arm 9 that stained lightly in all other species. C-band patterns of Mormoops megalophylla showed that most heterochromatic regions were centromeric, and silver-nitrate staining in this species and two species of Pteronotus showed that all possessed three pairs of nucleolar organizer regions on the centromeric ends of acrocentric chromosomes. G-band patterns suggest that the karyotype of all Pteronotus is primitive for the family.

Modification of M. cricothyroideus and the Larynx in the Mormoopidae, with Reference to Amplification of High-Frequency Pulses

The laryngeal musculature and laryngeal cartilages associated with sound production and amplification in Mormoops megalophylla and Pteronotus davyi are described and compared with homologous structures in eight species of phyllos-tomatid bats. Certain specialized structures observed in the mormoopid larynges resemble a variable Helmholtz resonating amplifier. This type of amplifier is theoretically capable of 1) varying the amplitude of a constant-frequency pulse, and 2) maintaining a constant amplitude during a frequency change within a pulse.

A new species of Beamerella (Acari: Trombiculidae) from the leaf-chinned bat, Mormoops megalophylla, in Colombia.

Beamerella latiscuta, n. sp. is described from the Leaf-chinned Bat, Mormoops megalophylla, taken in Colombia. A key to the species of Beamerella is given.

Nightly Activities of Mormoopid Bats

A study was made of the nightly activities of four species of mormoopid bats ( Pteronotus parnellii, P. personatus, P. davyi , and Mormoops megalophylla ) that inhabited a cavern system in the Sierra Madre Occidental in Sinaloa, Mexico. The bats were observed, were mist-netted along heavily traveled flyways, and recaptures of previously marked individuals were recorded. Activity of bats began shortly after sunset and there was considerable light-testing prior to emergence. Some bats began returning to the roost as early as 1.5 hours after the exodus flight began, but most bats appeared to remain away from the roost for from 5 to 7 hours. The congestion just before dawn when masses of returning bats attempted to re-enter the roost suggested that size of the colony may have been limited by size of the roost entrance. Regarding evening dispersal flights: flyways to foraging grounds were long (to at least 3.5 kilometers but almost certainly several times this length for some individuals); bats sometimes used shortcuts along dispersal routes, but normally followed topographic features; in some cases there appeared to be distinct spatial separation between the flyways of different species; individuals showed some fidelity to particular flyways; and natural environmental stimuli may have caused abandonment of regularly used flyways. We estimated that the 400,000 to 800,000 bats comprising the large colony consumed from 1902 to 3805 kilograms of insects each night. Thus, these bats are of considerable significance in the energy flow of tropical ecosystems.

Mamíferos terrestres de la Reserva de la Biosfera de Sian Ka’an, Quintana Roo, México

Con base en el muestreo de siete localidades y una extensa revisión bibliográfica, se obtuvo la lista de especies de mamíferos terrestres de la Reserva de la Biosfera de Sian Ka’an estado de Quintana Roo, México. Durante 57 días de campo, se utilizaron trampas Sherman, Tomahawk, redes de niebla y escopetas, se registraron rastros y observaciones directas. Se registraron 70 especies, ocho órdenes, 22 familias y 57 géneros. Se encontraron seis especies como nuevos registros: Marmosa mexicana, Micronycteris microtis, Micronycteris schmidtorum, Eptesicus furinalis, Rhogeessa parvula y Ototylomys phyllotis. Doce especies son catalogadas bajo algún riesgo ecológico según la Norma Oficial Mexicana; trece especies son endémicas a Mesoamérica y una endémica de México. Se presentan cuadros de abundancia relativa, registro por localidades y por tipo de vegetación de cada especie.

The Systematics of the Subfamily Ornithodorinae (Acarina: Argasidae). IV. Eight New Species of Ornithodoros from the Western Hemisphere

Described as new, from larvae only, are: Ornithodoros setosus from bats, Pteronotus parnellii and P. psilotis in Mexico, Tadarida europs in Venezuela and T. laticaudata in Brazil; (). eptesicus from bat, Eptesicus furinalis in Venezuela; O. peruvianus from bats, Molossus obscurus, Desmodus rotundus , and Glossophaga sp. in Peru; O. pteroptvryx from bat, Pteropteryx macrotus , in Colombia; O. mimon from bats, Mimon crenulatum , in Bolivia and Eptesicus brasiliensis in Uruguay; O. marinkellei from bats, Pteronotus suapurensis, P. personata and P. parnellii , in Colombia and Panama; O. mormoops from bat, Mormoops megalophylla intermedia , from the island of Curacao in the Caribbean and O. echimys from spiny rat, Echimys semivillosus , in Venezuela. O. marinkellei and O. mormoops are placed in the subgenus Subparmatus Clifford, Kohls, & Sonenshine, 1964. Subgeneric assignment of the other new species is considered inadvisable until the adult stages have been discovered.

On a New Trematode, Tremajoannes buckleyi gen. et sp. nov. (Lecithodendriidae) from Central American Bats with some notes on Phaneropsolus orbicularis (Diesing, 1850) Braun, 1901

1. A new trematode Tremajoannes buckleyi gen. et sp. nov., is described from the bats Pteronotus davyi fulvus and Mormoops megalophylla from Colombia, Central America. A comparison between Tremajoannes gen. nov. and the other related genera of the family Lecithodendriidae is given.2. Primatotrema Premvati, 1958 is considered as a synonym of Phaneropsolus Looss, 1899, accordingly Primatotrema macacae should be Phaneropsolus macacae (Premvati, 1958), n.comb.3. Phaneropsolus magnitesticulatus Ryšavý et al., 1960 is considered as a synonym of P. macacae (Premvati, 1958).4. Phaneropsolus orbicularis (Diesing, 1850) Braun, 1901 is reported from a new host and redescribed.