Lionycteris Research Articles

New records for Brazil and revised distribution of Lionycteris spurrelli (Phyllostomidae: Lonchophyllinae), with notes on its morphological diagnosis

Nós reportamos dez novas localidades para o morcego nectarívoro Lionycteris spurrelli Thomas, 1913 no Brasil, com novas ocorrências para a Amazônia, Mata Atlântica e Cerrado. Novos registros para o estado de Minas Gerais representam os limites de distribuição austral para a espécie. Ainda reportamos a segunda localidade conhecida de L. spurrelli para o estado do Mato Grosso, a terceira para o estado do Amazonas e os primeiros registros para a região sudeste do estado do Pará. Apresentamos dados morfométricos e discutimos os caracteres diagnósticos da espécie, comparando-os com dados publicados.

First report of albinism in a lactating female of the chestnut long-tongued bat Lionycteris spurrelli Thomas, 1913 (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae)

Abstract Albinism is a genetic disorder that causes pigmentation anomalies. Even though supposedly rare in free-living mammals, cases of albinism have been reported worldwide, particularly in bats. In this article we present a new case of albinism in a Lionycteris spurrelli Thomas, 1913. The individual, observed in an Amazon region iron ore cave, in Northern Brazil, was a lactating female with a dark-brown pelage pup.

Filling gaps on the distribution of Amazonian bats, new records of four poorly sampled species: Trinycteris nicefori Sanborn, 1949, Lionycteris spurrelli Thomas, 1913, Macrophyllum macrophyllum (Schinz, 1821), and Dasypterus ega (Gervais, 1856)

Bats are the second most diverse mammalian order worldwide. In the Neotropics, Brazil has one of the greatest bat richness, but species records are still very heterogeneously distributed, especially in Amazonia. Although this biome harbours 76% of Brazil’s bat fauna, basic knowledge on the distribution of Amazonian bats is far from well known, with intensive surveys at only a few sites and many areas without any records. The reduction of those gaps will improve the understanding of the bats’ distribution, with implications for management and conservation. Here we review the distribution of Trinycteris nicefori, Lionycteris spurrelli, Macrophyllum macrophyllum, and Dasypterus ega in the Brazilian Amazonia, presenting several new records for the region based both on literature review and on our own unpublished data. Our study contributes to the knowledge of the geographic distribution of these species, and the new records presented here help fill a gap in the distribution of bats in the western Brazilian Amazonia.

The bat fauna of the Kararaô and Kararaô Novo caves in the area under the influence of the Belo Monte hydroelectric dam, in Pará, Brazil

Brazil's large territory displays significant richness in caves with about 12 thousand caves already recorded. Nevertheless, studies on bats in these environments are extremely scarce and fragmented. This study characterized the chiropteran fauna from two sandstone caves under the influence of the Belo Monte hydroelectric dam (Belo Monte UHE) in Pará, Brazil. The Kararaô and Kararaô Novo caves are located on the same ridge, 250 m apart. Three expeditions were carried out in 2013 and 2014, with a 4- to 5-month interval in between. A total of 589 animals were caught, 246 in the Kararaô cave and 343 in the Kararaô Novo cave. Fifteen species were recorded (13 in each cave) representing 79% similarity. With the exception of Vampyrum spectrum, which is not a cave species, the remaining recorded species were mostly cave bat species. Some species seemed to use the caves seasonally, although the basis of this pattern is still unknown. The most commonly observed species were Pteronotus personatus (dominant in the Kararaô cave), P. parnellii (dominant in the Kararaô Novo cave), and Lionycteris spurrelli, which accounted for 65% of all captures recorded for the two caves. Natalus macrourus is a species recorded in the Kararaô cave that is regionally threatened with extinction. Both caves are less than 500 m from the future reservoir; however, because the Kararaô cave entry is in an area that is lower than the reservoir, it can suffer alterations that would affect its dynamics. This raises great concern about the cave's associated fauna.

New records of bats from the northern region of the Peruvian Amazon.

The northern Amazon Basin in Peru is one of the most diverse areas for small mammals in the world. In this work, I present information related to the diversity of bat species in the Amazonian region of Iquitos, Peru, where nearly 60% of the 152 bat species known to Peru recorded. Unlike in previous investigations in this area, bat surveys were designed to detect species living in urban and rural areas. The results have added a new bat species (Eumops delticus) to the Peruvian fauna, eight new species for the region around Iquitos (Peropteryx macrotis, Peropteryx pallidoptera, Anoura caudifer, Lionycteris spurrelli, Vampyrum spectrum, Thyroptera lavali, Cynomops planirostris, and Molossus coibensis), and a new species for Northeast Peru (Eumops maurus).

Ocurrence of the chestnut long-tongued bat Lionycteris spurrelli Thomas, 1913 (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae) in the Northeastern Atlantic Forest, Brazil

During an inventory fieldwork carried out at Usina Salgado property in the county of Ipojuca, Pernambuco, Brazil, we captured a Lionycteris spurrelli specimen in a forest fragment known as Mata do Mingú (8° 31' 29" S and 35° 03' 26" W). This marks the first occurrence for the northeast region and therefore, the first record for the state of Pernambuco, widening its distribution area within Atlantic Forest. The extension of the occurrence area points out this record as being the oriental limit for the species.

Diversidade de morcegos (Mammalia, Chiroptera) do Complexo Aporé-Sucuriú, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brasil

Realizou-se um inventário da fauna de morcegos entre abril e novembro de 2004 no norte de Mato Grosso do Sul, Brasil (Projeto Jauru/MMA). Oito pontos de coleta foram amostrados com redes-neblina em um ambiente de cerrado, sendo capturados 146 indivíduos de 28 espécies, distribuídos em seis famílias. O total de espécies neste estudo, representa apenas 30% da fauna de morcegos do cerrado. A família mais capturada foi a Phyllostomidae, representada por Glossophaga soricina (Pallas, 1766) e Artibeus lituratus (Olfers, 1818). Algumas espécies raras foram capturadas: Lophostoma brasiliense (Peters, 1866), Lonchophylla mordax Thomas, 1903 e Lionycteris spurrelli Thomas, 1913. O local de maior abundância (0,032 indivíduos/m²/h) mostrou um índice de Simpson de D = 3.86 e o de menor abundância (0,003 indivíduos/m²/h) um índice de Simpson de D = 3.03. A preservação dos mananciais de água e a cobertura florestal nestes pontos são discutidas.

Diversity of Quaternary Bats from Serra da Mesa (State of Goiás, Brazil)

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the taxonomic diversity of fossil and extant bats from the region of the Serra da Mesa in the State of Goias, Central Brazil. Quaternary fossils were obtained from four limestone caves, namely Igrejinha, Carneiro, Nossa Senhora Aparecida, and Itambé. Information on extant bat fauna used for comparison were obtained from literature and from the collection of Museu Nacional (Rio de Janeiro). The taxonomic identification of the fragments was based on a comparative study of the masticatory apparatus of extant and fossil bat species. A total of 430 fragments were identified, comprising 27 species: Anoura geoffroyi, Artibeus sp., Carollia sp., Chrotopterus auritus, Desmodus rotundus, Desmodus sp., Emballonuridae sp. indet., Eptesicus/ Histiotus, Glossophaga sp., Lionycteris spurrelli, Lonchorhina aurita, Micronycteris megalotis, Mimon bennetti, Mimon crenulatum, Molossidae sp. indet., Myotis sp., Natalus stramineus, Phylloderma sp. n., Phyllostomus discolor, Phyllostomus hastatus, Platyrrhinus sp., Pteronotus davyi, Pteronotus parnelli, Sturnira sp., Tonatia sp. n., Lophostoma silvicola, and Trachops cirrhosus. Phyllostomidae was the most speciose family, but surprisingly most of the fossil fragments were attributed to the families Natalidae and Mormoopidae. Both of which are rare in the area today. The population reduction of these hot-humid-cave dwelling species (Natalus and Pteronotus) may suggest the climate of the area was warmer and wetter during some interval of the Late Pleistocene or Early Holocene. This study presents the first record of the genera Lionycteris, Lonchorhina and Trachops from the Quaternary of South America. The diversity of Chiroptera found in Serra da Mesa is equivalent to that described for Bahia, which heretofore has the most abundant record for Quaternary bats from South America.

Cytogenetic analysis in species of the Subfamily Glossophaginae (Phyllostomidae, Chiroptera) supports a polyphyletic origin

Abstract In this work the karyotypes of 20 specimens of bats belonging to the subfamily Glossophaginae (Phyllostomidae-Chiroptera) were analyzed, species Glossophaga soricina (2n=32, FN=60), Lionycteris spurrelli (2n=28, FN=50), Lonchophylla thomasi (2n=36, FN=48) and Choeronicus minor (2n=20, FN=36), whose data were compared with each other and with data from the literature. The analyses were done using G, C, G/C sequential and NORs banding techniques and hybridization in situ with telomeric probes. Published data were also used for Artibeus lituratus (Stenodermatinae). The species G. soricina, L. spurrelli and L. thomasi presented few homeologies among themselves and none with C. minor; the latter has a pair of chromosomes shared with the species Artibeus lituratus (Stenodermatinae), indicating a possible convergent evolution in the subfamily Glossophaginae. Additionally, by comparing our results with those in the literature, interpopulational karyotypic variability was observed in the species L. thomasi.

Bat Community in a Cave From Eastern Brazil, Including a New Record of Lionycteris (Phyllostomidae, Glossophaginae)

A cave bat community from a semiarid region in eastern Brazil was studied during the dry season. A high diversity was observed, with thirteen species recorded. Except for Micronycteris minuta and Lionycteris spurrelli, these bats were also found in other Brazilian karstic areas. The commonest species were the hematophague Desmodus rotundus, the omnivore Carollia perspicillata, and the insectivore Natalus stramineus. The bats formed itinerant colonies, moving frequently inside the cave. L. spurrelli was previously known from Amazonia, usually associated with evergreen forests. The present record extends its range 1600 km to the south. A disjunct distribution explains some morphological differentiation between Amazonia and Olhos d'Água cave populations. The latter may be a relict of former continuous forest vegetation, which has been fragmented after the climatic optimum. Dispersion through the Cerrado forest gallery is also possible.