Acta Chiropterologica, 3(1): 1-10, 2001

PL ISSN 1508-1109 copyright Museum and Institute of Zoology PAS

A new species of Glauconycteris from West Africa (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae)

JUDITH L. EGER¹ and DUANE A. SCHLITTER²

1 Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen's Park, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 2 C6; E-mail: Ten adres pocztowy jest chroniony przed spamowaniem. Aby go zobaczyć, konieczne jest włączenie w przeglądarce obsługi JavaScript. 2 Texas Cooperative Wildlife Collection, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Texas A&M University, 2258 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843-2258, USA

A new species of Glauconycteris is described using cranial and external morphology and morphometric data. The new species is found in Cameroon and Democratic Republic of Congo, and is associated with tropical forest. Comparisons are made with the sympatric species, G. beatrix (including G. b. humeralis) and G. alboguttatus, because of general similarities in size and colour. Glauconycteris sp. nov. differs through a combination of small size, lack of external markings and shape of skull.

Key words: Glauconycteris sp. nov., butterfly bat, West Africa, description

Acta Chiropterologica, 3(1): 11-19, 2001

PL ISSN 1508-1109 copyright Museum and Institute of Zoology PAS

Myotis ikonnikovi (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae) and its relationships with similar species

KATERINA TSYTSULINA

Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Universitetskaya nab. 1, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia; E-mail: Ten adres pocztowy jest chroniony przed spamowaniem. Aby go zobaczyć, konieczne jest włączenie w przeglądarce obsługi JavaScript.

Features characteristic for Myotis ikonnikovi are examined; the braincase shape, the baculum construction, and the location of the upper canine grooves are the most useful characters for its diagnostics. Recognition of 'mystacinus' and 'muricola' species groups is proposed, based on dental characters. Myotis mystacinus fujiensis Imaizumi, 1954 is recognised as a junior synonym of M. ikonnikovi Ognev, 1912.

Key words: Myotis ikonnikovi, M. mystacinus fujiensis, taxonomy, 'mystacinus' species group, 'muricola' species group

Acta Chiropterologica, 3(1): 21-32, 2001

PL ISSN 1508-1109 copyright Museum and Institute of Zoology PAS

Recent records of bats (Chiroptera) from Cambodia

DITTE K. HENDRICHSEN¹, PAUL J. J. BATES¹, and BEN D. HAYES²

1 Harrison Institute, Centre for Systematics and Biodiversity Research, Bowerwood House, St. Botolph's Road, Sevenoaks, Kent TN13 3AQ, Great Britain; E-mail: Ten adres pocztowy jest chroniony przed spamowaniem. Aby go zobaczyć, konieczne jest włączenie w przeglądarce obsługi JavaScript. 2 Muir of Knock, Pitylouish, Aviemore, Inverness-shire, PH22 1RD, Great Britain

Twelve bat species have been collected recently from Cambodia, the majority from the Cardamom Mountains. Ten of these represent the first authenticated records for the country, namely: Megaerops niphanae, Rhinolophus luctus, Myotis annectans, Tylonycteris pachypus, T. robustula, Pipistrellus coromandra, Arielulus circumdatus, Hesperoptenus tickelli, H. blanfordi and Scotophilus heathii. They increase the number of bat species positively identified from Cambodia to forty. Measurements, taxonomic notes and distribution data within Cambodia are included for each of the twelve species.

Key words: South-East Asia, Cambodia, Indochina, Cardamom Mountains, Chiroptera, systematics, records

Acta Chiropterologica, 3(1): 33-41, 2001

PL ISSN 1508-1109 copyright Museum and Institute of Zoology PAS

Further new records of bats from Myanmar (Burma), including Craseonycteris thonglongyai Hill 1974 (Chiroptera; Craseonycteridae)

PAUL J. J. BATES¹, TIN NWE², KHIN MAUNG SWE², and SI SI HLA BU²

1 Harrison Institute, Centre for Systematics and Biodiversity Research, Bowerwood House, St. Botolph's Road, Sevenoaks, Kent, TN13 3AQ, Great Britain; E-mail: Ten adres pocztowy jest chroniony przed spamowaniem. Aby go zobaczyć, konieczne jest włączenie w przeglądarce obsługi JavaScript. 2 Department of Zoology, University of Yangon, Yangon, Myanmar

In March, 2001, four bat species new to the fauna of Myanmar were collected in a limestone karst area of Mon State, south-east Myanmar, namely Craseonycteris thonglongyai, Rhinolophus marshalli, Myotis chinensis, and Myotis horsfieldii. Prior to this, C. thonglongyai was known only from Kanchanaburi Province in western Thailand. The new records increase the number of bat families for Myanmar to ten and the number of species to 92. The distribution pattern of C. thonglongyai in Myanmar and Thailand is discussed.

Key words: Chiroptera, Myanmar, Burma, systematics, distribution, ecology, conservation, Craseonycteris thonglongyai

Acta Chiropterologica, 3(1): 43-52, 2001

PL ISSN 1508-1109 copyright Museum and Institute of Zoology PAS

The availability of suitable roosts influences the distribution and abundance of bats. Quantifying roosting requirements is a necessary step toward effectively monitoring, managing, and conserving bats. Our objectives were to locate and characterize the natural, daytime summer roosts of Myotis septentrionalis, M. thysanodes, M. volans, and Eptesicus fuscus in the Black Hills of South Dakota, USA and compare local roosts to those used in other regions. Bats were marked with radio transmitters and followed to roosts. We successfully tracked 37 bats of four species to a total of 81 roosts. Myotis septentrionalis and E. fuscus consistently used trees, while M. thysanodes and M volans used both trees and rock crevices. Roost trees were consistently among the largest available and were found in areas of relatively high snag densities. Maintaining forests with high snag densities and large trees will likely benefit bat populations in the Black Hills. All species switched roosts, but generally remained within small (?4 km2) areas. Lactating M. thysanodes changed roosts together while carrying young. Fidelity to roosts and roost areas was demonstrated by bats in the Black Hills.

Key words: Eptesicus fuscus, Myotis septentrionalis, M. thysanodes, M. volans, roost, opportunism, switching, fidelity

Acta Chiropterologica, 3(1): 53-61, 2001

PL ISSN 1508-1109 copyright Museum and Institute of Zoology PAS

The bat Artibeus jamaicensis in Puerto Rico (West Indies): seasonality of diet, activity, and effect of a hurricane

ARMANDO RODRÍGUEZ-DURAN and RAFAEL VÁZQUEZ

Inter American University of Puerto Rico, Department of Natural Sciences, Bayamón, PR 00957, Puerto Rico; E-mail of ARD: Ten adres pocztowy jest chroniony przed spamowaniem. Aby go zobaczyć, konieczne jest włączenie w przeglądarce obsługi JavaScript.

We tracked variations in diet, activity, and relative abundance of the Jamaican fruit-eating bat, Artibeus jamaicensis, in Puerto Rico for ten months prior to and 17 months after hurricane Georges. Diet was examined by regular placement of fecal traps beneath clusters of bats in a cave. Activity and relative abundance was assessed visually using a night-vision device. Although some degree of selection appears to occur, A. jamaicensis seems to be a generalist phytophagous bat when compared across its range. We identified 13 species of plants used by A. jamaicensis. Piper aduncum was the most abundant fruit found in the fecal traps, followed by Terminalia catappa, and the leaves of Erythrina poeppigiana. Hurricane Georges had a significant negative impact on the number of bats present in the colony, and recovery was slower than after previous hurricanes that had affected only part of the island. Our results did not reveal any difference in activity between dark and bright nights, thus suggesting that these insular bats do not show lunar phobia.

Key words: Artibeus jamaicensis, Antilles, hurricane, islands, diet, activity, relative abundance

Acta Chiropterologica, 3(1): 63-69, 2001

PL ISSN 1508-1109 copyright Museum and Institute of Zoology PAS

Food and ectoparasites of bats on the Galapagos Islands

JOHN O. WHITAKER, JR.¹, and GARY F. MCCRACKEN^2,3

1 Department of Life Sciences, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN 47809, USA 2 Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37916, USA 3 Corresponding author: E-mail:Ten adres pocztowy jest chroniony przed spamowaniem. Aby go zobaczyć, konieczne jest włączenie w przeglądarce obsługi JavaScript.

The estimated volume of food (feces and stomach contents combined) from 11 red bats, Lasiurus (borealis) brachyotis, from the Galapagos Islands consisted of 86.8% Lepidoptera and included six different prey items. The diet of three hoary bats, L. cinereus villosissimus, consisted of 76.8% Lepidoptera and contained at least eight identifiable food taxa. Two species of ectoparasites were found on both bat species, a batfly Basilia ferruginia (Nycteribiidae), and a labidocarpid mite Olabidocarpus americanus. The macronyssid mite Steatonyssus furmani was found only on L. (b.) brachyotis, whereas two myobiid mites, Acanthophthirius lasiurus and Pteracarus completus, were found only on L. cinereus. None of the parasites had recognizably diverged from their mainland counterparts.

Key words: Lasiurus, Galapagos, diet, feces, stomach, ectoparasites

Acta Chiropterologica, 3(1): 71-75, 2001

PL ISSN 1508-1109 copyright Museum and Institute of Zoology PAS

Myotis daubentonii is able to catch small fish

BJÖRN M. SIEMERS, CHRISTIAN DIETZ, DIETMAR NILL, and HANS-ULRICH SCHNITZLER

Department of Animal Physiology, Zoological Institute, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076 Tübingen, Germany; E-mail of BMS: Ten adres pocztowy jest chroniony przed spamowaniem. Aby go zobaczyć, konieczne jest włączenie w przeglądarce obsługi JavaScript.

We experimentally showed that Daubenton's bat (Myotis daubentonii), a Palearctic vespertilionid species hunting for insects floating on or flying close to water surfaces, can take a small fish for prey if the fish penetrates a smooth water surface. The bat in our experiments was able to lift small fish and other big prey items out of the water by using its large feet. The bat readily fed on the fish we offered.

Key words: piscivory, Myotis, preadaptation, trawling, prey capture

Acta Chiropterologica, 3(1): 77-91, 2001

PL ISSN 1508-1109 copyright Museum and Institute of Zoology PAS

Pinnae and echolocation call differences between Myotis californicus and M. ciliolabrum (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae)

WILLIAM L. GANNON¹, RICHARD E. SHERWIN¹, TAGIDE N. DECARVALHO¹, and MICHAEL J. O'FARRELL²

1 Division of Mammals, Museum of Southwestern Biology, and Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA; E-mail of WLG: Ten adres pocztowy jest chroniony przed spamowaniem. Aby go zobaczyć, konieczne jest włączenie w przeglądarce obsługi JavaScript. 2 O'Farrell Biological Consulting, 2912 N. Jones Boulevard, Las Vegas, NV 89108, USA

We measured the shape of pinnae from fluid-preserved, museum specimens of 33 Myotis californicus and 39 M. ciliolabrum and cranial characters from 40 skulls of each species. We also measured 40 specimens of Eptesicus fuscus, which were used as an outgroup. Significant differences were found in aural shape and tragus height between the two species of Myotis. Archived echolocation calls from the two species from across the range segregated, further suggesting that morphological and call characters are intercorrelated. We tested this relationship using 17 M. californicus and 12 M. ciliolabrum captured in the field for external measurements and echolocation call recordings (n = 1,124 calls in 52 call files, ´ = 2.3 call files per released bat), and found significant differences (most P < 0.001) in pinnae and call morphology between M. ciliolabrum and M. californicus similar to those observed in 'museum' samples. We found that small interspecific differences in pinna shape and size are correlated with differences in the frequency ranges (larger pinna, lower frequency).

Key words: bat calls, Anabat, ear, acoustics, ANOVA, principal component analysis, sexual dimorphism

Acta Chiropterologica, 3(1): 93-105, 2001

PL ISSN 1508-1109 copyright Museum and Institute of Zoology PAS

A method for determining relative activity of free flying bats using a new activity index for acoustic monitoring

BRUCE W. MILLER

Wildlife Conservation Society, 185th and Southern Boulevard, Bronx, NY 10460, USA E-mail: Ten adres pocztowy jest chroniony przed spamowaniem. Aby go zobaczyć, konieczne jest włączenie w przeglądarce obsługi JavaScript.

A new activity index for acoustical bat data is presented. The AI (acoustic activity index) was highly correlated to bat passes but proved to be a less biased index of activity. The method dispenses with the need to define, identify and count bat passes and provides a simple means to quantify activity. It uses the Anabat system where acoustic surveys are carried out in real time with the data saved directly to a computer hard drive, taking advantage of the date-time information encoded into each file. The method is based upon the presence/absence of a species occurrence during one-minute time intervals and avoids skewing an index of activity that may reflect the behavior of the species sampled. Examples are given showing that the AI is an effective measure of bat activity allowing comparisons between sites, times and species.

Key words: bat passes, acoustic monitoring, Anabat, echolocation, relative abundance, relative activity, acoustic activity index, AI

Acta Chiropterologica, 3(1): 107-117, 2001

PL ISSN 1508-1109 copyright Museum and Institute of Zoology PAS

Changes in progesterone and testosterone during the breeding season of the large-footed myotis Myotis moluccarum (Microchiroptera: Vespertilionidae)

SHAN LLOYD¹, ADRIAN J. BRADLEY², and LESLIE S. HALL¹

1 Department of Veterinary Pathology and Anatomy, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia 4072; E-mail of SL:Ten adres pocztowy jest chroniony przed spamowaniem. Aby go zobaczyć, konieczne jest włączenie w przeglądarce obsługi JavaScript. 2 Department of Anatomical Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia 4072

The reproductive biology of the large-footed myotis, Myotis moluccarum, was studied during the annual breeding season in southeast Queensland, Australia. Previous research has shown the species to be polyoestrous and monotoccous, producing two consecutive young with some degree of synchrony in late October to early November and again in late January to early February. Hormonal data was collected and observations of the female reproductive tract made in order to ascertain the reproductive cycle of this species. In July, when females were not pregnant, progesterone concentrations were 1.9 ą 0.9 ng/ml. During the two gestation periods, progesterone concentrations increased progressively until late pregnancy at the end of October through to early November and again in late January to early February. During the latest stages of pregnancy, progesterone concentrations of 69.9 ą 18.7 ng/ml were reached. It is suggested that a plasma progesterone concentration in excess of about 8 ng/ml indicates pregnancy in this species. Plasma testosterone concentration in males reached a peak of 43.1 ą 9.81 ng/ml in July, and was then variable until December when levels declined significantly to 2.0 ą 1.7 ng/ml.

Key words: vespertilionid, Myotis moluccarum, progesterone, testosterone, gestation

Acta Chiropterologica, 3(1): 119-128, 2001

PL ISSN 1508-1109 copyright Museum and Institute of Zoology PAS

The vespertilionid vomeronasal organ: an investigation on the VNO of Scotophilus (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae)

KUNWAR P. BHATNAGAR^1,5, TIMOTHY D. SMITH ^2,5, AMITABH KRISHNA³, UDAI P. SINGH³, and JOHN R. WIBLE⁴

1 Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY 40292, USA; E-mail: Ten adres pocztowy jest chroniony przed spamowaniem. Aby go zobaczyć, konieczne jest włączenie w przeglądarce obsługi JavaScript. 2 School of Physical Therapy, Slippery Rock University, Slippery Rock, PA 16057, USA 3 Department of Zoology, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005, India 4 Section of Mammals, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, PA 15206, USA 5 Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, PA 15206, USA (affiliated)

Among adult bats, a vomeronasal organ (VNO) is known only for the New World families Phyllostomidae and Mormoopidae, and for the Old World vespertilionid subfamily Miniopterinae. However, Koike (1924) reported the presence of a well-developed VNO in embryos of Scotophilus kuhlii (= S. temmincki), a vespertilionid from Java of the subfamily Vespertilioninae. Given that a VNO has not been described for any other member of Vespertilioninae, we collected and serially sectioned adults and embryos of two species of Scotophilus (S. kuhlii and S. heathi) from Varanasi, India to check Koike's observation. A careful search revealed the complete absence of the VNO in the adults and embryos of both species. We conclude that the embryos described by Koike as having a well-developed VNO were attributed to S. kuhlii in error. The specimens described by Koike may have been confused with other bats from Java, whose adults and embryos are known to have a well-developed VNO (i.e., the miniopterine Miniopterus schreibersii) or a rudimentary VNO, an epithelial tube without neuroepithelium (i.e., various rhinolophids).

Key words: vomeronasal organ, Scotophilus kuhlii, S. heathi, Miniopterus schreibersii, Vespertilionidae