M. Volleth, F. Mayer, K. Heller, S. Müller, J. Fahr
{"title":"Karyotype Comparison of Five African Vespertilionini Species with Comments on Phylogenetic Relationships and Proposal of a New Subtribe","authors":"M. Volleth, F. Mayer, K. Heller, S. Müller, J. Fahr","doi":"10.3161/15081109ACC2023.25.1.002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3161/15081109ACC2023.25.1.002","url":null,"abstract":"Phylogenetic relationships and species delimitation in African Vespertilionini have been a long-standing subject of debate and are still controversial, although recent molecular analyses have shed light onto some of these issues. In this study we employed a comparative cytogenetics approach for the delineation of chromosomal homology and for the detection of shared chromosomal characters, which were then used to support proposed phylogenetic relationships. Here, we present karyotype analyses of five African Vespertilionini, Laephotis kirinyaga (2n = 32), Neoromicia guineensis (2n = 26), Pseudoromicia brunnea (2n = 36), Nycticeinops happoldorum (2n = 24), and Nycticeinops schlieffenii (2n = 34), which were complemented by mitochondrial DNA sequence analysis for species classification of all our specimens. Our cytogenetic analyses revealed that three derived Robertsonian fusion chromosomes, 7/11, 8/9, and 10/12, characterize the karyotypes of four African Vespertilionini genera, i.e. Laephotis, Neoromicia, Afronycteris, and Pseudoromicia, for which we propose to constitute a new subtribe, Laephotina. A rare chromosomal rearrangement, an X-autosome translocation, was found in the studied N. guineensis female. The genus Nycticeinops is characterized by a high intrageneric karyotype diversity. In only two of all four analyzed species, i.e. N. happoldorum and N. crassulus, a common chromosomal feature, the fusion product 1/13 was detected. Further, for the recently described East African serotine, L. kirinyaga, we present the second record for West Africa. The cytochrome b sequence of our N. guineensis specimen from Ivory Coast showed 4% divergence to that of its closest relative, N. somalica from Kenya.","PeriodicalId":50904,"journal":{"name":"Acta Chiropterologica","volume":"25 1","pages":"35 - 52"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44250361","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Assessing Age Related Cranial Characteristics and Morphometrics of the Egyptian Rousette (Rousettus aegyptiacus) from Central Africa","authors":"Tlaishego T. Nkoana, T. Kearney, W. Markotter","doi":"10.3161/15081109ACC2023.25.1.010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3161/15081109ACC2023.25.1.010","url":null,"abstract":"This study assessed and related quantitative age determination methods based on cranial bone fusion and dental development to linear morphometrics in Rousettus aegyptiacus. Five growth development stages were identified based on cranial suture fusion and degree of second molar tooth eruption. Expressing these growth development stages in measurement size showed a linear growth pattern, with little overlap between smaller (stages 1, 2, and 3) and larger (stages 4 and 5) individuals. Total skull length (TSL), mastoid breadth (MB) and forearm length (FAL) had the highest influence on variation along the first and second principal components, accounting for 93% of variation. Advanced size was confirmed to relate to aging owing to development of cranial suture fusions and dental development. The smallest and largest individuals were significantly (P < 0.05) separated by measurements of TSL, MB and FAL. Meanwhile, some intermediate sized individuals overlapped despite being in different stages of cranial suture development. Species specific reliability in morphological approaches to age determination can be achieved by establishing a baseline reference, which may be directly related to the quantitative cementum growth assessment method.","PeriodicalId":50904,"journal":{"name":"Acta Chiropterologica","volume":"25 1","pages":"169 - 181"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70025894","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Riana V. Ramanantsalama, O. S. N. Lalarivoniaina, A. P. Raselimanana, S. Goodman
{"title":"Influence of Environmental Parameters on the Breeding of an Endemic Malagasy Fruit Bat, Rousettus madagascariensis (Pteropodidae)","authors":"Riana V. Ramanantsalama, O. S. N. Lalarivoniaina, A. P. Raselimanana, S. Goodman","doi":"10.3161/15081109ACC2022.24.2.004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3161/15081109ACC2022.24.2.004","url":null,"abstract":"The breeding biology of bats is in part regulated by environmental parameters, which in certain cases result in considerable intraspecific variation in reproduction periods. Few details are available on the reproductive behavior of Malagasy bats and this study focuses on parameters related to the mating and parturition periods in the endemic frugivorous and cave-roosting Rousettus madagascariensis (Pteropodidae). The birth period was estimated based on observations of mating behavior and presence of neonates in video recordings made at Ankarana (northern Madagascar) during different seasonal periods in 2017 and 2018. Based on animals captured in the same cave between 2014 and 2022, we also estimated the age of neonates in order to evaluate annual variation in parturition periodicity. Based on video recordings, mating was mainly observed (ordered based on highest frequency) in September, July, and January. This behavior, which generally took place during the dry season, was negatively correlated with temperature and rainfall, and had a low positive correlation with cave relative humidity. With most mating taking place between July and September, one parturition period occurs just before or during the wet season (between December and February), the period of highest fruit abundance in Ankarana. For cases of mating in January, excluding the possibility of sperm storage or delayed implantation, another parturition would occur in mid-April, a time of low fruit availability; however, no neonate was filmed or trapped in April and video recording data indicated that neonates were present between July and September, suggesting a parturition taking place from July to September. Parturition periods show some annual variation and appear to be mainly regulated by climatic aspects including rainfall and principally temperature; however, this variation was less pronounced as compared to other non-Malagasy pteropodid species. Further research on Malagasy fruit bats should focus on possible sperm storage or delayed embryonic development and, if found, associated correlations with environmental parameters.","PeriodicalId":50904,"journal":{"name":"Acta Chiropterologica","volume":"24 1","pages":"327 - 342"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44524091","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Northern Yellow Bat Dasypterus intermedius Activity and Habitat Selection on an Atlantic Barrier Island","authors":"Santiago Perea, K. Morris, S. Castleberry","doi":"10.3161/15081109ACC2022.24.2.005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3161/15081109ACC2022.24.2.005","url":null,"abstract":"Knowledge and understanding of bat activity and habitat associations are important for effective conservation and management, especially in landscapes undergoing land use changes. Dasypterus intermedius (northern yellow bat), a broadly distributed species in the Coastal Plain of the southeastern United States, is a species of conservation concern due to habitat loss. We examined the influence of landscape factors on D. intermedius activity on Little Saint Simons Island (LSSI), Georgia, USA, an Atlantic barrier island characterized by a limited human disturbance history. From April to October 2013, we recorded a total of 6,921 D. intermedius passes and 138 feeding buzzes among six land cover types across three biologically relevant seasons. We used GLMMs to model total and foraging activity using landscape variables and season as covariates. We found no significant differences in total activity among cover types, but observed a clear pattern of greater activity in cover types with low vegetation clutter. We observed significantly greater total activity later in the year after juveniles became volant and were able to forage on their own. Based on feeding buzzes, our results demonstrated greater foraging activity in maritime grasslands than in the oak and pine cover types. Distance to water, edge, and roosting habitat had little influence on total or foraging activity. Our results provide baseline information regarding D. intermedius habitat use from a relatively undisturbed coastal environment that can aid management decisions when considering bats in landscapes experiencing changes from development.","PeriodicalId":50904,"journal":{"name":"Acta Chiropterologica","volume":"24 1","pages":"343 - 352"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46140857","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A Global Survey on Acoustic Bat Lures Highlights Ethical Concerns and the Need for Standardised Methods","authors":"Oliver E. Aylen, P. J. Bishop","doi":"10.3161/15081109ACC2022.24.2.013","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3161/15081109ACC2022.24.2.013","url":null,"abstract":"Acoustic bat lures are devices capable of playing high frequency sound. These stem from research showing the behavioural responses of bats to acoustic stimuli, and are used as bat-attractants, usually in an effort to catch bats. Through an online survey, we aimed to inform best practice by accumulating user experiences. We received 55 responses to the survey from 21 countries. Lures have been used across 34 countries, but predominantly in the United Kingdom, across the European Union, and throughout the USA during bat community-focused surveys. With growing research that lures may attract some species whilst deterring others, lures may be more appropriately used for species-specific focused projects, rather than broader, bat community-focused projects. Over half of survey respondents expressed ethical concerns surrounding the use of bat lures, stating that their use should be limited due to a lack of understanding of their effects, and that they may alter the behaviour of bats due to stress. We encourage practitioners to use lures with some caution, and test their utility so that over time we understand these potential concerns with more certainty. To this end, we also recommend guidelines be published for general ethical use, alongside standardised methods to deepen our future understanding of these devices and their effect on bat species globally. Los reclamos acústicos para murciélagos son dispositivos capaces de reproducir ultrasonidos, y que se utilizan en investigación científica debido a la respuesta comportamental de los murciélagos frente a estímulos acústicos. Los reclamos se utilizan como atrayentes de murciélagos, generalmente durante los muestreos en campo mediante capturas. Este trabajo resume las directrices y protocolos utilizados hasta la fecha con reclamos acústicos, obtenidos a través de un formulario online distribuido ampliamente en sectores científicos y de conservación de quirópteros, mediante el que recopilamos información sobre las experiencias de sus usuarios. Recibimos 55 respuestas correspondientes a investigadores de 21 países, quienes utilizaron los reclamos en un total de 34 países, aunque predominantemente en el Reino Unido, la Unión Europea y los Estados Unidos de América. Investigaciones recientes indican que los reclamos pueden atraer a algunas especies a la vez que disuadir a otras, por lo que, principalmente, deberían usarse para proyectos centrados en especies concretas en lugar de proyectos más amplios centrados en la composición de los ensamblajes. Más de la mitad de los participantes expresaron preocupaciones éticas, afirmando que el uso de reclamos debería limitarse debido a la falta de comprensión de sus efectos secundarios sobre los murciélagos y la alteración de su comportamiento. Alentamos a los usuarios a usar los reclamos con precaución y comprobar su eficacia para que, con el tiempo, entendamos mejor sus ventajas y limitaciones. Con este fin, también recomendamos que, junto con los resultados de lo","PeriodicalId":50904,"journal":{"name":"Acta Chiropterologica","volume":"24 1","pages":"453 - 464"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44653458","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"External and Skeletal Morphology of Molossus fluminensis Lataste, 1891 (Chiroptera, Molossidae) with Notes on Quadrupedal Locomotion and Habitat Use","authors":"N. S. V. Louzada, L. Pessôa","doi":"10.3161/15081109ACC2022.24.2.011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3161/15081109ACC2022.24.2.011","url":null,"abstract":"Molossus fluminensis is a species of the wide diversified family Molossidae. Representants of this family have evolved under pressures associated to two different behaviors — a high speed and efficient flight and a good quadrupedal ability. The aim of this study is to describe in detail the morphological characters of M. fluminensis, focusing on its skeletal features, and to point out the main characters that could represent functional responses to the evolution of the quadrupedal ability and habitat use in the group. Furthermore, we aim to contribute to the knowledge of a recently revalidated and cryptic species of Molossus, giving a morphometric characterization for the species and notes on sexual dimorphism. Four adult specimens of M. fluminensis, one male and three females, were prepared as skin and skeleton, and five external and 146 linear measurements of the skeleton were taken. The anatomical characters were described following current literature and included the axial and appendicular skeleton. We found that the male presented greater measurements than females in most linear characters, and had a more developed sagittal and lambdoid crests, while the ischiatic arcade was more caudally projected in females. A narrow rib cage, a long, thin sternum, and a cranially oriented ventral process of manubrium make the M. fluminensis body more compact dorsoventrally without compromising the area of insertion of the flight musculature. These appear to be adaptations for roosting in narrow crevices. The expanded sacral vertebrae, the deep gluteal fossa of the ilium, and the presence of well-developed processes on the first caudal vertebra, point to a greater area for muscle origin in this region, while the well-developed trochanters and ridges of the femur and tibia provide surfaces for muscle attachment. Together, these characteristics point to a great range of movement of the limbs and the tail, important factors during quadrupedal locomotion. The results obtained here may shed light on the evolution of quadrupedalism in molossids and other quadrupedal bats.","PeriodicalId":50904,"journal":{"name":"Acta Chiropterologica","volume":"24 1","pages":"415 - 436"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46781227","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
M. Andrews, T. P. McOwat, Paul Culyer, R. Haycock, Ann N. Haycock, David J. Harries, Neil P. Andrews, Peter T. Andrews
{"title":"Temporal Variations among the Growth Parameters of the Forearms of Juvenile Greater Horseshoe Bats (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum) in the Nursery Roost at Stackpole, West Wales, U.K.","authors":"M. Andrews, T. P. McOwat, Paul Culyer, R. Haycock, Ann N. Haycock, David J. Harries, Neil P. Andrews, Peter T. Andrews","doi":"10.3161/15081109ACC2022.24.2.003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3161/15081109ACC2022.24.2.003","url":null,"abstract":"We addressed the question of why juvenile R. ferrumequinum that are born early (May to early June) in the nursery roost at Stackpole, West Wales, tend to have a higher forearm growth rate than individuals born later (late June to July). An appropriate nonlinear growth equation (either logistic, Gompertz, von-Bertalanffy, or asymptotic regression) was identified to fit the measurements of the forearms of juvenile R. ferrumequinum collected from marked individuals at the roost between 1994 and 2013. The logistic growth model provided the best line of fit to the changes in the forearm lengths, indicated by the lowest standard error. Over the 20-year study period, the mean values of the logistic growth parameters were asymptotic length (L∞) = 55.10 mm and growth constant (K) = 0.11 day-1. Multiple regression analysis indicated that the most significant predictors of the variance in L∞ and K (R2 = 58.7% and 54.3%, respectively) were the nursery roost temperatures at midnight, and the total foraging times of the adult bats during the night. If the juveniles were born early, when the roost temperature was colder, and the foraging times of the adults were shorter, then a lower value of K produced forearms that grew toward a longer L∞. If the juveniles were born late, when the roost temperature was warmer, and the foraging times of the adults were longer, then a higher value of K produced forearms that grew toward a shorter L∞. Reasons are proposed to explain the differences between the growth of early and late born individuals, including the effect of increased body mass associated with warmer roost temperatures and possible causes of longer foraging times.","PeriodicalId":50904,"journal":{"name":"Acta Chiropterologica","volume":"24 1","pages":"315 - 326"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45931363","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Daniel Hending, Angelo F. Andrianiaina, Miranda Rose, Adèle Rowlands, Savannah Storm, M. Holderied, Sam Cotton
{"title":"Vanilla Bats: Insectivorous Bat Diversity in the Vanilla Agroecosystems of Northeastern Madagascar","authors":"Daniel Hending, Angelo F. Andrianiaina, Miranda Rose, Adèle Rowlands, Savannah Storm, M. Holderied, Sam Cotton","doi":"10.3161/15081109ACC2022.24.2.007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3161/15081109ACC2022.24.2.007","url":null,"abstract":"Due to global agricultural expansion and intensification, many animal species must now survive within a landscape dominated by agroecosystems. For bats, agroecosystems can provide a valuable foraging-habitat, and many species of bats thrive within such habitats whilst also providing a range of ecosystem services for farmers. Despite this, bat usage of many agroecosystem types remains unstudied. Here, we investigated the diversity of insectivorous bats in the vanilla agroecosystems of northeastern Madagascar, the world's principal vanilla-growing region. To assess bat diversity, we used a passive acoustic survey technique, and we identified and classified bat species diversity using PCA and DFA analysis of echolocation call acoustic parameters. In total, we were able to detect the presence of at least 13 different bat species within Madagascar's vanilla agroecosystems, seven of which we were able to confidently identify to species level. However, due to our conservative classification approach, the true diversity of bats in vanilla agroecosystems is likely to be higher. The results of this study indicate that Madagascar's vanilla agroecosystems represent suitable foraging habitat for numerous bat species, particularly forest-specialists, which is a highly encouraging finding for the conservation of Madagascar's bats. Expansion of vanilla agroecosystems is therefore likely to provide valuable habitat extensions for Madagascar's forest bats in the future, provided this expansion does not come at the expense of existing largely-undisturbed natural habitats.","PeriodicalId":50904,"journal":{"name":"Acta Chiropterologica","volume":"24 1","pages":"363 - 378"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42621022","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}