Use and Selection of Winter Hibernacula by the Eastern Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus subflavus) in Texas

Daily and seasonal activity budgets of adult female eastern pipistrelle bats, Pipistrellus subflavus, were quantified at a maternity colony in eastern Massachusetts. Ambient and roost temperatures were recorded. Activities of roosting bats were monitored using an infrared-sensitive video camera. Scan sampling was used to analyze video records taken at weekly intervals from mid-May to late July 1989. Analysis of day-roosting indicates that adult females spend an average of 77% of their time at rest, 16% alert, 7% grooming, and < 1% crawling. Bats were most active immediately following their morning return to the day-roost and just prior to their departure at dusk. Periodic bouts of activity throughout the day were usually associated with urination and (or) defecation, mother–pup interactions, and movements in response to changes in roost temperature. Females were significantly more active in mortise roosts than when roosting on the open ridgepole, probably because fluctuations in temperature in mortises were smaller. As the season progressed, the overall time that bats spent resting decreased from 86 to 70%, whereas time spent alert increased from 9 to 24%; weekly fluctuations in the incidence of grooming and crawling showed no consistent seasonal trends. Roost temperature, time of day, and date explained significant amounts of variation in both daily and seasonal activity budgets. Females rested significantly less and were more alert after young were born than before, although time spent grooming and crawling did not differ significantly between the pre- and post-partum periods. Our findings for P. subflavus generally corroborate activity budgets previously reported for the little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus).

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A systematic approach for selecting focal species for conservation in the forests of Nova Scotia and Maine

Environmental Conservation ◽

10.1017/s0376892904001249 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 31 (2) ◽

pp. 91-101 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

KAREN BEAZLEY ◽

NATHAN CARDINAL

Keyword(s):

Nova Scotia ◽

Native Species ◽

Expert Knowledge ◽

Species Selection ◽

Biological Traits ◽

Focal Species ◽

The Matrix ◽

Eastern Pipistrelle ◽

Ecologically Sustainable ◽

Selection Of

Focal species are a critical component of conservation planning, along with representation of ecosystems, special elements and ecologically sustainable management. They warrant conservation attention because they are functionally important, wide-ranging or space-demanding, habitat-quality indicators, ‘flagship’, and/or vulnerable or special populations. A delphi survey matrix-based approach, involving regional experts in the selection of potential focal species, was applied in Nova Scotia, Canada and Maine, USA. Matrices with native species on one axis and selection characteristics on the other axis were used to summarize expert knowledge and judgment. Characteristics were related to biological traits and habitat requirements that make some species more vulnerable than others in human-modified landscapes. In Nova Scotia and Maine, 19 and 11 experts, respectively, completed the matrices, which were subsequently numerically assessed. Species with the highest scores were identified as potential focal species, including wolf, cougar, lynx, river otter, eastern pipistrelle, wood turtle, four-toed salamander, golden eagle and Atlantic salmon. Concerns remain around the lack of representation of some classes of species, subjectivity in selecting and weighting characteristics, and the relative nature of assessing species against the characteristics. Accordingly, potential focal species should be subject to verification through more rigorous and quantitative analysis and monitoring. Nonetheless, if applied with care, the matrix-based approach can provide a relatively systematic and effective way of engaging regional experts in focal species selection.

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FIRST RECORD OF THE EASTERN PIPISTRELLE (PIPISTRELLUS SUBFLAVUS) FROM SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO

The Southwestern Naturalist ◽

10.1894/0038-4909(2006)51[420:frotep]2.0.co;2 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 51 (3) ◽

pp. 420-422 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Jeremy A. White ◽

Paul R. Moosman ◽

Charles H. Kilgore ◽

Troy L. Best

Keyword(s):

New Mexico ◽

First Record ◽

Eastern Pipistrelle ◽

Pipistrellus Subflavus

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Reproduction of the male eastern pipistrelle, Pipistrellus subflavus, in the north-eastern United States

Reproduction ◽

10.1530/jrf.0.0760091 ◽

1986 ◽

Vol 76 (1) ◽

pp. 91-104 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

P. H. Krutzsch ◽

E. G. Crichton

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Eastern United States ◽

The North ◽

North Eastern ◽

Eastern Pipistrelle ◽

Pipistrellus Subflavus

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The duration of the period of hibernation of three species of vespertilionid bats. I. Field studies

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z85-442 ◽

1985 ◽

Vol 63 (12) ◽

pp. 2952-2954 ◽

Cited By ~ 43

Author(s):

Virgil Brack Jr. ◽

John W. Twente

Keyword(s):

Field Studies ◽

Myotis Lucifugus ◽

Insufficient Data ◽

Temperature Dependent ◽

Natural Conditions ◽

Big Brown Bat ◽

Little Brown Bat ◽

Eastern Pipistrelle ◽

Pipistrellus Subflavus ◽

Vespertilionid Bats

The durations of the periods of hibernation of the big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus), little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus), and eastern pipistrelle (Pipistrellus subflavus) under natural conditions were determined by following intracave movements through two winter seasons in two Missouri caves. Average durations of periods of hibernation were similar for all three species (10–20 days) over a range of temperatures. Maximum durations of periods of hibernation determined were as follows: E. fuscus, 72 days; P. subflavus, 111 days (?); M. lucifugus, 83 days. Variability in the durations of the period of hibernation was much greater for P. subflavus and may be attributable to a lack of movement after arousal or the inability of the observer to discern movement between periods of hibernation. The frequency of arousal was determined to be statistically temperature dependent for M. lucifugus, but not for E. fuscus or P. subflavus, probably because of insufficient data.

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