Host-parasite associations in a population of the nectarivorous bat Anoura geoffroyi (Phyllostomidae) in a cave in a Brazilian ferruginous geosystem

Parasitic relationships between Neotropical bats and their ectoparasites are not well known, even though parasitism is one of the factors that can affect the fitness of a host population. This study characterized parasite-host relationships in relation to sex, age, body size and reproductive status in a population of Anoura geoffroyi using the indices of Prevalence, Mean Intensity and Mean Abundance. Total prevalence for 93 sampled bats was 94.6%. Two species of streblid flies that are considered primary parasites of A. geoffroyi, Exastinion clovisi (n = 203) and Anastrebla modestini (n = 152), were the most abundant ectoparasites, followed by Trichobius sp. (n = 7). Two mite species, Periglischrus vargasi (Spinturnicidae) (n = 98) and Spelaeorhynchus praecursor (Spelaeorhynchidae) (n = 11), were also found. We recorded higher mean abundance and intensity of parasitism in pregnant females compared to reproductive males and reproductively inactive females, for different specific associations of ectoparasites. Host age and body condition had no effect on the parasitological indices. Even with high rates of parasitism, parasitic load did not influence host body condition, but infestation rates by mites were higher in reproductive males and higher by flies in reproductive females, showing that ectoparasites can have variable influences between the different stages of the life history of these host bats. Thus, the reproductive activity of the hosts could be an adverse factor for resistance to parasite infestations.

Morphology and genetics concur that Anoura carishina is a synonym of Anoura latidens (Chiroptera, Glossophaginae)

Anoura carishina was described based on cranial and dental morphology, but the original analyses did not include Anoura latidens, a similar species of Anoura. We used morphological, morphometric, and genetic analyses to evaluate the taxonomic identity of A. carishina. We performed a principal components analysis to evaluate the correspondence between morphological and taxonomic groups for 260 specimens of large-bodied Anoura (A. carishina, Anoura geoffroyi, A. latidens, and Anoura peruana), and statistically analyzed traits diagnostic for A. latidens, including (1) morphology of the third upper premolar (P4), (2) size of the second (P3) and third (P4) upper premolars, and (3) angle formed by the maxillary toothrows. We find that A. latidens and A. carishina are indistinguishable, and share several characters lacking in A. geoffroyi, including a P4 with triangular shape, an under-developed anterobasal cusp in the P3, a smaller braincase, and a shorter rostrum. Phylogenetic analyses using ultra-conserved elements infer that the holotype and two paratype specimens of A. carishina are paraphyletic and nested within A. latidens, while one paratype diagnosable by morphology as A. geoffroyi nests within A. geoffroyi samples. We demonstrate that A. carishina should be considered a junior synonym of A. latidens, updating the distribution of the latter.

Ambient temperature drives sex ratio and presence of pregnant females of Anoura geoffroyi (Phyllostomidae) bats living in temperate forests

Phenology in animals is strongly influenced by seasonality that promotes changes in abundance of food resources and temperature. These changes may impose energetic constraints to organisms in certain seasons during the year, especially on those animals facing high energetic demands, such as nectarivorous bats. Seasonality in temperate forests could, therefore, promote migration of female nectarivorous bat to find warmer sites, thus enhancing breeding success. To test this hypothesis, we compared the proportion of females and the proportion of pregnant females of the nectarivorous bat Anoura geoffroyi, between months, in six different populations across temperate forests of Mexico. Bats were captured over a complete season cycle either with sweep or mist nets at the entrance or near their roosting caves, and their age, sex, and reproductive condition were recorded. We found that over 50% of bats present in the cave roosts across different populations in temperate forests of the Trans-Mexican Neovolcanic Belt of Mexico during the warmer and wetter months (April–September) were females, both pregnant and nonpregnant. In contrast, fewer than 30% of bats present in the roosting caves sampled in the colder and drier months (October–March) were females. In addition, we found that the temperature that favors the proportion of females at the studied sites was greater than 8°C. We concluded that seasonality affects sex ratio and phenology of A. geoffroyi in Mexican temperate forests. Our findings suggest females’ migrations to lowland warmer sites to improve prenatal development.

Frequency of leucism in a colony of Anoura geoffroyi (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) roosting in a ferruginous cave in Brazil

We provide the first report of the frequency of leucism for a species of Neotropical bat. Leucism is an anomaly of the skin pigmentation of an animal that manifests itself as the total or partial loss of the natural color of the species, and can affect part of or the entire body. During a study involving capture and marking individuals of a population of A. geoffroyi residing in a cave in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, seven individuals with some degree of depigmentation were recorded out of 616 individuals marked, for a frequency of 1.1%. Since leucism is due to recessive gene expression, these findings may indicate that the population is isolated and possesses a high level of endogamy. Factors that may be responsible for this condition in the studied population remain unknown.

Large Anoura (Chiroptera:Glossophaginae) taxonomy, taxonomic status of Anoura carishina, and implications for the distribution of Anoura latidens in Colombia

The Anoura geoffroyi species complex is composed of 3 large species: A. geoffroyi, A. peruana, and A. carishina. Several inconsistencies arise from the description of A. carishina, and given the lack of a comparison with the dentition and external characters of A. latidens, here we compare the taxonomic characters of these species. To understand the position of A. carishina in the morphospace occupied by large Anoura, we conducted a Principal Component Analysis on 12 craniodental and 11 external variables. We complement our results with further analysis of traits thought to be diagnostic for these species, including 1) an elliptical Fourier transformation analysis of the shape of the third upper premolar (P4), 2) a comparison of the area of the second (P3) and third (P4) upper premolars, and 3) a comparison of maxillary toothrow angles. We find that A. carishina is morphologically indistinguishable from A. latidens, and that there is broad overlap in morphology between A. latidens and A. geoffroyi. However several characters found in A. latidens are lacking in A. geoffroyi, including a triangular shape to the P4 caused by a medial-internal cusp enclosed by the base of the tooth, a lack of development of the anterobasal cusp in the P3, a smaller braincase, and a shorter rostrum. We reassess the distribution of Anoura latidens in Colombia, adding new records and correcting previously-published records that were misidentified. Overall, our results suggest that a stable taxonomy for the group should consider A. carishina as a junior synonym of A. latidens, and that, although A. latidens is distinguishable from A. geoffroyi, further genetic and taxonomic work is needed in to clarify species limits within the A. geoffroyi species complex.El complejo de especies Anoura geoffroyi se compone de 3 especies, A. geoffroyi, A. peruana, y A. carishina. La descripción de Anoura carishina posee varias inconsistencias, y dado que no se realizó una comparación con A. latidens, realizamos una comparación de los caracteres taxonómicos de ambas especies. Para entender la posición de A. carishina en el morfoespacio ocupado por los Anoura grandes realizamos un Análisis de Componentes Principales usando 12 variables cráneo-dentales y 11 variables externas. Complementamos nuestros resultados con 1) un análisis de transformación elíptica de Fourier de la forma del tercer premolar superior (P4) 2) una comparación del área del segundo (P3) y tercer (P4) premolares superiores y 3) una comparación de los ángulos de las hileras dentales maxilares. Encontramos que A. carishina es morfológicamente indistinguible de A. latidens y que existe una amplio superposición en la morfología de A. latidens y A. geoffroyi. Sin embargo, la forma del P4, una cúspide anterobasal no desarrollada en el P3, y caracteres relacionados con una caja craneana menos inflada y un rostro corto son útiles en distinguir A. latidens de A. geoffroyi. Reevaluamos la distribución de Anoura latidens en Colombia, al agregar nuevos registros y corrigiendo registros previamente publicados que se encontraban mal identificados. En general, nuestros resultados sugieren que una taxonomía estable para el grupo debería considerar a A. carishina como un sinónimo junior de A. latidens, que A. latidens es distinguible de A. geoffroyi utilizando medidas cráneo-dentales y resalta la necesidad de estudios genéticos para esclarecer las relaciones filogenéticas entre A. latidens y el complejo de especies A. geoffroyi.