A Scale for Quantifying Behavior Based on Aggressiveness in Bats

Behavior and personality play a crucial role in the evolution and ecology of animal species. We have limited knowledge of bat personality traits, partially due to the time, equipment, and facilities needed to measure them. To help fill this gap, we developed a scale for quantifying aggressiveness in bats that can be used during ordinary fieldwork and handling by researchers. This scale is based on observations of the following ecologically relevant and easily observed behaviors in wild-captured bats during routine handling: amount and intensity of physical struggling, teeth-baring, and biting. We then applied this scale to 35 wild-caught individual bats belonging to three different species or species groups (Chaerephon pumilus, n=29; Scotophilus dinganii, n=3; and pipistrelloid bats, n=3) and measured agreement between observers using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). We found that agreement between observers was good to excellent. This scale of aggressiveness provides an important, practical tool for researchers to reliably quantify this personality trait in wild bats that requires no additional equipment and minimal additional handling time. Collecting data on aggressive behavior during handling has the potential to increase our understanding of both intra- and interspecific variation in aggressiveness in bats, as well as the influence of this trait on many aspects of bat ecology. Finally, collecting data using this scale can facilitate comparisons between studies and promote research at broader spatial and temporal scales than commonly used in behavioral ecology studies.

Karyotype of Myotis lavali (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae)

Myotis lavali is an insectivorous bat that occurs along the South American Dry Diagonal, extending from the Brazilian Caatinga southward to Paraguayan Alto Chaco. This species was described recently and there is little information about its biology. Herein, we describe the conventional karyotype from three males captured in an arboreal savanna from Vale do Jequitinhonha, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The diploid number (2n) and the fundamental number of autosomes (FNa) were 44 and 50, respectively. Its karyotype, in Giemsa staining, is similar to others described for Neotropical Myotis, and it is not useful to identify specimens.

Influence of bat house design on hibernating bats - a case study in Herefordshire (UK)

In England, bats and their roosts are protected by national legislation. To permit development actions that would otherwise result in an offence relating to bats, it is first necessary to obtain a protected species mitigation licence containing protective measures. Due to the complexity of the topic, combined with the fact that monitoring is often limited, it can be difficult for practitioners to be certain of real conservation benefits of these measures. To build a new access road near Hereford (UK), a former artillery magazine (confirmed bat roost) building was demolished. Therefore, a legally binding English Nature/Natural England European Protected Species (EPS) Development Licence was obtained (2005). This licence stipulated mitigation and compensation measures to ensure the works could be carried out without harming bats and ensuring their favourable conservation status was maintained. Roost compensation measures were applied to two identical retained buildings. These included blocking doorways, provision of bat access grilles/internal roosting crevices, diverting downpipes inside, and installing straw matting (approx. 5cm deep, within one building only). The latter two measures were designed to increase internal humidity levels. Pre-compensation monitoring recorded two hibernating common pipistrelles in addition to lesser horseshoe and brown long-eared bat droppings. Post-compensation monitoring (2006-2016) recorded a minimum of three brown long-eared bats, three lesser horseshoe bats, one common pipistrelle and one barbastelle, suggesting the compensation methods may have increased both the numbers of species, and individual bats. These increases were small, hence not conclusive. Notably, during the post-compensation hibernation monitoring, brown long-eared bats were found in areas with lower humidity levels (48.6-78.8%) than lesser horseshoe bats (67.8-93.5%). The magazine containing straw matting had winter humidity levels approximately 20% higher than the other and supported a higher number of hibernating lesser horseshoe bats, but a lower number of hibernating brown long-eared bats. Within both buildings, all hibernating brown long-eared bats were found behind chipboard (approx. 70cm x 150cm) attached to wooden battens approx. 2cm from the internal walls rather than wooden or sawdust/ cement composite bat boxes.

First report of intraspecific variation in wing translucency for a Neotropical bat species

Although most variation regarding bat colouration has been recorded for fur, there have also been a few bat species for which intraspecific variation in wing translucency has been reported. However, all records are from the Paleotropics, with no cases reported for any bat species in the Neotropics. Here we describe the first case of intraspecific variation in wing translucency for a Neotropical bat species, the lesser ghost bat (Diclidurus scutatus). Two individuals captured hundreds of kilometres away from each other in the Brazilian Amazon forest showed distinct patterns in relation to the degree of their wing translucency. While one individual in the North‐eastern Amazon forest had fully translucent wings, the other in the Southern Amazon had whitish opaque wings. We propose three hypotheses to explain this variation, which are related to differences in: (1) light conditions and camouflage in the roost; (2) thermoregulation requirements; and (3) habitat structure relationship with hunting success

New species records from Buton Island, South East Sulawesi, including regional range extensions

Peninsular Malaysia is currently thought to host the highest biodiversity of Old World bats of any region, with 110 species recorded. However, the availability of literature to facilitate a similarly thorough species ‘checklist’ is not as readily available for other parts of Southeast Asia, including Sulawesi, Indonesia. Here we highlight 13 new species records from the long-term bat monitoring programme on Buton Island, South East Sulawesi, expanding on Patterson et al.’s (2017) previous inventory for this study area. One species (Hipposideros galeritus) is a new record for Sulawesi, and seven species (Cynopterus c.f. minutus, Rousettus celebensis, Megaderma spasma, Hipposideros c.f. ater, Myotis c.f. horsfieldii, Myotis c.f. moluccarum, and Myotis c.f.muricola) are new records for Buton Island. The remaining five species (Thoopterus nigrescens, Dobsonia exoleta, Acerodon celebensis,Mosia nigrescens, and Mops sarasinorum) have been previously reported from Buton but were missing from the prior site inventory. We also correct a probable mistaken species identification in the previous inventory (Cynopterus cf. titthaecheilus, now identified as Thoopterus nigrescens). This brings the total of confirmed species detected on Buton to 35, equating to 46.7% of all Sulawesi’s known bat diversity in c. 3% of its land area. We highlight Buton as a key area for conserving the region’s bat species.

Bat conservation and ecotourism: the case of two abandoned tunnels in Salamanca, Western Iberia

Underground roosts play a key role in the conservation of cave-dwelling bats. In regions where natural roosts are scarce, human-made artificial roosts can host important populations of these species. The roosts studied in the present work are two railway tunnels abandoned in 1984 that have become one of the biggest cavedwelling bats roosts in the region. Several thousands of roosting bats were reported during summer in the 1990s, and more recently, in the mid-2010s, large groups of hibernating bats and maternity colonies were found in them (Lizana-Ciudad 2015, Hernández-Tabernero et al. 2016). Now, as a measure for local economic development, a hiking route following the railroad has been habilitated and it could threaten bat colonies if many visitors enter into the tunnels. In this work, we present the data of monthly monitoring carried out during 2018 and we propose conservation measures that would allow the coexistence of the touristic hiking route and the remarkable colonies of cave-dwelling bats that the tunnels host. This monitoring shows that the occupation of the roosts is very dynamic, with different species occupying each of them in different seasons. Overall, the longest tunnel is mainly a winter hibernaculum, while the shorter one is used as a breeding roost which hosts large colonies of bats. The most abundant species in the studied roosts were Miniopterus schreibersii, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum, Myotis myotis, and Myotis blythii. These roosts seem to be part of a large transnational network of underground roosts that are well known on the Portuguese side with very limited knowledge on the Spanish side. We hope by implementing simple measures, these roosts can be preserved whilst still maintaining the hiking route for visitor enjoyment and promoting the economic development of the area.