South America (Baud, 1982). Rhinophylla pumilio, the com- monest species, occurs through- out the Amazon basin although the southern limit of its distribu-.
Chiroptera Neotropical, 1(1), June, 1995
A r tic l es
Rhodospatha latifolia, and Sterculia sp, as well as in other non modified leaves in French Guiana. This paper reports on the use of modified leaves as shelters by R. pumilio in southeastern Brazil.
OBSERVATIONS ON TENT-USING IN THE CAROLLINE BAT RHINOPYLLA PUMILIO IN SOUTHEASTERN BRAZIL Marlon Zortéa Museu de Biologia Prof. Mello Leitão - Santa Teresa 29650-000 Espírito Santo, Brasil Several species of bats are known to modify leaves and build tents for shelters; fifteen of these are Neotropical phyllostomids (Timm, 1987; CharlesDominique, 1993), and three are Old World bats (Rickart et al., 1989). This type of roosts offers protection from rain, wind, sun, and predators and also may be used as feeding roosts (Timm, 1987; Brooke, 1990; CharlesDominique, 1993). A number of studies on bat's tent have been carried out in Central America, mainly in Costa Rica (Chapman, 1932; Ingles, 1953; Foster and Timm, 1976; Timm and Mortimer, 1976; Timm, 1984; Choe and Timm, 1985; Brooke, 1987; Timm, 1987; Broke, 1990; Timm and Lewis, 1991). In Brazil the only published information is on Artibeus jamaicensis and Uroderma bilobatum roosting in tents built of leaves of Musaceae (Carvalho, 1961). The genus Rhinophylla includes three species endemic to South America (Baud, 1982). Rhinophylla pumilio, the commonest species, occurs throughout the Amazon basin although the southern limit of its distribution remains unclear (Baud, 1982). Information about its roosting behavior is scarce. Peracchi et al., (1984) mentioned a single female in a building, and Charles-Dominique (1993) observed R. pumilio in tents of Atalea ataleoides, Astrocaryon sciophilum, Philodedron melinonni, P. ornatus,
I observed R. pumilio in the Biological Reserve of Duas Bocas (RBDB), Espírito Santo, southeastern Brazil (20o 16' S, 40o 29' W), particularly in secondary Atlantic rain forest habitats. Palms and other plants with large and long leaves were inspected. Leaves of Musa sp (probably M. paradisiaca), where two individuals of R. pumilio were caught, were measured . These plants were remnants of past agricultural fields, abandoned about 45 years before the creation of the reserve. Voucher specimens of R. pumilio are deposited in the mammal collection of the Museu de Biologia Prof. Mello Leitão. Individuals of R. pumilio were seen in tents on two occasions. In April 1987, two males (forearm length: 34; 34.3 mm and greatest length of skull: 18.8; 19 mm) with developed testes were observed under the horizontal leaf of Heliconia sp., about 1.5 m above the ground. The bats were in close physical contact. In April 1990, two additional males, also with developed testes and in a similar situation, were observed under the leaves of Musa sp, 2.5 m above the ground (Figure 1). The Musa plant had five leaves, and only one was Figure 1.Two adult male R. pumilio roosting in a tent under a Musa leaf. (Photo by Antonio Almeida)
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Chiroptera Neotropical, 1(1), June, 1995 modified as a tent. The Musa leaf used as a roost was in a horizontal position and measured 115 cm in length and 35 cm at the widest point. The bats cut the lateral vein and the tissues close to central nervure, creating a partial collapse of both sides of the leaf. The tents made by R. pumilio had shapes very similar to the tents described for Ectophylla alba in Heliconia leaves (Timm and Mortimer, 1976). The central part of the leaf was more worn, indicating a preferential site for the bats to shelter. The tent appeared not to have been built recently, as suggested by worn areas around the cut parts. All the observed individuals were hanging on the central nervure of the leaf.
REFERENCES
In this study I found other uninhabited tents in Heliconia leaves with similar shape as well as tents of different shapes (pyramidal form) used by Vampyressa pusilla (Zortéa, unpublished data), however I can not conclude that those tents used were really made by R. pumilio or by other bat species. This is a problem observed in tent-making or tent-using studies, since they are based on indirect evidence. Charles-Dominique (1993), in a careful study using radio-equipped bats and performing experiments of tent manipulation could not affirm with certainty if tents used by R. pumilio were really made by themselves or by other species. Moreover, the opportunistic use of tents made by conspecifics or man-made tents have been observed in other studies (Brooke, 1987; Timm, 1987; Foster, 1992; Charles-Dominique, 1993).
Carvalho, C. T. 1961. Sobre os hábiros alimentares dos Phyllostomídeos (Mammalia, Chiroptera). Rev. Biol. Trop., 9(1):53-60.
The fur color of some tent-making bats is usually whitish or pale or with some kind of disruptive patterns (facial or dorsal stripes) that may function as a kind of camouflage against visual-oriented predators (Foster and Timm, 1976; Brooke, 1990). Rhinophylla pumilio has a brown head and a pale grayish body; but if this coloration function as camouflage remains worth of study.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Adriano Chiarello and Sérgio Mendes provided helpful comments and Ivan Sazima made critical review on an early draft. The Instituto de Terras, Cartografia e Floresta/ ES for permission to conduct my observations at RBDB.
Baud, F. J. 1982. Présence de Rhinophylla alethina (Mammalia, Chiroptera) en Equateur et répartition actuelle du genre en Amerique du Sud. Rev. Suisse Zool., 89(3):815-821. Brooke, A. P. 1987. Tent construction and social organization in Vampyressa nympheaea (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) in Costa Rica. Journal of Tropical Ecology, 3:171-175. Brooke, A. P. 1990. Tent selection, roosting ecology and social organization of the tent-making bat, Ectophylla alba, in Costa Rica. J. Zool. (London)., 221:11-19.
Chapman, F. M. 1932. A home-making bat. Natural History, 32:555-556. Charle-Dominique, P. 1993. Tent-use by the bat Rhinophylla pumilio (Phyllostomidae: Carollinae) in French Guiana. Biotropica, 25(1):11-116. Choe, J. C. and Timm, R. M. 1985. Roosting site selection by Artibeus watsoni (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) on Anthurium ravenii (Araceae) in Costa Rica. J. Trop. Ecol., 1:241-247. Foster, M. S. 1992. Tent roots of Macconnell's bat (Vampyressa maconnelli). Biotropica, 24(3):447-454. Foster, M. S. and Timm, R. M. 1976. Tent-making by Artibeus jamaicensis (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) with comments on plants used by bats for tents. Biotropica., 8:265-269. Ingles, L. G. 1953. Observations on Barro Colorado Island Mammals. J. Mamm., 34:266-268. Peracchi, A. L., Raimundo, S. D. L. and Tannure., A. M. 1984. Quirópteros do Território Federal do Amapá, Brasil (Mammalia, Chiroptera). Arq. Univ. Fed. Rur. Rio. de Janeiro., 7(2):89-100. Rickart, E. A., Heideman, P. D. and Utzurrum, R. C. B. 1989. Tent-roosting by Scotophilus kuhlii (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) in the Philippines. J. Trop. Ecol., 5:433-436. Timm, R. M. 1984. Tent construction by Vampyressa in Costa Rica. Journal of Mammalogy, 65:166-167.
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Chiroptera Neotropical, 1(1), June, 1995 Timm, R. M. 1987. Tent construction by bats of the genera Artibeus and Uroderma. Pp. 187-212. In: Studies in Neotropical Mammalogy: Essays in Honor of Philip Hershkovitz. Patterson, B.D. & Timm, R.M. (eds.). Fieldiana Zool. (New series). 39:1- 506. Timm, R. M. and Mortimer, J. 1976. Selection of roost sites by Honduran white bats, Ectophylla alba (Chiroptera: Phyllostomatidae). Ecology., 57:385-389. Timm, R. M. and Lewis, S. L. 1991. Tent construction and use by Uroderma bilobatum in coconut palms (Cocos nucifera). Costa Rica. Pp. 251-260. In: Contributions to mammalogy in honor of Karl Koopman. Eds. Griffiths et al., Bulletin of American Museum of Natural History, 206: 432 pp.
fragmentação dos hábitats em subdivisões cada vez menores. O declínio da diversidade de espécies nesse processo é hoje um fato empírico bem estabelecido (Terborgh, 1992). Para que possamos manter a diversidade tropical, devemos conhecer as alterações ecológicas que as populações e comunidades biológicas sofrem, num sentido amplo, devido à fragmentação de hábitats, e assim identificar os mecanismos de perda de espécies decorrentes desse processo. De acordo com Fenton et al. (1992) morcegos têm grande potencial como indicadores de níveis de disrupção de hábitats, além de serem considerados bom material de estudos sobre diversidade, devido à grande variedade e abundância de espécies nas regiões tropicais. Alguns trabalhos sobre padrões de utilização de recursos alimentares, distribuição espacial e temporal de espécies de morcegos foram desenvolvidos na região Neotropical, principalmente em áreas naturais ou pouco modificadas (Fleming et al., 1972; Heithaus et al., 1975; Sazima e Sazima, 1977; Marinho-Filho e Sazima, 1989; Marinho-Filho, 1991; Müller e Reis, 1992; Pedro, 1992; Zortéa e Mendes, 1993; Aguiar, 1994). Neste estudo pesquisamos a influência da fragmentação de hábitat sobre a estrutura de uma taxocenose de morcegos, em um fragmento de Mata Atlântica na cidade de São Paulo.
FRAGMENTAÇÃO DE HÁBITAT E A ESTRUTURA DE UMA TAXOCENOSE DE MORCEGOS EM SÃO PAULO (BRASIL) Wagner André Pedro Bolsista da CAPES, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Recursos Naturais - Universidade Federal de São Carlos. Endereço atual: Departamento de Apoio, Produção e Saúde Animal, Unesp, campus de Araçatuba, C. P. 533, Cep 16050-680, Brasil. Marcos Paulo Geraldes e Gustave Gilles Lopez Curso de Ciências Biológicas,Universidade de São Paulo, Brasil.
O estudo está sendo desenvolvido na reserva biológica do Instituto de Botânica, no Parque Estadual das Fontes do Ipiranga, que cobre uma área de 549,31 ha, e corresponde à área florestada do Instituto. O parque, como um todo, representa uma ilha florestal em meio a região densamente povoada e urbanizada, vizinha a uma grande siderúrgica desativada, e situada entre vilas de moradores de baixa renda. Localiza-se na zona sul da cidade de São Paulo (23o39 S e 46o37 W), estando a uma altitude média de 798 m.
Cléber José Rodrigues Alho Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Cep 70919-900, Brasil, e WWF - Fundo Mundial para a Natureza.
Segundo a classificação climática de Köppen, o clima é do tipo mesotérmico de inverno seco (Cwb). A umidade relativa média anual é de 80,32%, oscilando entre 76,13% em agosto, e 82,67% em abril. A precipitação média anual é de 1318 mm (StrufaldiDe Vuono, 1985).
O Brasil, juntamente com a Colômbia, o México e a Indonésia, é considerado um país “megadiverso” (Mittermeier et al., 1992), devido a grande quantidade de espécies animais e vegetais que abriga. Atualmente, essa biodiversidade está ameaçada por uma conjunção de causas que pode levar à perda de várias dessas espécies. Dentre essas causas estão a incursão do homem nos ambientes naturais e a contínua
Com relação a vegetação, Hoehne classificou a mata da reserva biológica como floresta secundária representativa da vegetação primitiva da região, sendo mantida preservada até a presente data; é classificada como floresta subtropical de planalto segundo Hueck; e incluída nos 60% de floresta Alântica localizada em áreas estacionalmente secas, conforme as correlações bioclimáticas apresentadas por Rizzini
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