Long-distance movement by a great fruit-eating bat, Artibeus lituratus (Olfers, 1818), in southeastern Brazil (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae): evidence for migration in Neotropical bats?

Authors

  • Ives Simões Arnone Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto de Biociências
  • Eleonora Trajano Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto de Biociências
  • Atenisi Pulchério-Leite Universidade Federal do Paraná, Departamento de Zoologia
  • Fernando de Camargo Passos Universidade Federal do Paraná, Departamento de Zoologia

Keywords:

mark-recapture, use of space, Atlantic forest

Abstract

In Brazil, bat migrations have been inferred based on seasonal variations in bat abundances observed for several species, probably as a result of variations in temperature and food availability. However, direct evidence of individual medium to long distance (> 10 km) movements, based on marked specimens, is restricted to large frugivorous bats, genus Artibeus (Phyllostomidae). We report the longest bat movement recorded in Brazil, along 113 km in a straight line, difference in altitude of 738 m, from a mixed Araucaria forest in Curitiba, PR, to the Atlantic Forest, Alto Ribeira, SP, by a female Artibeus lituratus (Olfers, 1818), over a period of 14 months. This data is consistent with the occurrence of migratory movements in Neotropical bats, such as the ecologically flexible Artibeus spp., over relatively large areas, probably with short stopover foraging intervals. Implications for the conservation of these bats are clear, as their home ranges may be much larger than their foraging areas, encompassing more than one biome and overcoming political borders.

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Published

2016-03-01

How to Cite

Arnone, I. S., Trajano, E., Pulchério-Leite, A., & Passos, F. de C. (2016). Long-distance movement by a great fruit-eating bat, Artibeus lituratus (Olfers, 1818), in southeastern Brazil (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae): evidence for migration in Neotropical bats?. Biota Neotropica, 16(1). Retrieved from //www.biotaneotropica.org.br/BN/article/view/1352

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