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

Abstract

Abstract: 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.