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New records and range extension of Promops centralis (Chiroptera: Molossidae)

DOI:10.1016/j.rmb.2016.10.008
Authors:
Tania Paulina Gonzalez-Terrazas at Ulm University
Tania Paulina Gonzalez-Terrazas
Luis R. Víquez-R at Bucknell University
Luis R. Víquez-R
Ana Ibarra-Macías
Ana Ibarra-Macías
Ana Ibarra-Macías
  • This person is not on ResearchGate, or hasn't claimed this research yet.
Adrian T. Ruiz at Ulm University
Adrian T. Ruiz
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Abstract and Figures

We captured Promops centralis and recorded its echolocation calls in Bahía de Kino, Sonora, which represents the first record of this species for the state of Sonora, Mexico. Our new record extends the distribution of P. centralis at least 1,300km northwest from the northernmost known locality, Cuautla, Jalisco. Until now, there was no evidence of the occurrence of P. centralis in the deserts of northern Mexico. These new records are ecologically significant as they show that this species also occurs in extreme dry areas such as the Sonoran Desert. Our findings suggest that P. centralis may be more widely distributed than previously thought.
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Available
online
at
www.sciencedirect.com
Revista
Mexicana
de
Biodiversidad
www.ib.unam.mx/revista/
Revista
Mexicana
de
Biodiversidad
87
(2016)
1407–1411
Research
note
New
records
and
range
extension
of
Promops
centralis
(Chiroptera:
Molossidae)
Nuevo
registro
y
ampliación
de
la
distribución
de
Promops
centralis
(Chiroptera:
Molossidae)
Tania
P.
González-Terrazasa,∗,
Luis
R.
Víqueza,b,
Ana
Ibarra-Macíasb,
Adrián
Tonatiuh
Ruízc,
Leonora
Torres-Knoopb,
Kirsten
Junga,
Marco
Tschapkaa,d,
Rodrigo
A.
Medellínb
aInstitute
of
Evolutionary
Ecology
and
Conservation
Genomics,
Albert-Einstein
Allee
11,
D-89069
Ulm,
Germany
bInstituto
de
Ecología,
Universidad
Nacional
Autónoma
de
México,
Tercer
Circuito
s/n,
Ciudad
Universitaria,
04318
Ciudad
de
México,
Mexico
cInstitute
of
Neural
Information
Processing,
University
of
Ulm,
Albert-Einstein
Allee
11,
D-89069
Ulm,
Germany
dSmithsonian
Tropical
Research
Institute,
PO
Box
0843-03092,
Balboa,
Panama
Received
4
May
2016;
accepted
16
August
2016
Available
online
15
November
2016
Abstract
We
captured
Promops
centralis
and
recorded
its
echolocation
calls
in
Bahía
de
Kino,
Sonora,
which
represents
the
first
record
of
this
species
for
the
state
of
Sonora,
Mexico.
Our
new
record
extends
the
distribution
of
P.
centralis
at
least
1,300
km
northwest
from
the
northernmost
known
locality,
Cuautla,
Jalisco.
Until
now,
there
was
no
evidence
of
the
occurrence
of
P.
centralis
in
the
deserts
of
northern
Mexico.
These
new
records
are
ecologically
significant
as
they
show
that
this
species
also
occurs
in
extreme
dry
areas
such
as
the
Sonoran
Desert.
Our
findings
suggest
that
P.
centralis
may
be
more
widely
distributed
than
previously
thought.
©
2016
Universidad
Nacional
Autónoma
de
México,
Instituto
de
Biología.
This
is
an
open
access
article
under
the
CC
BY-NC-ND
license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Keywords:
Aerial
insectivores;
Bahía
de
Kino;
Echolocation;
Molossids;
Northern
Mexico
Resumen
Se
capturó
al
murciélago
Promops
centralis
y
se
grabaron
sus
llamadas
de
ecolocalización
en
la
localidad
de
Bahía
de
Kino,
Sonora;
este
es
el
primer
registro
de
la
especie
para
el
estado
de
Sonora,
México.
Este
nuevo
registro
amplía
la
distribución
de
P.
centralis
por
lo
menos
1,300
km
al
noroeste
de
la
localidad
más
norte˜
na
previamente
conocida,
Cuautla,
Jalisco.
Hasta
ahora
no
existía
evidencia
de
la
presencia
de
P.
centralis
en
los
desiertos
del
norte
de
México.
Este
nuevo
registro
es
de
importancia
ecológica
ya
que
por
primera
vez
se
muestra
que
esta
especie
puede
subsistir
en
áreas
extremadamente
secas
como
el
Desierto
de
Sonora.
Nuestro
hallazgo
sugiere
que
P.
centralis
puede
estar
más
ampliamente
distribuido
de
lo
que
se
pensaba
con
anterioridad.
©
2016
Universidad
Nacional
Autónoma
de
México,
Instituto
de
Biología.
Este
es
un
artículo
Open
Access
bajo
la
licencia
CC
BY-NC-ND
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Palabras
clave:
Insectívoros
aéreos;
Bahía
de
Kino;
Ecolocalización;
Molósidos;
Norte
de
México
The
Molossidae
is
a
diverse
group
of
bats
(fourth
largest
bat
family,
ca.
100
species),
with
most
of
the
species
occurring
in
tropical
and
subtropical
regions
(Simmons,
2005).
Molossids
are
∗Corresponding
author.
E-mail
address:
tania.gonzalez@uni-ulm.de
(T.P.
González-Terrazas).
Peer
Review
under
the
responsibility
of
Universidad
Nacional
Autónoma
de
México.
typical
open
space
bats
that
hunt
high
up
in
the
air
and
roam
over
large
distances.
They
are
rarely
captured
in
mist
nets
so
there
is
a
general
lack
of
information
on
many
species.
The
genus
Pro-
mops
is
restricted
to
the
New
World
and
currently
encompasses
3
species
(Gregorin
&
Chiquito,
2010):
Promops
centralis,
Pro-
mops
nasutus
and
Promops
davisoni.
P.
centralis
is
the
most
widely
distributed,
from
Mexico
(Jalisco
to
Yucatán)
through-
out
South
America,
from
Colombia,
Ecuador,
and
Peru,
to
the
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rmb.2016.10.008
1870-3453/©
2016
Universidad
Nacional
Autónoma
de
México,
Instituto
de
Biología.
This
is
an
open
access
article
under
the
CC
BY-NC-ND
license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
1408
T.P.
González-Terrazas
et
al.
/
Revista
Mexicana
de
Biodiversidad
87
(2016)
1407–1411
Figure
1.
(A)
Artificial
pond
where
we
captured
Promops
centralis.
(B)
The
pond
(red
dot)
is
mainly
surrounded
by
crops.
This
area
is
very
dry
and
these
water
bodies
are
the
only
source
of
fresh
water
nearby.
Amazon
basin
in
Brazil,
western
Bolivia,
Paraguay,
northeast-
ern
Argentina
and
the
northern
coast
of
Brazil,
Guianas,
and
Venezuela
(Eger,
2008;
Pacheco,
Cadenillas,
Salas,
Tello,
&
Zeballos,
2009;
Simmons,
2005).
Despite
its
large
distributional
range,
little
is
known
about
the
ecology
of
this
species.
Like
most
molossids,
P.
centralis
possesses
long
and
narrow-tipped
wings
(high
wing
loading
and
aspect
ratio)
which
are
well
suited
to
fly
at
high
speed
but
are
less
suited
for
high
maneuverability
(Freeman,
1981;
Norberg
&
Rayner,
1987).
In
accordance,
these
bats
are
known
to
forage
in
open
areas
above
the
forest
canopy
or
in
open
landscapes
(Jung,
Molinari,
&
Kalko,
2014;
Kalko,
Estrada-Villegas,
Schmidt,
Wegmann,
&
Meyer,
2008).
P.
cen-
tralis
occurs
in
a
very
diverse
range
of
habitats
such
as
rain
forest,
tropical
dry
forest
and
pine-oak
(Arita,
1997;
Sánchez-Cordero,
Bonilla,
&
Cisneros,
1993;
Simmons
&
Voss,
1998),
pastures
(MacSwiney,
Bolivar,
Clarke,
&
Racey,
2006),
and
has
even
been
reported
in
urban
areas
(Jung
&
Kalko,
2011;
Regueras
&
Maga˜
na-Cota,
2008).
The
echolocation
calls
of
P.
centralis
are
very
conspicuous
as
they
are
characterized
by
upward
fre-
quency
modulation
similar
to
the
genus
Molossops
(Jung
et
al.,
2014).
Within
sequences
up-
and
downward
modulated
calls
can
alternate
irregularly.
Species-specific
variation
of
echolocation
calls
has
been
previously
described
in
detail
(while
assigning
it
to
Cynomops
mexicanus
by
MacSwiney
et
al.,
2006).
In
Mexico,
this
species
has
been
recorded
from
Jalisco
south-
ward
throughout
the
west
coast
to
the
Yucatán
Peninsula.
We
report
here
the
capture
of
this
species
for
the
first
time
in
the
extreme
north
of
Mexico,
in
the
state
of
Sonora,
where
there
was
no
record
of
this
species
in
the
northern
desert
habitats
of
Mexico.
Field
work
was
conducted
on
the
nights
of
the
8th
and
9th
of
April
2014
in
Bahía
de
Kino,
Sonora.
Our
study
site
was
one
of
the
few
artificial
water
reservoirs
in
this
area
(28◦501.09 N,
111◦3557.20 W).
The
pond
had
a
size
of
ca.
90
m
×
90
m
with
some
palm
trees
close
to
the
edge
of
the
water
and
mainly
surrounded
by
crops
(Fig.
1).
However,
the
pond
is
relatively
close
to
the
natural
vegetation
typical
for
the
Sonoran
Desert,
dominated
by
small
shrubs
and
columnar
cacti
(Mexican
giant
cardon:
Pachycereus
pringlei,
saguaro:
Carnegiea
gigantea,
organ
pipe
cactus:
Stenocereus
thurberi)
(Van
Devender,
2002).
We
used
mist
nets
for
capturing
bats
and
acoustic
monitor-
ing
to
record
the
echolocation
calls
of
all
the
bats
flying
near
the
study
site.
Captured
bats
were
identified
using
a
bat
iden-
tification
guide
(Medellín,
Arita,
&
Sánchez-Herrera,
2008).
Acoustic
recordings
were
obtained
using
a
real
time
acoustic
ultrasound
recording
device
(batcorder,
ecoObs
GmbH,
Nürn-
berg,
Germany)
located
at
1.5
m
above
the
ground.
Both,
mist
netting
and
use
of
the
acoustic
recording
device
started
at
sun-
set
and
ended
at
midnight.
We
followed
the
guidelines
for
the
use
of
wild
mammal
species
in
research
as
recommended
by
the
American
Society
of
Mammalogists
(Sikes
&
The
Animal
Care
and
Use
Committee
of
the
American
Society
of
Mammalogists,
2016).
All
captures
were
carried
out
under
permission
of
the
Secretaría
de
Medio
Ambiente
y
Recursos
Naturales,
Mexico
(FAUT-0001).
In
total
we
captured
12
individuals
of
2
bat
families
(Ves-
pertilionidae
and
Molossidae).
We
identified
2
individuals
of
P.
centralis,
1
in
each
capture
night,
both
individuals
presented
the
characteristic
morphological
features
of
P.
centralis:
upper
lip
without
grooves
(Fig.
2A),
forearm
less
than
56
mm,
dark
pelage
(darker
in
the
dorsal
part
than
in
the
ventral
part)
and
the
incisors
protruding
substantially
from
the
front
of
the
canines
(Fig.
2B).
The
first
captured
individual
was
an
adult
male,
repro-
ductively
inactive,
with
a
forearm
of
54.8
mm,
the
time
of
capture
was
around
22:00
h.
The
collected
individual
was
deposited
in
the
National
Collection
of
Mammals,
UNAM,
Mexico
(catalog
number
47626).
The
second
individual,
captured
around
20:00
h
and
released
after
taking
measurements
and
photographs,
was
an
adult
male,
reproductively
inactive
with
a
forearm
of
55.4
mm.
We
analyzed
13
echolocation
sequences
(n
=
206
upward
modulated
echolocation
calls)
of
P.
centralis.
Corroborating
with
previous
publications,
this
species
has
very
particular
echolocation
calls
(Jung
et
al.,
2014),
which
are
easily
identi-
fied
using
acoustic
recordings
for
species
inventory.
Contrary
to
most
molossids,
their
search
calls
are
upward
modulated
quasi-
constant
frequency
calls
with
a
variable
upward
modulated
T.P.
González-Terrazas
et
al.
/
Revista
Mexicana
de
Biodiversidad
87
(2016)
1407–1411
1409
Figure
2.
(A)
Side
view
of
one
of
the
individuals
of
Promops
centralis.
The
upper
lip
does
not
present
vertical
groves.
(B)
The
most
remarkable
characteristic
of
P.
centralis
are
the
incisors
that
protrude
substantially
from
the
front
of
the
canines
(red
arrow).
FM-component
at
the
beginning
(i.e.,
the
start
frequency
is
lower
than
the
end
frequency).
Call
sequences
are
character-
ized
by
interspersed
downward-modulated
signals,
especially
before
prey-capture
attempts.
Upward
and
downward
modu-
lated
signals
do
not
overlap
in
frequency
range.
The
upward
modulated
search
calls
of
P.
centralis
are
long,
low
frequency
quasi-constant
calls
with
the
highest
energy
in
the
first
harmonic
(Fig.
3;
Table
1).
Our
new
records
of
P.
centralis,
besides
being
the
first
for
the
state
of
Sonora,
extend
the
distributional
range
of
this
species
by
1300
km
northwesterly.
So
far,
the
northernmost
records
of
P.
centralis
were
from
Cuautla,
Jalisco
(Watkins,
Jones,
&
Genoways,
1972)
and
one
recent
record
from
the
city
of
Guana-
juato
(Regueras
&
Maga˜
na-Cota,
2008).
Additionally,
this
is
the
Table
1
Call
parameters
of
the
upward
modulated
calls
(mean
±
SD)
of
Promops
cen-
tralis.
We
analyzed
a
total
of
206
calls
from
13
different
sequences.
Search
calls
(n
=
206)
Call
duration
(ms) 20.6
±
3.90
Peak
frequency
(kHz) 24.7
±
0.57
Start
frequency
(kHz)
23.0
±
0.72
End
frequency
(kHz)
25.6
±
0.47
Bandwidth
(kHz)
2.7
±
0.56
first
record
of
P.
centralis
for
the
Sonoran
Desert
(xeric
shrub-
lands).
This
type
of
habitat
covers
large
part
of
northwestern
Mexico
and
southwest
of
the
United
States,
with
an
approxi-
mate
area
of
260,000
km2(Phillips
&
Comus,
2000).
The
xeric
shrublands
of
the
northern
Mexican
deserts
covered
originally
approximately
40%
of
the
Mexican
territory
(Rzedowski,
1978;
Fig.
4B),
nowadays
they
cover
only
ca.
30%
of
the
country
(Inegi,
2005).
Our
finding
of
the
occurrence
of
P.
centralis
in
this
type
of
habitat
suggests
that
the
potential
distribution
of
this
species
(Fig.
4A)
may
cover
a
much
larger
area
than
previously
thought.
In
addition
to
the
2
captures,
we
also
recorded
many
echolo-
cation
passes
of
P.
centralis
during
the
2
nights
of
acoustic
monitoring.
The
measurements
of
the
call
parameters
in
this
study
are
similar
to
those
previously
reported
for
P.
centralis
(Jung
et
al.,
2014;
MacSwiney
et
al.,
2006).
In
contrast
to
most
molossids,
which
demonstrate
a
high
variability
in
echoloca-
tion
call
frequencies,
hampering
acoustic
species
identification
(Gillam
et
al.,
2009;
Kalko
et
al.,
2008)
echolocation
calls
of
P.
centralis,
are
very
characteristic
and
thus
a
reliable
indica-
tor
for
the
occurrence
of
this
species.
Thus
acoustic
monitoring
can
be
an
important
tool
to
enhance
our
knowledge
about
the
ecology
of
this
species.
In
dry
habitats,
where
water
is
limited,
the
few
available
water
bodies
are
hot
spots
of
activity
of
the
regional
fauna.
We
recorded
echolocation
calls
and
captured
P.
centralis
while
the
animals
were
approaching
the
pond
for
drinking
or
capturing
insects
gathered
near
the
water.
With
extensive
monitoring
efforts,
com-
bining
acoustic
and
mist
netting
techniques
at
similar
locations
it
may
be
possible
to
record
this
species
at
additional
localities
in
the
northern
deserts
of
Mexico
where
this
species
has
not
yet
been
found.
Our
results
indicate
that,
more
than
ever
before,
standardized,
careful
acoustic
surveillance
is
rapidly
becoming
an
essential
tool
for
biodiversity
monitoring.
mV
Freq. (kHz)
0
–200
0.2 0.4 0.6
20 ms
Time (s)
30
200
Figure
3.
Three
upward
modulated
echolocation
calls
of
a
search
sequence
of
Promops
centralis.
Sonogram
was
created
using
a
fast
Fourier
transform
(FFT)
with
512
point,
a
Hamming
window
and
an
overlap
of
75%.
1410
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et
al.
/
Revista
Mexicana
de
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(2016)
1407–1411
120ºW 110ºW 100ºW 90ºW
120ºW
110ºW
100ºW
90ºW
30ºN25ºN20ºN15ºN30ºN25ºN20ºN15ºN
30ºN25ºN20ºN15ºN30ºN25ºN20ºN15ºN
90ºW100ºW110ºW
Model consensus
A
B
Pine-oak forest
Thorn forest
Cloud forest
Tropical deciduous
Tropical evergreen forest
Tropical semi-deciduous forest
Xeric scrub
Grasslands
Acuatic and underwater vegetation
1-2
0
250
500 Km
0
250
500 Km
3-4
5-7
8-10
90ºW100ºW110ºW
Figure
4.
(A)
Potential
distribution
of
Promops
centralis
in
Mexico
(modified
from
Ceballos,
Blanco,
González
y
Martínez,
2006).
Light
green
shading
indicates
the
current
known
distribution
of
this
species
in
Mexico
(modified
from
Medellín
et
al.,
2008).
The
red
star
represents
the
location
of
the
new
records
reported
in
this
study.
(B)
Potential
vegetation
of
Mexico
(modified
from
Rzedowski,
1990).
These
captures
were
in
a
type
of
habitat
(xeric
shrublands)
where
P.
centralis
was
considered
to
be
absent.
This
habitat
type
is
extensively
distributed
in
the
north
of
Mexico,
therefore,
this
species
may
be
more
widely
distributed
than
previously
thought.
We
want
to
thank
all
the
people
who
contributed
to
the
field
work.
Scientific
collecting
permits
were
provided
to
R.A.M.
by
the
Secretaría
del
Medio
Ambiente
y
Recursos
Naturales
(FAUT-0001).
This
study
was
supported
by
a
joint
DFG-Conacyt
Bilateral
Cooperation
program
under
the
num-
ber
190901
[to
R.A.M]
and
TS
81/8-1
and
8-2
[to
M.T.
and
K.J.]
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http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/museummammalogy/176
... The distribution of Big Crested Mastiff Bat, Promops centralis (Thomas, 1915) (Molossidae), ranges from Mexico to northern Argentina (Watkins et al. 1972;Birney et al. 1974;Eisenberg 1989;Hall 1981;Urbano-Vidales et al. 1987;Sánchez-Cordero et al. 1993;Rojas-Martínez and Valiente-Banuet 1996;Arita 1997;Simmons and Voss 1998;Vidal and Martínez 2000;Simmons 2005;Ceballos et al. 2006;Eger 2008;Medellín et al. 2008;Sánchez and Magaña-Cota 2008;Pacheco et al. 2009;González and Arroyo-Cabrales 2013;González-Terrazas et al. 2016;Solari 2019). Despite its widespread distribution, P. centralis feeding and habitat preferences, flight patterns and roosting behavior are poorly understood making this species difficult to record (Hintze et al. 2019). ...
... Promops centralis is found in a variety of ecosystems including tropical rainforest, tropical dry forest, thorn forest, oak-pine forest (Téllez-Girón et al. 1997), agricultural landscapes (González-Terrazas et al. 2016), and urban areas (Jung and Kalko 2011), and is found in an elevational range from sea level to 1,800 m (Téllez-Girón 2005). Presently, the distribution of P. centralis in Mexico ranges from Jalisco along the Pacific coast, Veracruz in the Gulf of Mexico region, to the central and southeastern regions of the country, as well as the Yucatan Peninsula (Watkins et al. 1972;Rojas-Martínez and Valiente-Banuet 1996;Vidal and Martínez 2000;Alavez Tadeo et al. 2017). ...
... Presently, the distribution of P. centralis in Mexico ranges from Jalisco along the Pacific coast, Veracruz in the Gulf of Mexico region, to the central and southeastern regions of the country, as well as the Yucatan Peninsula (Watkins et al. 1972;Rojas-Martínez and Valiente-Banuet 1996;Vidal and Martínez 2000;Alavez Tadeo et al. 2017). Notably, P. centralis has not been reported in the state of Sinaloa (located in northwest Mexico, adjoining with Sonora to the north, Chihuahua and Durango to the east and Nayarit to the south), although, it has been recorded at 1,300 km in the northern neighboring state of Sonora (González-Terrazas et al. 2016). ...
Acoustic records of Promops centralis (Thomas, 1915) (Chiroptera, Molossidae) in corn agroecosystems of northwestern Mexico
Article
Full-text available
  • Sep 2020
The Big Crested Mastiff Bat, Promops centralis (Thomas, 1915), is widely distributed from Mexico to South America but has yet to be reported in the state of Sinaloa, Mexico. We collected 122 acoustic recordings of P. centralis from tropical dry forest and agroecosystems in Sinaloa and Sonora for two years (2015 and 2016). We documented a new record for P. centralis outside the known distribution area in northwestern Mexico. Our results reveal that the current P. centralis distribution needs to be reevaluated.
View
... Promops centralis is the only species of the genus present in Mexico (Ramírez-Pulido et al. 2014). The distribution of P. centralis in Mexico shows a disjunctive pattern, with unconnected populations located on the Yucatán Peninsula, the Pacific coast, the Sierra Madre del Sur Mountain chain, the Trans-Mexican Volcanic belt, and the coastal plains of the Gulf of Mexico (Téllez-Girón 2005, Solari et al. 2008, González-Terrazas 2016. ...
... Our data also confirm the potential distribution model of P. centralis proposed by Ceballos et al. (2006) for Veracruz. Recently, González-Terrazas et al. (2016) increased the distribution of P. centralis northward from Jalisco state to Bahía de Kino in Sonora state via the Pacific coast. Our records along with the one of González- Terrazas et al. (2016) should be included in any new analysis to reassess the potential distribution of P. centralis. ...
... Recently, González-Terrazas et al. (2016) increased the distribution of P. centralis northward from Jalisco state to Bahía de Kino in Sonora state via the Pacific coast. Our records along with the one of González- Terrazas et al. (2016) should be included in any new analysis to reassess the potential distribution of P. centralis. ...
New state record and range extension of the Big Crested Mastiff Bat, Promops centralis Thomas, 1915 (Chiroptera, Molossidae), in Veracruz, Mexico
Article
Full-text available
  • Nov 2017
The diversity of bats in the Mexican state of Veracruz is high, comprising 89 species. Many of these species deserve special attention because either they remain underrepresented in collections, or they are known from fewer than 5 localities. We confirm the presence of the Big Crested Mastiff Bat (Promops centralis) in Veracruz, and provide additional occurrence records that extend the known geographic distribution of this species by 216 km to the north from previously known sites. Our new record represents the northernmost record of the species on the coastal plain of the Gulf of Mexico. Our findings highlight the presence of gaps in past surveys of mammalian diversity in Veracruz.
View
... Like many other molossids, P. centralis is a fast-flying insectivorous species, usually capturing its prey while flying several meters above the ground in open landscapes and above the tree canopy (Nowak 1994;Reis et al. 2007;Gardner 2008;Kalko et al. 2008). Promops centralis individuals have been recorded in a wide range of habitat types, from tropical forests, such as the Amazonian forest (e.g., Gregorin and Taddei 2000;Lim and Engstrom 2001) and tropical wetlands like the Pantanal region (Fischer et al. 2015), to arid environments, like the Sonora Desert (González-Terrazas et al. 2016), or even urban areas Kalko 2010, 2011). Individuals of the genus Promops roost under palm trees leaves, inside hollow trees, and under house roofs (Nowak 1994). ...
... Based on our records in Caatinga, a semiarid Brazilian biome, we confirmed that South American P. centralis individuals also tolerate arid environments. This was also recently observed in Mexico (González-Terrazas et al. 2016;Alavez Tadeo et al. 2017). We further found that the current IUCN range polygon for P. centralis is inaccurate (see Fig. 1A), failing to include several known valid records, some that are ~20 years old (e.g., Gregorin and Taddei 2000;Lim and Engstrom 2001;Barnett et al. 2006;Botto et al. 2008;Jung and Kalko 2010), thus hampering the correct assessment of the species' extent of occurrence and area of occupancy, information used by the IUCN to categorize the level of threat to a species. ...
Molossid unlimited: extraordinary extension of range and unusual vocalization patterns of the bat, Promops centralis
Article
Full-text available
The big crested mastiff bat, Promops centralis, occurs in Central and South America, but knowledge of its ecology is limited due to its open space hunting strategy, making captures extremely challenging. Notwithstanding, members of the species produce echolocation calls that are easy to identify. After recording calls of P. centralis 1,500 km away from its known range in Brazil, we hypothesized that the distribution range of this species was probably greatly underestimated. To improve the accuracy of P. centralis’ real distribution, we employed acoustic surveys throughout parts of Brazil, conducted after a bibliographic review to gather additional records, and used MaxEnt to model the species’ potential distribution. We have found that P. centralis has a much wider distribution in South America than previously thought, adding more than 3.8 million km2 to its former known area. We also describe an unusual vocalization pattern of P. centralis, with individuals emitting at least three very distinct but highly variable calls. This study shows that bioacoustic surveys and species distribution models can complement traditional methodologies in studying species that are difficult to capture, such as P. centralis, potentially contributing to more effective conservation and management plans.
View
... Information regarding bat distribution and richness is important, as they are known to provide important ecosystem services (Kunz et al. 2011). Studies with bioacoustic data have been increasing the knowledge of several bat species' distribution, mostly insectivorous, which are harder to capture by mist nets than herbivorous species, adding information about many species (Sampaio et al. 2003;González-Terrazas et al. 2016;Silva & Bernard 2017;Hintze et al. 2020). Acoustic methods, along with mist nets, are considered essential to improve bat studies, mainly because of the subsampling of insectivore bat taxa (e.g., Murray et al. 1999;O'Farrell & Gannon 1999;Duffy et al. 2000;Sampaio et al. 2003;MacSwiney et al. 2008;Silva & Bernard 2017). ...
View
... Among molossids, the big crested mastiff bat, Promops centralis is one of the most elusive and less studied species (Hintze et al. 2019). As many other molossids, P. centralis seems to be a habitat-opportunist, having been reported in a wide range of environments such as forests, wetlands, deserts, and urban areas (Gregorin and Taddei 2000;Lim and Engstrom 2001;Kalko 2010, 2011;Fischer et al. 2015;González-Terrazas et al. 2016;Hintze et al. 2019). In terms of echolocation, P. centralis is easily recognizable, with alternate concave-convex pairs of pulses produced at ~30 and ~35 kHz, respectively (López-Baucells et al. 2016;Arias-Aguilar et al. 2018). ...
Second capture of Promops centralis (Chiroptera) in French Guiana after 28 years of mist-netting and description of its echolocation and distress calls
Article
Full-text available
  • Nov 2020
The Amazonian basin harbours some of the most bat-diverse ecosystems worldwide. Yet, information on elusive, high-flying bat species such as Molossidae is scarce or virtually missing in the literature, which hampers conservation efforts both locally and globally. The recent advent of new technologies specifically designed to survey bats, such as passive ultrasound detectors and acoustic lures, has significantly increased understanding of bat ecology and distribution, and has allowed researchers to gather new and valuable information which was impossible to collect in the past. We undertook a rapid bat diversity assessment in French Guiana using acoustic lures to aid in capturing high-flying insectivorous bat species. Here we report the second and third capture record of Promops centralis (Chiroptera, Molossidae) for French Guiana, captured after 28 years since the first and only captures so far in the county. One individual was a post-lactating female and represents the first record of breeding P. centralis in French Guiana. We provide (i) morphometric and acoustic data (including the species' distress calls) as well as detail photography to aid in species identification; and (ii) COI and CytB sequences of the two individuals (first mitochondrial sequences for French Guiana).
View
... Our results agree with previous studies in which molos- sids were commonly found over water bodies ( Costa et al. 2012), especially above larger lakes that allow them to easily maneuver near the water surface (Adams and Simmons 2002;Costa et al. 2012). Although Promops, Molos- sops and other rare molossid species are widely distributed across Central and South America, little is known about these genera (Gonz alez- Terrazas et al. 2016;L opez-Baucells et al. 2018) and our study provides new information about their presence and feeding behavior at Amazonian lakes. ...
The importance of lakes for bat conservation in Amazonian rainforests: an assessment using autonomous recorders
Article
Full-text available
  • May 2018
Recent studies predict a future decrease in precipitation across the tropics, particularly the Amazon, likely causing significant droughts that have negative consequences for Amazonian freshwater biomes, especially lakes. Furthermore, immediate consequences of global warming for terrestrial fauna associated with tropical lakes are poorly understood as the vast majority of studies come from temperate regions. Here, we assess the seasonal importance of lakes for the conservation of aerial insectivorous bats in the Central Amazon using passive bat recorders. We compared richness, general bat activity and foraging activity between lakes and adjacent forest. Of a total of 21 species/sonotypes recorded in both habitats, all were detected over lakes, and 18 were significantly more active over lakes than in forest. Only two species had significantly higher activity levels in the forest than at the lakes. Species richness and general bat activity over the lakes were higher in the dry than in the rainy season. Foraging activity was also greater over the lakes than within the forest in both seasons. Moreover, both variables were positively correlated with lake size, although the effect on activity was species‐specific. Climate change‐driven shrinking of lakes may have detrimental consequences for aerial insectivorous bats, especially for the most water‐dependent species. Compared to permanent water bodies of other regions, the value of tropical lakes for functionally important taxa, such as bats, has been understudied. Higher bat activity levels over lakes than in forest in both seasons and comprising the whole ensemble of aerial insectivorous bats of the study region, indicate that lakes embedded in Amazonian terra firme forests deserve special attention for future bat conservation.
View
... Amazonía, bosque montano, distribución, altitud, murciélago, Morona-Santiago, nueva localidad. El género Promops (Molossidae) se encuentra en la región del Neotrópico y en la actualidad comprende tres especies: Murciélago mastín canela con cresta Promops centralis, Murciélago mastín narigón con cresta Promops nasutus, y Murciélago mastín grande con cresta Promops davisoni [1] . Promops centralis está ampliamente distribuido, con registros desde Sonora en México , a través de Centro América hasta el occidente de Perú y también en la Amazonía occidental hasta Paraguay y el noreste de Argentina [2]. ...
COMUNICACIÓN/COMMUNICATION SECCIÓN/SECTION B Nuevo registro de Promops centralis (Chiroptera: Molossidae) en el suroriente del Ecuador New record of Promops centralis (Chiroptera: Molossidae) in south-eastern Ecuador
Article
Full-text available
  • Feb 2017
Promops centralis (Chiroptera: Molossidae) is reported for the first time in southeastern Ecuador, province of Morona Santiago. In 1998, an adult female was collected at Limón-Indanza. The specimen was donated to the mastozoology collection of the Museo de Zoología, Universidad del Azuay (MZUA) in 2016. The specimen was collected in secondary low montane forest on the eastearn subtropical zoogeographic region. This record is a new locality for P. centralis, extending the species known distribution in Ecuador and providing its highest elevation record.
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Notes on the geographic range and distribution of two free-tailed bat species (Chiroptera, Molossidae) in Costa Rica
Article
Full-text available
  • Oct 2018
Nyctinomops laticaudatus (É. Geoffroy St.-Hilaire, 1805) and Eumops nanus (Miller, 1900) are 2 species with distributions that are expected for Costa Rica. However, voucher specimens that confirm the presence of these species in the country are absent or missing in museum collections. Here we document voucher specimens and present data that confirm the presence of N. laticaudatus and E. nanus in Costa Rica.
View
2016 Guidelines of the American Society of Mammalogists for the use of wild mammals in research and education:
Article
Full-text available
  • May 2016
Resumen Los lineamientos para el uso de especies de mamíferos de vida silvestre en la investigación con base en Sikes et al. (2011) se actualizaron. Dichos lineamientos cubren técnicas y regulaciones profesionales actuales que involucran el uso de mamíferos en la investigación y enseñanza; también incorporan recursos nuevos, resúmenes de procedimientos y requisitos para reportes. Se incluyen detalles acerca de captura, marcaje, manutención en cautiverio y eutanasia de mamíferos de vida silvestre. Se recomienda que los comités institucionales de uso y cuidado animal (cifras en inglés: IACUCs), las agencias reguladoras y los investigadores se adhieran a dichos lineamientos como fuente base de protocolos que involucren mamíferos de vida silvestre, ya sea investigaciones de campo o en cautiverio. Dichos lineamientos fueron preparados y aprobados por la ASM, en consulta con profesionales veterinarios experimentados en investigaciones de vida silvestre y IACUCS, de quienes cuya experiencia colectiva provee un entendimiento amplio y exhaustivo de la biología de mamíferos no-domesticados. La presente versión de los lineamientos y modificaciones posteriores están disponibles en línea en la página web de la ASM, bajo Cuidado Animal y Comité de Uso: (http://mammalogy.org/uploads/committee_files/CurrentGuidelines.pdf). Recursos adicionales relacionados con el uso de animales de vida silvestre para la investigación se encuentran disponibles en (http://www.mammalsociety.org/committees/animal-care-and-use#tab3).
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Nuevos registros de Pteronotus personatus y Cynomops mexicanus (Chiroptera) en el estado de Yucatán, México
Article
Full-text available
  • Jan 2006
Two new species of bats (Pteronotus personatus and Cynomops mexicanus) are reported for the state of Yucatán. Fifteen species from 11 gerera and 5 families were identified through echolocation recordings in two grassland sites of the state of Yucatán. Keywords: Chiroptera, bats, echolocation, Pteronotus personatus and Cynomops mexicanus, Yucatán. Palabras clave: Chiroptera, murciélagos, ecolocalización, Pteronotus personatus and Cynomops mexicanus, Yucatán.
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The mammals of Paracou, French Guiana: a Neotropical lowland rainforest fauna, Part 1 Bats
Article
This report describes the results of bat inventory fieldwork at Paracou, a lowland rainforest locality in northern French Guiana. Working within a 3-km radius over the course of 168 sampling days from 1991 to 1994, we captured 3126 bats, of which about 78% were taken in ground-level mistnets, 10% in mistnets suspended above ground level, and 12% at roosts. We identified a total of 78 species, including 10 emballonurids, 2 noctilionids, 1 mormoopid, 49 phyllostomids, 1 furipterid, 1 thyropterid, 5 vespertilionids, and 9 molossids. Among our taxonomic results, we describe a new species of Micronycteris (sensu stricto) to honor André Brosset, pioneering monographer of rainforest bat faunas in India, Africa, and South America. In addition, we report the first records of eight other species from French Guiana: Centronycteris maximiliani, Peropteryx kappleri, Saccopteryx gymnura, Micronycteris homezi, Micronycteris schmidtorum, Molossops paranus, Molossus sinaloae, and Promops centralis. Most of these were previously known from Surinam, but the range extensions are significant for Saccopteryx gymnura (ca. 900 km), Micronycteris homezi (2200 km), and M. schmidtorum (1500 km). Altogether, the known bat fauna of French Guiana now consists of 102 species. The following significant taxonomic results are also reported herein. (1) Comparison of Paracou specimens referable to Peropteryx macrotis (Wagner) with the holotype of P. trinitatis Miller supports the conclusions of recent investigators that these taxa are separate species. (2) Morphological variation among specimens of small Choeroniscus from Paracou, together with examination of type material and a critical review of the literature, suggest that C. minor (Peters), C. intermedius (Alien and Chapman), and C. inca Thomas are conspecific; the oldest available name for the species is Peters'. (3) Glyphonycteris Thomas (including Barticonycteris Hill as a synonym), Micronycteris Gray (including Xenoctenes Miller as a synonym), and Trinycteris Sanborn are rediagnosed as distinct genera; Lampronycteris Sanborn and Neonycteris Sanborn, two other erstwhile subgenera of Micronycteris (sensu lato), should also be treated as full genera. (4) Micronycteris homezi Pirlot, based on a lost holotype and previously considered a nomen dubium, is redescribed and rediagnosed as a valid species. (5) Micronycteris megalotis (Gray) and M. microtis Miller are distinct species represented by sympatric collections from Paracou and other material similarly interpreted by recent investigators. (6) Mimon bennettii (Gray) and M. cozumelae Goldman are diagnosable as distinct species by consistent external and craniodental character differences. (7) Ectophylla H. Allen is rediagnosed to include Mesophylla Thomas in recognition of the sister-group relationship between E. alba H. Allen and E. macconnelli (Thomas). (8) The recent hypothesis that Sturnira lilium (E. Geoffroy) and 5. luisi Davis are conspecific is rejected as implausible because of trenchant cranial character differences. (9) The Venezuelan and French Guianan specimens recently identified in the literature as Eptesicus andinus J. A. Allen are not conspecific with the holotype of that species; instead, examination of type specimens, other comparative material, and the primary literature suggests that this material is referable to E. chiriquinus Thomas. (10) All currently accepted synonymies for taxa included within Davis's (1966) andinus group of Eptesicus are apparently incorrect; in our view, E. andinus is a senior synonym of E. montosus Thomas and E. chiralensis Anthony, whereas E. chiriquinus is a senior synonym of E. inca Thomas. (11) We review the contents of Cynomops Thomas, currently ranked as a subgenus of Molossops Peters, and tabulate diagnostic characters for the four species we regard as valid: M. abrasus (Temminck), M. greenhalli (Goodwin), M. paranus (Thomas), and M. planirostris (Peters). (12) Molossus barnesi Thomas is a valid species readily distinguishable from both M. molossus (Pallas) and M. coibensis J. A. Allen. Analyses of our sampling results indicate that (1) distinct sets of species are effectively sampled by different capture methods; (2) distinct sets of species inhabit different local habitats; and (3) increased sampling effort with any method generally results in more species, although the rate of accumulation declines with sample size (number of captures). Based on nonparametric statistical extrapolations, we estimate that the Paracou bat fauna probably consists of somewhere between 85 and 95 species; the more conservative richness estimator suggests that our inventory is perhaps about 90% complete. Judging from the known or inferred behaviors of the rare taxa (singletons and doubletons) in our data, most of the local species missing from this inventory are probably aerial insectivores, gleaning insectivores, or nectarivores. In terms of higher taxonomic composition, the bat fauna at Paracou is typical of those found throughout the humid Neotropical lowlands. A quantitative analysis of faunal similarity at the species level among 14 rainforest localities chosen as exemplars clusters the Paracou list with others previously reported from the Guiana subregion of Amazonia, next with lists from elsewhere in Amazonia, and lastly with Central American lists. Not surprisingly, pairwise similarity values show a positive correlation between faunal resemblance and geographic proximity within the Neotropical rainforest biome. Many (47%) of the bat species in the Paracou fauna are essentially pan-Neotropical in distribution and most of these are also known from habitats other than rainforest. The remaining species exhibit more restricted geographic distribution patterns, but true Amazonian endemics constitute only a minor fraction of the Paracou bat fauna. Species richness comparisons among inventory sites are complicated by problems of inconsistent methodology, habitat representation, and sampling effort. For example, the apparently exceptional diversity of emballonurids, phyllostomines, and molossids in the Paracou fauna is plausibly explained by our intensive use of elevated netting and roost surveys, and by prolonged effort, all of which factors act to reduce the well-known capture bias of ground-level mistnets (which consistently undersample these taxa in the short term). However, the low richness of carolliines and stenodermatines at Paracou by comparison with most other Amazonian (especially western Amazonian) localities is apparently real. The only approximately valid statistical comparison of species richness that we can make between sites based on published capture-frequency data suggests an increase of approximately 50% in understory bats from eastern Central America to Amazonia, but the real or artifactual nature of this estimated difference remains to be evaluated. A trophic classification of Paracou bats indicates that aerial insectivores are the most speciose feeding guild in the local fauna, followed by gleaning animalivores, frugivores, and nectarivores; ominivores, sanguivores, and piscivores are minor components. Patterns of differential habitat use among species within some feeding guilds can be inferred from our capture-frequency data, notably for aerial insectivores and frugivores. By contrast, gleaning animalivores appear to be largely restricted to primary forest, a puzzling phenomenon previously reported from other Neotropical rainforest localities. To facilitate future inventory fieldwork we provide (1) detailed descriptions of survey and capture methods, (2) illustrations of most local habitats recognized as distinct, (3) complete breakdowns of capture frequencies by method and habitat for each species, (4) photographs of numerous roosts at which bats were captured, and (5) descriptions and/or illustrations of useful characters for identifying species hitherto frequently confused in the field. Finally, we make recommendations for improving bat inventory efficiency, suggest minimal standards for reporting inventory data, urge the adoption of quantitative methods for intersite diversity comparisons, and comment on the prospects for rapid diversity assessment of rainforest bat faunas.
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Species Composition and Morphological Structure of the Bat Fauna of Yucatan, Mexico
Article
  • Jan 1997
1. The relationship between regional and local assemblages of species can be analysed by comparing the composition of species and their morphological structure. 2. I made such a comparison using data of the bat fauna of Yucatan, Mexico and of a regional pool of species. Null models were constructed to test for differences in composition in terms of taxonomic affiliation and of feeding and roosting habits. Additionally, dispersal ability and species-to-genus ratios were compared. Morphological structure was analysed using nearest-neighbour distances and minimum spanning trees were constructed on a morphological plane determined by the first two principal components of external and skull measurements. 3. No significant differences were detected in the comparisons of species composition, except in the case of dispersal ability. The Yucatan bat fauna was a random subsample of the pool in terms of taxonomy, diet and roosting habits. However, species with a higher dispersal ability were better represented in the Yucatan fauna than expected by chance. 4. No clear pattern could be detected in the comparisons of morphological structure. Nearest-neighbour analyses and minimum spanning trees showed only unclear and inconclusive results. 5. The bat fauna of Yucatan is apparently formed by those species from the pool that possess a higher dispersal ability. The forces that determine the composition and structure of this fauna are probably regional in nature, and the search for structuring factors at the local level might be a futile endeavour.
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