Ilha Grande, one of the locations with the most records of bat species (Mammalia, Chiroptera) in Rio de Janeiro state: results of a long-term ecological study

Faunal inventories provide quantitative and qualitative data for different sites and are relevant sources of information for identifying areas of high species richness and endemism. Biological collections are important in this context for increasing the precision of species identification. The objectives of this study were to update the list of bat species of Ilha Grande by analyzing specimens in zoological collections as well as records obtained in areas where no such studies had been undertaken before; to compare five different studies conducted on Ilha Grande using mist net sampling; and to compare the results of studies on Ilha Grande with sampling results from other areas in Rio de Janeiro state. The occurrence of 36 bat species was confirmed for Ilha Grande. Five studies on Ilha Grande formerly conducted by the authors were compared with 34 fauna inventories in Rio de Janeiro state. The studies on Ilha Grande had distinct objectives and sampling techniques applied to different locations in the same area. Ilha Grande is one of the regions in Rio de Janeiro state with more bat records both in terms of abundance and number of species, as well as one of the areas of highest bat capture effort

Mammals of a forest fragment in Cambuci municipality, state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The Atlantic Forest is considered a hotspot due to its current state of vast degradation and high indexes of biodiversity. This biome has been degraded through the years by processes resulting from the Brazilian socioeconomic model of development. The seasonal semi-deciduous Atlantic Forest is a poorly studied phytophysiognomy specially degraded by human activities in the state of Rio de Janeiro. In the present study we report the results of a rapid mammalian inventory conducted in the municipality of Cambuci, in a fragment of seasonal semi-deciduous forest. We used live traps and pitfall traps to capture non-volant small mammals, and mist-nets of different lengths to collect bats. To sample medium and large-sized mammals we used camera traps. We recorded 27 mammal species in the region, of which 16 are volant mammals. We emphasize the distribution extension of Trinomys setosus in 150 km (that enabled its insertion in the species list of Rio de Janeiro) and the capture of Lonchophylla peracchii, a recently described species apparently restricted to Atlantic Forest. Both facts show the importance of the fragment for the region biodiversity

Feeding behaviour of the bat Phyllostomus hastatus (Pallas 1767) in jackfruit Artocarpus heterophyllus Lamarck (Moraceae), in Ilha Grande, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil

Artorcarpus heterophyllus fruit is the largest tree fruit, weighing up to 36 kg and was introduced in Brazil during the XVIII century. During a mammalian diversity research developed at Ilha Grande at least five Phyllostomus hastatus bats were observed eating jackfruit. Jackfruit availability is high almost all year long at Ilha Grande and it is possible that P. hastatus restricts the use of this fruit during low availability periods of other food resources. Although seed carrying was not observed, the disperser role of P.hastatus on A. heterophyllus can not be neglected

Evidence of vertical migration in the Ipanema bat Pygoderma bilabiatum (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae: Stenodermatinase)

Migration is defined as a seasonal and cyclic population movement observed in all animal classes and studied mainly in vertebrates. A considerable part of the knowledge on migration comes from birds, for which migration is an important aspect of their biology. In the case of bats, females usually migrate larger distances than males in some species. The present study analyzes the seasonal occurrence of Pygoderma bilabiatum (Wagner, 1843) at different elevations, in order to test for a pattern that evidences migration, using data from the states of Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. A total of 529 specimens of P. bilabiatum were captured. Pygoderma bilabiatum seems to be more frequent at intermediate and high elevations (over 80% of all captures were made above 250 m a.s.l.) and at latitudes above 22°S, where rainfall is high (over 1,500 mm) and temperatures are mild (16-23°C). Sex ratio varied with elevation; it was skewed towards males at lower elevations (N = 9, r2 = 0.60, F = 12.311, p = 0.008, Sex ratio = 0.0004*elevation + 0.976), though females predominated at all altitudinal bands and in all states analyzed

Mammals of a forest fragment in Cambuci municipality, state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The Atlantic Forest is considered a hotspot due to its current state of vast degradation and high indexes of biodiversity. This biome has been degraded through the years by processes resulting from the Brazilian socioeconomic model of development. The seasonal semi-deciduous Atlantic Forest is a poorly studied phytophysiognomy specially degraded by human activities in the state of Rio de Janeiro. In the present study we report the results of a rapid mammalian inventory conducted in the municipality of Cambuci, in a fragment of seasonal semi-deciduous forest. We used live traps and pitfall traps to capture non-volant small mammals, and mist-nets of different lengths to collect bats. To sample medium and large-sized mammals we used camera traps. We recorded 27 mammal species in the region, of which 16 are volant mammals. We emphasize the distribution extension of Trinomys setosus in 150 km (that enabled its insertion in the species list of Rio de Janeiro) and the capture of Lonchophylla peracchii, a recently described species apparently restricted to Atlantic Forest. Both facts show the importance of the fragment for the region biodiversity

Morcegos da Ilha Grande, Angra dos Reis, RJ, Sudeste do Brasil

Poucas amostragens de mamíferos estão disponíveis até agora para o sul do estado do Rio de Janeiro. Esta região apresenta um grande remanescente da Floresta Atlântica com reduzida pressão antrópica, com a Ilha Grande representando um dos maiores fragmentos preservados.Este estudo teve como objetivo fornecer uma lista de espécies de morcegos que ocorrem na Ilha Grande. Foi realizada uma comparação da taxa de Phyllostomidae em amostragens realizadas no estado do Rio de Janeiro. A amostragem de morcegos foi executada com redes deneblina abertas em trilhas ao nível do solo ou suspensas ao nível do dossel. Capturas dentro dos refúgios foram também realizadas. As amostras compreenderam um total de 3158 capturas e recapturas. Foram registradas 36 espécies para Ilha Grande. A lista atual das espéciesrepresenta 92% das espécies já conhecidas para o sul do Rio de Janeiro e 50% do total registrado para o estado. A proporção de espécies de Phyllostomidae observada (72.2%) sugere que com a continuidade da amostragem, mais espécies insetívoras serão incluídas

Evidence of vertical migration in the Ipanema bat Pygoderma bilabiatum (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae: Stenodermatinase)

Migration is defined as a seasonal and cyclic population movement observed in all animal classes and studied mainly in vertebrates. A considerable part of the knowledge on migration comes from birds, for which migration is an important aspect of their biology. In the case of bats, females usually migrate larger distances than males in some species. The present study analyzes the seasonal occurrence of Pygoderma bilabiatum (Wagner, 1843) at different elevations, in order to test for a pattern that evidences migration, using data from the states of Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. A total of 529 specimens of P. bilabiatum were captured. Pygoderma bilabiatum seems to be more frequent at intermediate and high elevations (over 80% of all captures were made above 250 m a.s.l.) and at latitudes above 22°S, where rainfall is high (over 1,500 mm) and temperatures are mild (16-23°C). Sex ratio varied with elevation; it was skewed towards males at lower elevations (N = 9, r2 = 0.60, F = 12.311, p = 0.008, Sex ratio = 0.0004*elevation + 0.976), though females predominated at all altitudinal bands and in all states analyzed