Foi examinado o h?bito alimentar das esp?cies de Vespertilionidae Myotis nigricans (Schinz, 1821) e Eptesicus furinalis (d?Orbigny, 1847) por meio de an?lise de amostras fecais coletadas em animais capturados em ?rea de cerrado
sensu stricto e matas de galeria, na APA ? Gama-Cabe?a-de-Veado, Bras?lia, Distrito Federal, Brasil. Um total de 20 amostras fecais foi analisado, sendo sete de E. furinalis e 13 de M. nigricans. A dieta de E. furinalis incluiu seis ordens de insetos: Coleoptera (5/7) (presen?a na amostra total), Lepidoptera e Hymenoptera (3/7), Diptera, Hemiptera e Homoptera (1/7). A dieta de M. nigricans incluiu todas as ordens consumidas por E. furinalis (6/13, 4/13, 4/13, 3/13, 1/13, and 4/13 respectively) e uma ordem a mais: Orthoptera (1/13). Homoptera, Diptera e Orthoptera s? foram amostrados para morcegos capturados em mata de galeria. H? 80% de sobreposi??o na dieta destas duas
esp?cies. A preda??o sobre esp?cies das fam?lias Scarabeidae, Hesperiidae, Sphingidae e Saturniidae confirma o potencial dos morcegos como agentes de controle biol?gicos de pragas em ecossistemas agr?colas.We examined food habits of Vespertilionidae bats Myotis nigricans (Schinz, 1821) and Eptesicus furinalis
(d?Orbigny, 1847) by fecal analysis in cerrado sensu stricto and gallery forests, within APA ? Gama-Cabe?a-de-Veado, Bras?lia, Distrito Federal, Brazil. Out of 20 fecal samples collected, seven were of Eptesicus furinalis and 13 of Myotis
nigricans. The diet of E. furinalis included six orders of insects: Coleoptera (5/7 by items presence), Lepidoptera and
Hymenoptera (3/7), Diptera, Hemiptera and Homoptera (1/7). The diet of M. nigricans included all the main orders consumed by E. furinalis (6/13, 4/13, 4/13, 3/13, 1/13, and 4/13 respectively) and one other order: Orthoptera (1/13). Homoptera, Diptera and Orthoptera were collected only in bats captured in gallery forest. There is 80% of overlap in the diet of these two species. Predation on species of Scarabeidae, Hesperiidae, Sphingidae and Saturniidae families confirms bats potential as biological control agents of pests in agricultural ecosystems

Aguiar, Ludmilla Moura de Souza

Antonini, Yasmine

Revista Brasileira de Zoologia

REPOSITORIO INSTITUCIONAL DA UFOP

Revista Brasileira de Zoologia 25 (1): 28–31, March, 2008One of the most widely used organisms division is that ofbeneficial and adverse (or pest) organisms (BROWN et al. 2001).In agriculture, pests include those that feed on plants parts, ei-ther above or below-ground, during a particular phase of theirlife cycle, leading to potentially important decreases in plantproduction (BROWN et al. 2001). Insectivorous bats are majorpredators of nocturnal insects and have the potential to act asbiological pest control agents in farmlands (LEELAPAIBUL et al. 2005).Myotis nigricans (Schinz, 1821) and Eptesicus furinalis(d’Orbigny, 1847) are considered to be insectivorous species,feeding typically on small invertebrates (AGUIRRE et al. 2003).They are small bats (3-8 g) belonging to the Vespertilionidaefamily, and both are widely distributed over the NeotropicalRegion. Myotis nigricans is found from Nayarit and Taumalipas(Mexico) to Peru, Bolivia, north Argentina, Paraguay and Bra-zil, and Eptesicus furinalis from north Argentina, Paraguay, Bo-livia, Brazil, and the Guyanas east to Peru and north to Jaliscoand Taumalipas (Mexico) (SIMMONS 2005). Both species are sym-patric over most of their range.Knowledge of food habits enables the identification ofagricultural pests consumed by bats (WHITAKER 1995). Besidesthat, insectivorous bats are susceptible to the accumulation oftoxins such as pesticides because of their high trophic rankand longevity (CLAWSON & CLARK 1989). So, knowledge of batsfood habitats is also useful in identifying potential sources oftoxins (CLAWSON & CLARK 1989). The diets of most insectivorousDiet of two sympatric insectivores bats (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae)in the Cerrado of Central BrazilLudmilla M. S. Aguiar 1 & Yasmine Antonini 21 Laboratório de Ecologia de Vertebrados, Embrapa Cerrados. Rodovia BR 020, km 18, Caixa Postal 08223,73301-970 Planaltina, Distrito Federal, Brasil. E-mail: ludmilla@cpac.embrapa.br2 Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto.Campus Morro do Cruzeiro, Bauxita, 35400-000 Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brasil. E-mail: antonini@iceb.ufop.brABSTRACT. We examined food habits of Vespertilionidae bats Myotis nigricans (Schinz, 1821) and Eptesicus furinalis(d’Orbigny, 1847) by fecal analysis in cerrado sensu stricto and gallery forests, within APA – Gama-Cabeça-de-Veado,Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil. Out of 20 fecal samples collected, seven were of Eptesicus furinalis and 13 of Myotisnigricans. The diet of E. furinalis included six orders of insects: Coleoptera (5/7 by items presence), Lepidoptera andHymenoptera (3/7), Diptera, Hemiptera and Homoptera (1/7). The diet of M. nigricans included all the main ordersconsumed by E. furinalis (6/13, 4/13, 4/13, 3/13, 1/13, and 4/13 respectively) and one other order: Orthoptera (1/13).Homoptera, Diptera and Orthoptera were collected only in bats captured in gallery forest. There is 80% of overlapin the diet of these two species. Predation on species of Scarabeidae, Hesperiidae, Sphingidae and Saturniidaefamilies confirms bats potential as biological control agents of pests in agricultural ecosystems.KEY WORDS. Biological pest control; insectivory; mammals; niche.RESUMO. Dieta de duas espécies simpátricas de morcegos insetívoros no Cerrado do Brasil Central. Foiexaminado o hábito alimentar das espécies de Vespertilionidae Myotis nigricans (Schinz, 1821) e Eptesicus furinalis(d’Orbigny, 1847) por meio de análise de amostras fecais coletadas em animais capturados em área de cerradosensu stricto e matas de galeria, na APA – Gama-Cabeça-de-Veado, Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brasil. Um total de 20amostras fecais foi analisado, sendo sete de E. furinalis e 13 de M. nigricans. A dieta de E. furinalis incluiu seis ordensde insetos: Coleoptera (5/7) (presença na amostra total), Lepidoptera e Hymenoptera (3/7), Diptera, Hemipterae Homoptera (1/7). A dieta de M. nigricans incluiu todas as ordens consumidas por E. furinalis (6/13, 4/13, 4/13, 3/13, 1/13, and 4/13 respectively) e uma ordem a mais: Orthoptera (1/13). Homoptera, Diptera e Orthoptera sóforam amostrados para morcegos capturados em mata de galeria. Há 80% de sobreposição na dieta destas duasespécies. A predação sobre espécies das famílias Scarabeidae, Hesperiidae, Sphingidae e Saturniidae confirma opotencial dos morcegos como agentes de controle biológicos de pragas em ecossistemas agrícolas.PALAVRAS-CHAVE. Controle biológico de pestes agrícolas; insetivoria; mamíferos; nicho.29Diet of two sympatric insectivores bats in the Cerrado of Central BrazilRevista Brasileira de Zoologia 25 (1): 28–31, March, 2008bats probably reflect temporal, seasonal, and geographical varia-tion in insect abundance, with some degree of flexibility inprey selection (WHITAKER 1995, WHITAKER et al. 1996). Publiciz-ing such information can be a powerful conservation tool forbats (AGOSTA 2002) and valuable information for agricultureproduction systems management.According to KREBS (1998) resource partitioning is oneway by which sympatric guild species share their resources,and sharing may be spatial, temporal or trophic. Descriptionof resource partitioning between sympatric species (see AGUIAR& MARINHO-FILHO 2004) can be used to determine the factorsthat allow species to coexist. The purpose of this work is thusto investigate the relations between trophic niches of these twoinsectivores, which occur sympatrically in the APA Gama-Cabeça de Veado, Brasília, Central Brazil, checking for overlapand seasonal variation in their diets, identifying and quantify-ing the main food items taken by these bats, and investigatetheir potential as pest control agents.Together with Chaco and Caatinga, the Cerrado biomeforms a broad open vegetation corridor separating the largeblocks of Amazonian and Atlantic forests (AB’SABER 1977, PRADO& GIBBS 1993). The Cerrado is covered mainly by savanna-likevegetation (EITEN 1972), but evergreen forests occur as narrowbelts along rivers and streams. These forests are termed galleryforests (EITEN 1990). The cerrado sensu stricto (s.s.) is the domi-nant physiognomy in this biome and presents trees with 3 mor more in height, which promote a cover of 10 to 30%, notforming a continuous canopy. In few cases, trees may promotea cover of 60% (EITEN 1990). The Cerrado is responsible for 20%of the country’s agriculture production and uses 78.5 millionha of land (IBGE 2007).MATERIAL AND METHODSThe Environmental Protection Area (APA) of Gama-Cabeça-de-Veado encompasses the Fazenda Água Limpa (FAL)reserve, the Ecological Reserve of IBGE (RECOR) and the Bo-tanical Garden of Brasília. It has 25000 ha, and all the reservestotalize 9000 ha; the APA is located between 15º52’-15º59’S e47º50’-47º58’W, with mean altitude of 1100 m. Its vegetationis a typical cerrado s.s. and gallery forests. The climate presentstwo distinct seasons, the rainy (October to April) and the dryseason (May to September). Annual precipitation is 1,600 mm,and the temperature varies from 18 to 22ºC (RECOR 2007).The feeding habits of Myotis nigricans and Eptesicusfurinalis were determined on the basis of fecal samples collectedduring 12 months, in cerrado s. s. and gallery forests, fromApril 1998 to March 1999. Monthly capture-recapture sessionswere carried out utilizing ten mist nets (ATX 12 × 2.5 m, 38mm mesh, four shelves) set in different sites to sample bats.Cotton bags were used to keep captured individuals before ex-amination. Bat feces were placed on glassine paper envelopesfor later analyses. All captured bats were measured, marked withnumbered plastic rings and released. In the laboratory, eachfecal sample was observed under a microscope and items weresorted, and food item remains were selected for analysis. In-sect structures were compared with specimens deposited at theUniversidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG). The importanceof each prey type was analyzed based on the frequency of itsoccurrence in the samples (percentage of the total samples inwhich a certain item was found).For the study of niche width of both species, the stan-dardized index of diversity of Shannon-Wienner (KREBS 1998)was calculated. Standardized trophic niche widths allow forcomparisons of diets with different numbers of prey catego-ries. Diet overlap was calculated using the index of Pianka (KREBS1998). Values may range from zero (no resource shared) to 1.0(total overlap). To calculate the difference in the use of certainitems between seasons of the year (dry or rainy season), theCochran’s Q test was used (ZAR 1996).RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONOf the fecal samples collected, seven were of Eptesicusfurinalis and 13 of Myotis nigricans (Tab. I). A total of seveninsect orders were detected in the diet of both species totaling23 items for E. furinalis and 29 for M. nigricans. The items inthe diet of E. furinalis and M. nigricans at the study site were, byorder of frequency: Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera,Diptera, Orthoptera and Hemiptera.Coleoptera items were most often found in fecal samplesof both species. Coleoptera were found nine times (39%) in E.furinalis samples and 11 (36.6%) in M. nigricans samples. Beetlesof coleoptera family Scarabeidae were identified. Scarabeidaeare adapted to most habitats and feeding habits; adults of somespecies are diurnal and can be found over vegetation, whileothers are nocturnal and can be attracted by artificial light(TASHIRO 1990). Many species in the larvae phase feed on rottenroots, but may also consume live roots, whilst most adults usefruits or leaves (RATCLIFFE 1991).The Lepidoptera families that could be identified in thesesamples were moths of Hesperiidae, Sphingidae and Saturniidae.Hesperiidae are generally small, mostly brown Butterflies, withshort fat bodies, hooked antennae and rapid, skipping flight.Sphingidae are large to very large moths, with characteristicbullet-shaped bodies and long, blade-like wings. The antennaeare relatively short, clubbed, and hooked at the apex. The legsare sturdy, armed with sharp spurs, and sometimes bear coaxalolfactory organs. And Saturniidae species are medium to verylarge in size. Larvae are usually very fleshy, with clumps ofraised bristles. All four New World subfamilies of Saturniidaeare represented in the Cerrado by 167 species belonging to 50genera (CAMARGO & BECKER 1999).Lepidoptera was the second most frequently item foundin samples of M. nigricans, representing 23.3% of its diet. For E.furinalis Lepidoptera represented 17.3%, the same percentagethat Hymenoptera contributed to this species diet. These twoorders of insects are consumed differently by the two species.30 L. M. S. Aguiar & Y. AntoniniRevista Brasileira de Zoologia 25 (1): 28–31, March, 2008Lepidoptera and Hymenoptera were found in four samples forE. furinalis and in seven for M. nigricans.Homoptera, Diptera and Orthoptera were collected onlyin bats captured in gallery forest. Orthoptera fragments werefound only in Myotis nigricans samples. An ant of genus Pheidoleand a diptera of suborder Nematocera were also identified. Inspite of the fact that M. nigricans (0.741) concentrated its feed-ing on a smaller number of prey items as seen by Shannonindex (E. furinalis = 0.756), there is no statistical difference be-tween this two values.Therefore, there is 80% of overlap in the diet of these twospecies, value quite close to 1.0, indicating an almost completeoverlap of food resources use. Both species are part of ecologicalinteractions in their environment as secondary consumers anddiet overlapping suggests that ecological segregation may bespatial or temporal. Myotis nigricans was collected during bothseasons while Eptesicus furinalis occurred specially during therainy season (November to February). The presence of both spe-cies can be directed affected by the annual life cycle of inverte-brates, which is related to seasonal climate and resource avail-ability. However, both species have similar diet without statisti-cally significant differences between seasons (Q = 0.673, p <0.563) due probably to the low number of samples.Coleopterans, lepidopterans, homopterans, and hemi-pterans are among the major pests in farms (see OLIVEIRA 2005).Of all insect families, scarab beetles constituted the greatestproportion of the diet of E. furinalis and M.nigricans. This re-sult is similar to AGOSTA (2002). He found that Coleoptera com-bined (i.e., including Scarabaeidae) constituted > or = 30% ofthe diet of E. serotinus in any month. KURTA & WHITAKER (1998)say that Myotis diet is primarily of soft-bodied insects. MA et al.(2006) found that the 2nd most prominent food item for Myotisricketti (Thomas, 1894). In China was beetles (Coleoptera), andthe first was fish.Data presented here is not enough to elucidate whetherinsectivorous bats are selective on certain groups of insects, oropportunistic, or specialized on particular insect groups onlyat certain times of the year (MA et al. 2006), but are enough todemonstrate the potential of bats as a biological control agentof pests in agricultural ecosystems.Intensive studies of insectivorous bats should be encour-aged in Brazil, especially in agricultural ecosystems, becausethey can be relevant when considering the integration ofbiodiversity and productive systems. It is known, for instance,that after natural disturbs the restoration of Lepidoptera com-munity can be fast and complex, following succession stagesof host-plants (BROWN JR & FREITAS 1999). The same may be truefor scarabeidae beetles too.Although, in disturbs caused by man, most species are van-ished and only resistant and well adapted persist and, lacking thebiological population controls of their natural enemies, eliminatedor reduced by agriculture, became important pests (SALVADORI 2000).Table I. Food items found in seven Eptesicus furinalis and 13 Myotis nigricans fecal samples at the APA – Gama-Cabeça-de-Veado, Brasília,Central Brazil. (N) Number samples, (division) number of items in total sample.Species/month/habitat Insect ordersEptesicus furinalis (N = 7) Coleoptera Lepidoptera Diptera Homoptera Hymenoptera Orthoptera HemipteraGallery forestOctober 1 1 0 0 0 0 0November 1 0 0 0 1 0 1February 1 1 1 1 1 0 0CerradoDecember 1 0 0 0 0 0 0February 1 1 0 0 1 0 05/7 3/7 1/7 1/7 3/7 0/7 1/7Myotis nigricans (N =13) Coleoptera Lepidoptera Diptera Homoptera Hymenoptera Orthoptera HemipteraGallery forestJune 1 1 0 1 1 0 0July 1 1 1 1 0 0 0August 1 1 1 0 1 0 0November 1 0 0 1 1 1 1December 1 1 1 1 0 0 0CerradoFebruary 1 0 0 0 1 0 06/13 4/13 3/13 4/13 4/13 1/13 1/1331Diet of two sympatric insectivores bats in the Cerrado of Central BrazilRevista Brasileira de Zoologia 25 (1): 28–31, March, 2008Pests can grow to high population densities, retarding orinhibiting vegetal and animal succession, and consequentiallyleading to a poor system, that turns the restoration of the origi-nal state almost impossible (BROWN JR & FREITAS 1999), directlyaffecting agriculture due to insecticide use and the environment.Although there is a lack of quantitative data to supportit, bats potentially play a significant role in the biological con-trol of economically harmful insects (AGOSTA 2002). Furtherstudy is needed on the potential impacts of bats on these eco-nomic pests in agricultural landscapes.ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSTo the IBGE and Jardim Botânico de Brasilia for permis-sion to work at their areas, and to two anonymous reviewerswho helped to shape the paper. Financial support came fromCNPq scholarship to first author.LITERATURE CITEDAB’SABER, A.1977. Domínios morfoclimáticos na América do Sul.Primeira aproximação. Geomorfologia 52: 1-22.AGOSTA, S.J. 2002. Habitat use, diet, and roost selection by the bigbrown bat (Eptesicus fuscus) in North America: a case for con-serving an abundant species. Mammal Review 32:179-198.AGUIAR, L.M.S. & J. MARINHO-FILHO. 2004. Activity patterns ofnine phyllostomid bat species in a fragment of the AtlanticForest in southeastern Brazil. Revista Brasileira de Zoolo-gia 21 (2): 385-390.AGUIRRE L.F.; A. HERREL; R. VAN DAMME & E. MATTHYSEN. 2003. Theimplications of food hardness to diet in bats. FunctionalEcology 17: 201-212.BROWN, G.G.; A. PASINI; N.P. BENITO; A.M. DE AQUINO & M.E.F. COR-REIA. 2001. Diversity and functional role of soil macrofaunacommunities in Brazilian no-tillage agroecosystems: apreliminary analysis. Londrina, Embrapa Soja, 20p.BROWN JR, K.S. & A.V.L. FREITAS. 1999. Reino Animalia: OrdemLepidoptera, p. 225-243. In: C.R.F. BRANDÃO; E.M. CANCELLO.(Eds). Biodiversidade do Estado de São Paulo, Brasil: sín-tese do conhecimento no final do século XX, invertebra-dos terrestres. São Paulo, FAPESP, vol. 5.CAMARGO, A.J.A. & V.O. BECKER. 1999. Saturniidae (Lepidoptera)from the Brazilian Cerrado: Composition and BiogeographicRelationships. Biotropica 31 (4): 696-705.CLAWSON, R.L. & D.R. CLARK. 1989. Pesticide contamination ofendangered gray bats and their food base in Boone County,Missouri, 1982. Bulletin of Environmental Contaminationand Toxicology 42: 431-437.EITEN, G. 1972. The cerrado vegetation of Brazil. The BotanicalReview 38: 201-341.Received in 14.V.2007; accepted in 22.II.2008.EITEN, G. 1990. 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Baltimore, JohnsHopkins University Press, 3rd ed., 2000p.TASHIRO, H. 1990. Insecta: Coleoptera: Sacarabaeidae larvae, p.1191-1209. In: D.L. DINDAL (Ed.). Soil biology guide. NewYork, John Wiley and Sons, 1349p.WHITAKER JR, J.O. 1995. Food of the big brown bat Eptesicusfuscus from maternity colonies in Indiana and Illinois.American Midland Naturalist 134: 346-360.WHITAKER JR, J.O.; C. NEEFUS & T.H. KUNZ. 1996. Dietary Variationin the Mexican Free-Tailed Bat (Tadarida brasiliensis mexica-na). Journal of Mammalogy 77 (3): 716-724.ZAR, J.H. 1996. Biostatistical analysis. Upper Saddle River,Prentice Hall, 2nd ed., 663p.

Dieta de duas esp?cies simp?tricas de morcegos inset?voros no Cerrado do Brasil Central.

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Dieta de duas esp?cies simp?tricas de morcegos inset?voros no Cerrado do Brasil Central.

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