Brandebura, Stephen C.

Medlin, Rex E., Jr.

Risch, Thomas S.

UARK (University of Arkansas )

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science Volume 60 Article 26 2006 New Evidence for a Maternity Colony of the Indiana Bat (Myotis sodalis) in the Delta of Arkansas Stephen C. Brandebura Arkansas State University, stephen.brandebura@smail.astate.edu Rex E. Medlin Jr. Arkansas State University Thomas S. Risch Arkansas State University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas  Part of the Zoology Commons Recommended Citation Brandebura, Stephen C.; Medlin, Rex E. Jr.; and Risch, Thomas S. (2006) "New Evidence for a Maternity Colony of the Indiana Bat (Myotis sodalis) in the Delta of Arkansas," Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science: Vol. 60 , Article 26. Available at: https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol60/iss1/26 This article is available for use under the Creative Commons license: Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-ND 4.0). Users are able to read, download, copy, print, distribute, search, link to the full texts of these articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author. This General Note is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UARK. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks@UARK. For more information, please contact scholar@uark.edu. 169inthe Delta of Arkansas12 1Stephen C. Brandebura',Rex E.Medlin Jr. ,and Thomas S. RischDepartment ofBiologicalSciences, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR72467Correspondence: Stephen.Brandebura@smail.astate.eduThe migratory Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis) hibernates inaves and mines. Upon emergence from hibernation, femalesvillsegregate from males and migrate typically to riparian and/or bottomland forests where they willform maternity colonieswhere the young are born and raised (Hall 1962, Carter 2006).Arkansas contains appropriate caves forhibernation and lowlandriparian forests that are seemingly suitable habitats forIndianabat maternity colonies. Although Indiana bats are well knownfrom several hibernacula inArkansas (e.g., Harvey 2002), directevidence of maternity colonies is lacking. However, historicalinformation suggests that Indiana bats may bred the ArkansasDelta. Notably, in July 1898 2 juvenile Indiana bats werecollected in the extreme northeast portion of Arkansas nearthe town of Greenway in Clay County (Hall 1962) and thesespecimens reside in the Field Museum of Chicago. Since thiscapture occurred in July, the young had likely only recentlybecome volant, which suggests that they were born in a nearbymaternity colony.In this paper we describe the capture of a lactating Indianabat in Clay County, Arkansas. This capture is perhaps thestrongest evidence to date of breeding activity of Indiana batswithinthe borders of Arkansas.The Black River Wildlife Management Area (BRWMA),located in Clay County, Arkansas, is a large bottomlandhardwood forest approximately 5.8 km2 in size. The forest iscomprised primarily of mature hardwoods and cypress with aclosed canopy. Many areas are annually inundated with water.The capture of the Indiana bat occurred in1of 3 small openingsin the forest along the Black River. These openings are used asflightcorridors by the bats to flybetween the river and a dirt road.In 2005, netting for bats was conducted for 6 nights at this site.Four mist nets 6 to 12 m in length were placed perpendicularto the corridors. Nets were opened at sunset, checked every 15to 20 min, and then closed after 5 hrs. Once removed from thenet, bats were identified to species and assessed for reproductivestatus. Identification as juvenileoradult was based on the degreeof ossification of the epiphyseal-diaphyseal (Edythe 1988).The capture of the adult Indiana bat occurred at 9:45on 9 July, after 2 previous nights of netting at that location.The captured Indiana bat was identified as such based on the:ombined characteristics of a keeled calcar, tricolor fur, and shortsparse hairs on the toes (Thomson 1982, Sealander and Heidt1990). The bat was confirmed to be reproductively active aslactation was induced by palpation of the mammary glands. Theweight (7.5 gram) and size (forearm 40.19 mm) were consistentwith measurements reported for Indiana bats (Thomson 1982,Sealander and Heidt 1990).It is our conviction that the capture of a lactating Indianabat inJune provides evidence of a nearby maternity colony. Ourconjecture is supported by proximity of our capture location toknown Indiana bat hibernacula, and the suitability of the habitat.The closest known hibernating colonies ofIndiana bats occur inMissouri and Arkansas within150 km, which is well within theknown migration distance for the species. Migrating Indianabats from maternity colonies in Michigan migrated an averagedistance of 460 km to various hibernacula (Kurta and Murray2002). The habitat represented in our site of capture is fairlytypical of the large forest block ofthe BRWMA. Hydric habitatswith large livingand dead hardwood trees, the habitat typicallyassociated with maternity sites (Carter 2006), are abundant inthe area. Itis interesting to note that the 2 juvenileIndiana batscaptured in 1898 were reported fromthe town ofGreenway, AR,which is located approximately 7.2 km away from our capturesite (Hall 1962). Considerable effort has been put forward bylocal agencies in studying and surveying Arkansas's hibernatingpopulations ofIndiana bats, but conservation efforts in the Deltahave been lacking since maternity colonies were unknown.Based on this capture, we plan to perform extensive mist-nettingsurveys of the BRWMA inconjunction with radio-telemetry togather further evidence of Indiana bat maternity colonies withinArkansas.Acknowledgments.— Conversations with Blake Sassealerted us the presence of the historical data. Funding wasprovided by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Thiswork benefited from the reassignment time granted to TSRfrom the Environmental Sciences Program at ASU. This studywas done under Fedeal Permit TE075912-0 and State Permit081620041. Thanks to Tanja McKay for comments on a previousdraft of this manuscript.Literature CitedCarter TC. 2006. Indiana bats in the midwest: The importanceof hydric habitats. Journal of Wildlife Management.70:1185-1190.Edythe ALP. 1988. Age determination inbats. In:Kunz TH,editor. Ecological and behavioral methods for the study ofbats. (Washington D.C.) Smithsonian Institution Press. 533P-Journal of the Arkansas Academy ofScience, Vol. 60, 2006169Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 60 [2006], Art. 26Published by Arkansas Academy of Science, 2006170HallJS. 1962. A lifehistory and taxonomic study of the Indianabat, Myotis sodalis. Gallery Publ. 12. Reading, PA: ReadingPublic Museum. 68 p.Harvey MJ. 2002. Status and ecology in the southern UnitedStates. InKurta A and Kennedy J, editors. The Indiana bat:biology and management of an endangered species Austin(TX).Bat Conservation International.Kurta A and SW Murray. 2002. Philopatry and migration ofbanded Indiana bats {Myotis sodalis) and effects of radiotransmitters. Journal ofMammalogy 83:585-589.Thomson C E. 1982. Myotis sodalis. Mammalian Species 163:1-5.Sealander JA and GAHeidt. 1990. Arkansas mammals: Theirnatural history, classification, and distribution. Fayetteville(AR): The University of Arkansas Press. 308 p.Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol.60, 2006170Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 60 [2006], Art. 26https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol60/iss1/26

English

New Evidence for a Maternity Colony of the Indiana Bat (Myotis sodalis) in the Delta of Arkansas

ScholarWorks@UARK

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of ScienceVolume 60 Article 262006New Evidence for a Maternity Colony of theIndiana Bat (Myotis sodalis) in the Delta ofArkansasStephen C. BrandeburaArkansas State University, stephen.brandebura@smail.astate.eduRex E. Medlin Jr.Arkansas State UniversityThomas S. RischArkansas State UniversityFollow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaasPart of the Zoology CommonsThis article is available for use under the Creative Commons license: Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-ND 4.0). Users are able toread, download, copy, print, distribute, search, link to the full texts of these articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking priorpermission from the publisher or the author.This General Note is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UARK. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of the ArkansasAcademy of Science by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks@UARK. For more information, please contact scholar@uark.edu.Recommended CitationBrandebura, Stephen C.; Medlin, Rex E. Jr.; and Risch, Thomas S. (2006) "New Evidence for a Maternity Colony of the Indiana Bat(Myotis sodalis) in the Delta of Arkansas," Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science: Vol. 60 , Article 26.Available at: http://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol60/iss1/26169inthe Delta of Arkansas12 1Stephen C. Brandebura ',Rex E.Medlin Jr. ,and Thomas S. RischDepartment ofBiologicalSciences, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR72467Correspondence: Stephen.Brandebura@smail.astate.eduThe migratory Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis) hibernates inaves and mines. Upon emergence from hibernation, femalesvillsegregate from males and migrate typically to riparian and/or bottomland forests where they willform maternity colonieswhere the young are born and raised (Hall 1962, Carter 2006).Arkansas contains appropriate caves forhibernation and lowlandriparian forests that are seemingly suitable habitats forIndianabat maternity colonies. Although Indiana bats are well knownfrom several hibernacula inArkansas (e.g., Harvey 2002), directevidence of maternity colonies is lacking. However, historicalinformation suggests that Indiana bats may bred the ArkansasDelta. Notably, in July 1898 2 juvenile Indiana bats werecollected in the extreme northeast portion of Arkansas nearthe town of Greenway in Clay County (Hall 1962) and thesespecimens reside in the Field Museum of Chicago. Since thiscapture occurred in July, the young had likely only recentlybecome volant, which suggests that they were born in a nearbymaternity colony.In this paper we describe the capture of a lactating Indianabat in Clay County, Arkansas. This capture is perhaps thestrongest evidence to date of breeding activity of Indiana batswithinthe borders of Arkansas.The Black River Wildlife Management Area (BRWMA),located in Clay County, Arkansas, is a large bottomlandhardwood forest approximately 5.8 km2 in size. The forest iscomprised primarily of mature hardwoods and cypress with aclosed canopy. Many areas are annually inundated with water.The capture of the Indiana bat occurred in1of 3 small openingsin the forest along the Black River. These openings are used asflightcorridors by the bats to flybetween the river and a dirt road.In 2005, netting for bats was conducted for 6 nights at this site.Four mist nets 6 to 12 m in length were placed perpendicularto the corridors. Nets were opened at sunset, checked every 15to 20 min, and then closed after 5 hrs. Once removed from thenet, bats were identified to species and assessed for reproductivestatus. Identification as juvenileoradult was based on the degreeof ossification of the epiphyseal-diaphyseal (Edythe 1988).The capture of the adult Indiana bat occurred at 9:45on 9 July, after 2 previous nights of netting at that location.The captured Indiana bat was identified as such based on the:ombined characteristics of a keeled calcar, tricolor fur, and shortsparse hairs on the toes (Thomson 1982, Sealander and Heidt1990). The bat was confirmed to be reproductively active aslactation was induced by palpation of the mammary glands. Theweight (7.5 gram) and size (forearm 40.19 mm) were consistentwith measurements reported for Indiana bats (Thomson 1982,Sealander and Heidt 1990).It is our conviction that the capture of a lactating Indianabat inJune provides evidence of a nearby maternity colony. Ourconjecture is supported by proximity of our capture location toknown Indiana bat hibernacula, and the suitability of the habitat.The closest known hibernating colonies ofIndiana bats occur inMissouri and Arkansas within150 km, which is well within theknown migration distance for the species. Migrating Indianabats from maternity colonies in Michigan migrated an averagedistance of 460 km to various hibernacula (Kurta and Murray2002). The habitat represented in our site of capture is fairlytypical of the large forest block ofthe BRWMA. Hydric habitatswith large livingand dead hardwood trees, the habitat typicallyassociated with maternity sites (Carter 2006), are abundant inthe area. Itis interesting to note that the 2 juvenileIndiana batscaptured in 1898 were reported fromthe town ofGreenway, AR,which is located approximately 7.2 km away from our capturesite (Hall 1962). Considerable effort has been put forward bylocal agencies in studying and surveying Arkansas's hibernatingpopulations ofIndiana bats, but conservation efforts in the Deltahave been lacking since maternity colonies were unknown.Based on this capture, we plan to perform extensive mist-nettingsurveys of the BRWMA inconjunction with radio-telemetry togather further evidence of Indiana bat maternity colonies withinArkansas.Acknowledgments.— Conversations with Blake Sassealerted us the presence of the historical data. Funding wasprovided by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Thiswork benefited from the reassignment time granted to TSRfrom the Environmental Sciences Program at ASU. This studywas done under Fedeal Permit TE075912-0 and State Permit081620041. Thanks to Tanja McKay for comments on a previousdraft of this manuscript.Literature CitedCarter TC. 2006. Indiana bats in the midwest: The importanceof hydric habitats. Journal of Wildlife Management.70:1185-1190.Edythe ALP. 1988. Age determination inbats. In:Kunz TH,editor. Ecological and behavioral methods for the study ofbats. (Washington D.C.) Smithsonian Institution Press. 533P-Journal of the Arkansas Academy ofScience, Vol. 60, 2006169Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 60 [2006], Art. 26Published by Arkansas Academy of Science, 2006170HallJS. 1962. A lifehistory and taxonomic study of the Indianabat, Myotis sodalis. Gallery Publ. 12. Reading, PA: ReadingPublic Museum. 68 p.Harvey MJ. 2002. Status and ecology in the southern UnitedStates. InKurta A and Kennedy J, editors. The Indiana bat:biology and management of an endangered species Austin(TX).Bat Conservation International.Kurta A and SW Murray. 2002. Philopatry and migration ofbanded Indiana bats {Myotis sodalis) and effects of radiotransmitters. Journal ofMammalogy 83:585-589.Thomson C E. 1982. Myotis sodalis. Mammalian Species 163:1-5.Sealander JA and GAHeidt. 1990. Arkansas mammals: Theirnatural history, classification, and distribution. Fayetteville(AR): The University of Arkansas Press. 308 p.Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol.60, 2006170Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 60 [2006], Art. 26http://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol60/iss1/26

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New Evidence for a Maternity Colony of the Indiana Bat (Myotis sodalis) in the Delta of Arkansas

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