McDaniel, V. Rick

Timmerman, Lorraine

UARK (University of Arkansas )

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science Volume 46 Article 24 1992 Maternity Colony of Gray Bats in a Non-Cave Site Lorraine Timmerman Arkansas State University V. Rick McDaniel Arkansas State University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas  Part of the Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons, and the Zoology Commons Recommended Citation Timmerman, Lorraine and McDaniel, V. Rick (1992) "Maternity Colony of Gray Bats in a Non-Cave Site," Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science: Vol. 46 , Article 24. Available at: https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol46/iss1/24 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. Proceedings Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol.46, 1992108LIGON, J.D. 1970. Behavior and breeding biology of the Red-cockadedWoodpecker. Auk 87: 255-278.LIGON, J.D. 1971. Some factors influencing numbers of the Red-cockadedWoodpecker. InEcology and management of the Red-cockadedWoodpecker (R.L. Thompson, ed.). Tallahassee, Fla. Bur. Sport Fish, andWildl. and Tall Timbers Res. Sta., pp. 30-43.LIGON, J.D., P.B. STACEY, R.N. CONNER, C.E. BOCK, and C.S.ADKISSON. 1986. Report of the American Ornithologists' Unioncommittee for the conservation of the Red-cockaded Woodpecker. Auk103:848-855.MURPHEY, E.E. 1939. Red-cockaded Woodpecker Dryobates borealis(Vieillot)in Life histories of North American woodpeckers (A.C. Bent,ed.), Bull.174, U.S. Nat. Mus., pp. 72-79.NEAL,J.C. and W.G. MONTAGUE. 1991. Past and present distribution ofthe Red-cockaded Woodpecker and its habitat in the Ouachita Mountainsin Arkansas. Proc. Ark. Acad. Sci. 45:71-75.PIANKA,E.R. 1983. Evolutionary ecology, 3rd ed. Harper & Row Pub.,N.Y.,416pp.RAULSTON, B.E. 1992. Effects of cavity restrictors on Red-cockadedWoodpeckers. M.S. thesis, Univ.of Ark.,Fayetteville, 34 pp.RODGERS JR., S.P. 1990. Predation of domestic fowl eggs by Red-belliedWoodpeckers. Honda Field Nat. 18(3):57-58.RUDOLPH, D.C., R.N. CONNER and J. TURNER. 1990. Competition forRed-cockaded Woodpecker roost and nest cavities: effects of resin ageand entrance diameter. Wils. Bull. 102:23-36.STTCKEL, D.W. 1963. Interspecific relations among Red-bellied and HairyWoodpeckers and a Hying Squirrel. Wils. Bull.75:203-204.U.S. FISH ANDWILDLIFE SERVICE. 1985. Red-cockaded Woodpeckerrecovery plan. U.S. Fish &Wildl. Serv., Atlanta, Ga., 88 pp.WALTERS, J. R. 1991. Application of ecological principles to themanagement of the Red-cockaded Woodpecker. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst.22:505-523.WOOD, D.A. 1983. Observations on the behavior and breeding biology ofthe Red-cockaded Woodpecker in Oklahoma. In Red-cockadedWoodpecker Symposium U. (D.A. Wood, ed.) Ha. Game and FreshwaterComm., Tallahassee, pp. 92-94.JOSEPH C.NEAL, Arkansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University ofArkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, WARREN G. MONTAGUE, PoteauRanger District, USDA Forest Service, P.O. Box 2255, Waldron, AR 72958, and DOUGLAS A. JAMES, Department of Biological Sciences, University ofAMATERNITYCOLONY OF GRAY BATSINANON-CAVE SITEColonies of the endangered gray bat, Myotis grisescens, are primarily found inhabiting caves in the limestone karsi regions of Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky,Tennessee, and Alabama (Harbour and Davis, 1969). There are only two previously published accounts ofgray bats inhabiting non-cave sites. In1964, Hays andHingman reported the presence ofa maternity colony in a storm sewer inPittsburg, Kansas, and Gunier and Elder (1971) studied amaternity colony roosting in anold bam in Missouri. In 1988, another maternity colony was found inhabiting a storm drain in Newark, Independence County, Arkansas. The town has apopulation of approximately 1100 and lies at the extreme eastern edge of the Ozark Plateau.Because of the endangered status of the gray bat, precautions were taken during our activities to provide minimal disturbance to the colony. The physical andstructural characteristics of the drain were studied in winter or after emergence when the maternity colony was not present. Temperatures at the roost site weremonitored by means ofa temperature transducer connected toamicroprocessor-based data acquisition system mounted at the tunnel entrance. The population wasestimated by direct count upon emergence.The western inlet of the storm drain, at the intersection ofFront and Main Streets, measures 7 m across by 1.7 m inheight. The tunnel itself is 160 m long andruns southwest under the sidewalk. Highway 122, and Paraquete Road after which it empties into a creek bed by means of two rectangular concrete culvertsapproximately 1m high by 2m wide.Since there are two openings to the drain as well as several sidewalk grates and drain openings to the street, air circulates through the drain and ammonialevels do not build up. Gasoline fumes from a service station, however, are sometimes present.The walls and ceiling are constructed of reinforced concrete with the exception of an older section along Front Street where sandstone blocks make up thelower walls. The horizontal ceiling is not a uniform height above the floor, but is constructed in sections, some of which are lower than others. The floor of thesewer consists ofcoarse gravel and small cobbles. Insome parts of the drain the floor isnearly level,but in others there are depressions and gravel bars so that theheight of the floormay vary by as much as .5m across the width of the drain. The topography of the floor changes from year to year depending on the water flow.At the time of the survey, the maximum height measured from gravel to ceiling was 1.9 m, 1.45 m above the water level. The minimum height above the floorwas 1.1m, .89 m above the water. The width of the drain also varies from a maximum of 4.6 m to a minimum of3.3 in.The sewer is smallest inheight and widthin the section under Highway 122.Water is present in the drain all year, but depth varies depending on floor topography and precipitation. During heavy rains water depths of over 1.5 mcompletely flood the tunnel west ofHwy. 122 as well as the outlet culverts.Unlikenatural caves, the temperature near the ceiling of the drain can fluctuate up to 10 degrees Celsius per day. In sunny weather there is a regular cycle ofheating and cooling in the drain dependent on changes in air temperature and heating of the pavement and concrete. Heat from above is transferred to the roostenvironment through the concrete even on days when the air is cool.There are two roost sites in the storm drain as determined by ceiling stains. Itis not known if the maternity colony uses both sites, but they do serve as nightroosts and hibernation sites for a small group of gray bats. Maternity colonies require warm temperatures to promote rapid growth ofthe young. Innatural caves,rooms with domed ceilings to trap the colonies' heat are chosen forbearing and raising young. Such roosts are generally located over water to provide humidityand protection from disturbance and predation (Tuttle, 1975). The primary roost site of the maternity colony inNewark exhibits these same character) sties. Itislocated 50-65 m from the outlet of the drain in the section between Paraquete Road and Highway 122, where the sewer attains its maximum height and width.There the ceiling rises forming a rectangular dome. This heat trapping dome, along with the increased dimensions of the site, prevent flood waters from reachingthe ceiling. Permanent pools of water up to 0.7 m deep are present beneath the roost site. In the summer when the maternity colony is present the temperatures atthe primary roost site average 34 degrees Celsius and may rise to 40 degrees.108Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 46 [1992], Art. 24Published by Arkansas Academy of Science, 1992Proceedings Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 46, 1992 109The smaller secondary roost site is located 50-53 m from the entrance on the west side of Hwy 122. The flooris nearly level and generally has 1-2 cm of waterflowingover it. The lack of the ceiling dome and the narrowed dimensions of the drain downstream make this site prone to flooding. The flat ceiling is slightlyeroded with exposed reinforcing rods and a deep crack between ceiling sections that is used as a hibernation site by 20-30 gray bats. Ceiling holes at the primarysite are also used in this manner. Natural caves chosen as hibernacula have high humidity and an average temperature of7-10 degrees Celsius (Harbour and Davis,1969). The bats may chose a site 10-15 degrees warmer in the falland then remain there as the temperature drops to the 0-5 degree Celsius range. Inthe samemanner, temperatures in the storm drain drop gradually as days get colder. In the coldest months, temperatures may fall to 8.5 degrees or below. They do notremain stable, however, as they would in a cave. On warm days temperatures rise. Under these conditions, the bats donot remain torpid butbecome active, moveabout, and may emerge to feed.Maternity colonies prefer caves near a river or reservoir over which the adults feed. Few are located more than 4 km from a major body of water. Forestedlands are also used as forage areas by newly volant young and by adults on their way to the water (Tuttle, 1976). The maternity colony at Newark is also locatednear several bodies of water: the White River 4.5 km to the south, the Black River 7km to the east, and Dota Creek 3 km to the northeast. Upon emergence, mostmembers of this colony appear to head northeast toward Dota Creek, the closest water source, foraging in the trees as they go. Others, however, feed in the areaand use the storm drain as anight roost.Disturbance to colonies is one of the major causes of the decline in gray bat populations (Tuttle, 1979). The storm sewer population, estimated in both 1989and 1990 tobe close to 8000, appears to be stable, however, disturbance to the Newark colony is a real threat because itis located in a town. Children have beenknown to killthe bats as they emerge from the west entrance. The fear of snakes thought to livein the drain and fear of the bats themselves have kept people awayfrom the maternity roost site, although children doplay inthe west drain entrance. Noise frompeople, street traffic,and trains does not seem to affect the colony,as ithas been returning to this roost formany years.LITERATURE CITEDBARBOUR, R. W., and W. H. DAVIS. 1969. Bats of America. Univ. Ky.Press, Lexington, 286 pp.GUNIER, W. J., and W. H. ELDER. 1971. Experimental homing of Graybats to amaternity colony in a Missouri barn. Amer. Midi. Natur. 86:502-506.HAYS, H. A., and D. C. BINGMAN. 1964. A colony of Gray bats insoutheastern Kansas. J. Mammal. 45:150.TUTTLE, M. D. 1975. Population ecology of the Gray bat (Myotisgriscsccns): factors influencing early growth and development. Occas.Pap. Mus. Nat. Hist., Univ.Kans. 36:1-24..1976. Population ecology of the Gray bat (Myotis griscsccns): factorsinfluencing growth and survival of newly volant young. Ecology. 57:587-595..1979. Status, causes ofdecline, and management of endangered Graybats. J. Wildl. Manage. 43:1-17.LORRAINE TIMMERMANand V. RICK McDANIEL.Rl. 2. Box257N, Mena, AR 71953; Department ofBiological Sciences, Arkansas State University, StateUniversity, AR 72467.NEW RECORDS OF VERTEBRATES INSOUTHWESTERN ARKANSASThe vertebrate fauna of southwestern Arkansas is less wellknown than that of other regions of the state; this possibly reflects the distance of the region frommajor universities. The geographic area is located almost entirely within the West Gulf Coastal Plain natural division (Foti, 1974). Recent work relative to thevertebrate fauna of the southwestern quadrant of Arkansas has alleviated some of the regional bias in information on vertebrates (Baker, 1985; James and Neal,1986; Robison and Buchanan, 1988; Robison el al., 1983; Sealander and Heidt, 1990; Sewell, 1981; Steward el al., 1986, 1989a, b). This report documents newrecords ofdistribution and provides notes on natural history ofselected vertebrates from southwestern Arkansas.Field collections and observations were made by the authors and students at Henderson State University. Fishes were obtained by use of seines, amphibiansand reptiles by overturning cover materials or driving down roads on rainy evenings (with the exception of a turtle caught on a trolline), and mammals werecollected as road-killed specimens or by use ofmuseum special or Sherman traps. Birds were recorded photographically.Specimens of fishes were fixedin 10% formalin and stored in 40% isopropanol. Amphibians and reptiles were preserved in the same manner as fishes, orpreserved by use of a freeze-dryer. Specimens of mammals were prepared as standard skins and skeletons. All specimens were deposited in the collection ofvertebrates at Henderson State University.Class: OsteichthyesMostpublished studies of the distribution of fishes in southwestern Arkansas have focused on the Ouachita River drainage, reviewed by Baker (1985) andRobison et al. (1983). Studies based in the Red River drainage are few. Sewell (1981) reported fishes of the upper Saline River (above Dierks Lake) andCloutman and Olmsted (1974) surveyed fishes of the Cossatot River. Robison and Buchanan (1988) mapped additional records from thesis work (Cokem, 1979;Etheridge, 1974; Johnson, 1978). The following species represent new records within the Red River drainage.Semotilus atromaculatus (Mitchell), the Creek Chub, Family Cyprinidae. One record taken from (he Saline River was collected prior to 1960 (Robison andBuchanan, 1988). The present occurrence of the creek chub in the Saline River is confirmed by a single specimen from Howard County south ofDierks Lake nearBluffCreek, in March 1991.The extreme headwaters of the Cossatot River provided the only other specimens of the creek chub from the Red River drainage (Cloutman and Olmsted,1974). New records include a specimen taken in April1991 from Bois d'Arc Creek (a tributary to the Red River) in Hempstead County, about 3 km southwest ofthe junction of Arkansas Highways 73 and 195. An additional specimen was collected inFebruary 1991 inLittleRiver County from the LittleRiver just south ofthe dam forming Millwood Lake.Centrarchus macropterus (Lacepede), the Flier Sunfish, Family Centrarchidae. Robison and Buchanan (1988) indicated records of the fliersunfish in the RedRiver drainage from Bodcaw Creek (Hempstead County) and Dorcheat Bayou (Columbia County). These streams enter the Red River in Louisiana. A specimencollected inMarch 1991 from Hempstead County represents the westernmost record for Arkansas and is marginal to the general species range. The location ofcollection (a tributary to Yellow Creek on Highway 32, about 4.5 km northeast of the Millwood Lake Dam) documents the flier sunfish in the Little Riverdrainage.109Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 46 [1992], Art. 24https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol46/iss1/24

English

Maternity Colony of Gray Bats in a Non-Cave Site

ScholarWorks@UARK

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of ScienceVolume 46 Article 241992Maternity Colony of Gray Bats in a Non-Cave SiteLorraine TimmermanArkansas State UniversityV. Rick McDanielArkansas State UniversityFollow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaasPart of the Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons, and 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 CitationTimmerman, Lorraine and McDaniel, V. Rick (1992) "Maternity Colony of Gray Bats in a Non-Cave Site," Journal of the ArkansasAcademy of Science: Vol. 46 , Article 24.Available at: http://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol46/iss1/24Proceedings Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol.46, 1992108LIGON, J.D. 1970. Behavior and breeding biology of the Red-cockadedWoodpecker. Auk 87: 255-278.LIGON, J.D. 1971. Some factors influencing numbers of the Red-cockadedWoodpecker. InEcology and management of the Red-cockadedWoodpecker (R.L. Thompson, ed.). Tallahassee, Fla. Bur. Sport Fish, andWildl. and Tall Timbers Res. Sta., pp. 30-43.LIGON, J.D., P.B. STACEY, R.N. CONNER, C.E. BOCK, and C.S.ADKISSON. 1986. Report of the American Ornithologists' Unioncommittee for the conservation of the Red-cockaded Woodpecker. Auk103:848-855.MURPHEY, E.E. 1939. Red-cockaded Woodpecker Dryobates borealis(Vieillot)in Life histories of North American woodpeckers (A.C. Bent,ed.), Bull.174, U.S. Nat. Mus., pp. 72-79.NEAL,J.C. and W.G. MONTAGUE. 1991. Past and present distribution ofthe Red-cockaded Woodpecker and its habitat in the Ouachita Mountainsin Arkansas. Proc. Ark. Acad. Sci. 45:71-75.PIANKA,E.R. 1983. Evolutionary ecology, 3rd ed. Harper & Row Pub.,N.Y.,416pp.RAULSTON, B.E. 1992. Effects of cavity restrictors on Red-cockadedWoodpeckers. M.S. thesis, Univ.of Ark.,Fayetteville, 34 pp.RODGERS JR., S.P. 1990. Predation of domestic fowl eggs by Red-belliedWoodpeckers. Honda Field Nat. 18(3):57-58.RUDOLPH, D.C., R.N. CONNER and J. TURNER. 1990. Competition forRed-cockaded Woodpecker roost and nest cavities: effects of resin ageand entrance diameter. Wils. Bull. 102:23-36.STTCKEL, D.W. 1963. Interspecific relations among Red-bellied and HairyWoodpeckers and a Hying Squirrel. Wils. Bull.75:203-204.U.S. FISH ANDWILDLIFE SERVICE. 1985. Red-cockaded Woodpeckerrecovery plan. U.S. Fish &Wildl. Serv., Atlanta, Ga., 88 pp.WALTERS, J. R. 1991. Application of ecological principles to themanagement of the Red-cockaded Woodpecker. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst.22:505-523.WOOD, D.A. 1983. Observations on the behavior and breeding biology ofthe Red-cockaded Woodpecker in Oklahoma. In Red-cockadedWoodpecker Symposium U. (D.A. Wood, ed.) Ha. Game and FreshwaterComm., Tallahassee, pp. 92-94.JOSEPH C.NEAL, Arkansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University ofArkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, WARREN G. MONTAGUE, PoteauRanger District, USDA Forest Service, P.O. Box 2255, Waldron, AR 72958, and DOUGLAS A. JAMES, Department of Biological Sciences, University ofAMATERNITYCOLONY OF GRAY BATSINANON-CAVE SITEColonies of the endangered gray bat, Myotis grisescens, are primarily found inhabiting caves in the limestone karsi regions of Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky,Tennessee, and Alabama (Harbour and Davis, 1969). There are only two previously published accounts ofgray bats inhabiting non-cave sites. In1964, Hays andHingman reported the presence ofa maternity colony in a storm sewer inPittsburg, Kansas, and Gunier and Elder (1971) studied amaternity colony roosting in anold bam in Missouri. In 1988, another maternity colony was found inhabiting a storm drain in Newark, Independence County, Arkansas. The town has apopulation of approximately 1100 and lies at the extreme eastern edge of the Ozark Plateau.Because of the endangered status of the gray bat, precautions were taken during our activities to provide minimal disturbance to the colony. The physical andstructural characteristics of the drain were studied in winter or after emergence when the maternity colony was not present. Temperatures at the roost site weremonitored by means ofa temperature transducer connected toamicroprocessor-based data acquisition system mounted at the tunnel entrance. The population wasestimated by direct count upon emergence.The western inlet of the storm drain, at the intersection ofFront and Main Streets, measures 7 m across by 1.7 m inheight. The tunnel itself is 160 m long andruns southwest under the sidewalk. Highway 122, and Paraquete Road after which it empties into a creek bed by means of two rectangular concrete culvertsapproximately 1m high by 2m wide.Since there are two openings to the drain as well as several sidewalk grates and drain openings to the street, air circulates through the drain and ammonialevels do not build up. Gasoline fumes from a service station, however, are sometimes present.The walls and ceiling are constructed of reinforced concrete with the exception of an older section along Front Street where sandstone blocks make up thelower walls. The horizontal ceiling is not a uniform height above the floor, but is constructed in sections, some of which are lower than others. The floor of thesewer consists ofcoarse gravel and small cobbles. Insome parts of the drain the floor isnearly level,but in others there are depressions and gravel bars so that theheight of the floormay vary by as much as .5m across the width of the drain. The topography of the floor changes from year to year depending on the water flow.At the time of the survey, the maximum height measured from gravel to ceiling was 1.9 m, 1.45 m above the water level. The minimum height above the floorwas 1.1m, .89 m above the water. The width of the drain also varies from a maximum of 4.6 m to a minimum of3.3 in.The sewer is smallest inheight and widthin the section under Highway 122.Water is present in the drain all year, but depth varies depending on floor topography and precipitation. During heavy rains water depths of over 1.5 mcompletely flood the tunnel west ofHwy. 122 as well as the outlet culverts.Unlikenatural caves, the temperature near the ceiling of the drain can fluctuate up to 10 degrees Celsius per day. In sunny weather there is a regular cycle ofheating and cooling in the drain dependent on changes in air temperature and heating of the pavement and concrete. Heat from above is transferred to the roostenvironment through the concrete even on days when the air is cool.There are two roost sites in the storm drain as determined by ceiling stains. Itis not known if the maternity colony uses both sites, but they do serve as nightroosts and hibernation sites for a small group of gray bats. Maternity colonies require warm temperatures to promote rapid growth ofthe young. Innatural caves,rooms with domed ceilings to trap the colonies' heat are chosen forbearing and raising young. Such roosts are generally located over water to provide humidityand protection from disturbance and predation (Tuttle, 1975). The primary roost site of the maternity colony inNewark exhibits these same character) sties. Itislocated 50-65 m from the outlet of the drain in the section between Paraquete Road and Highway 122, where the sewer attains its maximum height and width.There the ceiling rises forming a rectangular dome. This heat trapping dome, along with the increased dimensions of the site, prevent flood waters from reachingthe ceiling. Permanent pools of water up to 0.7 m deep are present beneath the roost site. In the summer when the maternity colony is present the temperatures atthe primary roost site average 34 degrees Celsius and may rise to 40 degrees.108Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 46 [1992], Art. 24Published by Arkansas Academy of Science, 1992Proceedings Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 46, 1992 109The smaller secondary roost site is located 50-53 m from the entrance on the west side of Hwy 122. The flooris nearly level and generally has 1-2 cm of waterflowingover it. The lack of the ceiling dome and the narrowed dimensions of the drain downstream make this site prone to flooding. The flat ceiling is slightlyeroded with exposed reinforcing rods and a deep crack between ceiling sections that is used as a hibernation site by 20-30 gray bats. Ceiling holes at the primarysite are also used in this manner. Natural caves chosen as hibernacula have high humidity and an average temperature of7-10 degrees Celsius (Harbour and Davis,1969). The bats may chose a site 10-15 degrees warmer in the falland then remain there as the temperature drops to the 0-5 degree Celsius range. Inthe samemanner, temperatures in the storm drain drop gradually as days get colder. In the coldest months, temperatures may fall to 8.5 degrees or below. They do notremain stable, however, as they would in a cave. On warm days temperatures rise. Under these conditions, the bats donot remain torpid butbecome active, moveabout, and may emerge to feed.Maternity colonies prefer caves near a river or reservoir over which the adults feed. Few are located more than 4 km from a major body of water. Forestedlands are also used as forage areas by newly volant young and by adults on their way to the water (Tuttle, 1976). The maternity colony at Newark is also locatednear several bodies of water: the White River 4.5 km to the south, the Black River 7km to the east, and Dota Creek 3 km to the northeast. Upon emergence, mostmembers of this colony appear to head northeast toward Dota Creek, the closest water source, foraging in the trees as they go. Others, however, feed in the areaand use the storm drain as anight roost.Disturbance to colonies is one of the major causes of the decline in gray bat populations (Tuttle, 1979). The storm sewer population, estimated in both 1989and 1990 tobe close to 8000, appears to be stable, however, disturbance to the Newark colony is a real threat because itis located in a town. Children have beenknown to killthe bats as they emerge from the west entrance. The fear of snakes thought to livein the drain and fear of the bats themselves have kept people awayfrom the maternity roost site, although children doplay inthe west drain entrance. Noise frompeople, street traffic,and trains does not seem to affect the colony,as ithas been returning to this roost formany years.LITERATURE CITEDBARBOUR, R. W., and W. H. DAVIS. 1969. Bats of America. Univ. Ky.Press, Lexington, 286 pp.GUNIER, W. J., and W. H. ELDER. 1971. Experimental homing of Graybats to amaternity colony in a Missouri barn. Amer. Midi. Natur. 86:502-506.HAYS, H. A., and D. C. BINGMAN. 1964. A colony of Gray bats insoutheastern Kansas. J. Mammal. 45:150.TUTTLE, M. D. 1975. Population ecology of the Gray bat (Myotisgriscsccns): factors influencing early growth and development. Occas.Pap. Mus. Nat. Hist., Univ.Kans. 36:1-24..1976. Population ecology of the Gray bat (Myotis griscsccns): factorsinfluencing growth and survival of newly volant young. Ecology. 57:587-595..1979. Status, causes ofdecline, and management of endangered Graybats. J. Wildl. Manage. 43:1-17.LORRAINE TIMMERMANand V. RICK McDANIEL.Rl. 2. Box257N, Mena, AR 71953; Department ofBiological Sciences, Arkansas State University, StateUniversity, AR 72467.NEW RECORDS OF VERTEBRATES INSOUTHWESTERN ARKANSASThe vertebrate fauna of southwestern Arkansas is less wellknown than that of other regions of the state; this possibly reflects the distance of the region frommajor universities. The geographic area is located almost entirely within the West Gulf Coastal Plain natural division (Foti, 1974). Recent work relative to thevertebrate fauna of the southwestern quadrant of Arkansas has alleviated some of the regional bias in information on vertebrates (Baker, 1985; James and Neal,1986; Robison and Buchanan, 1988; Robison el al., 1983; Sealander and Heidt, 1990; Sewell, 1981; Steward el al., 1986, 1989a, b). This report documents newrecords ofdistribution and provides notes on natural history ofselected vertebrates from southwestern Arkansas.Field collections and observations were made by the authors and students at Henderson State University. Fishes were obtained by use of seines, amphibiansand reptiles by overturning cover materials or driving down roads on rainy evenings (with the exception of a turtle caught on a trolline), and mammals werecollected as road-killed specimens or by use ofmuseum special or Sherman traps. Birds were recorded photographically.Specimens of fishes were fixedin 10% formalin and stored in 40% isopropanol. Amphibians and reptiles were preserved in the same manner as fishes, orpreserved by use of a freeze-dryer. Specimens of mammals were prepared as standard skins and skeletons. All specimens were deposited in the collection ofvertebrates at Henderson State University.Class: OsteichthyesMostpublished studies of the distribution of fishes in southwestern Arkansas have focused on the Ouachita River drainage, reviewed by Baker (1985) andRobison et al. (1983). Studies based in the Red River drainage are few. Sewell (1981) reported fishes of the upper Saline River (above Dierks Lake) andCloutman and Olmsted (1974) surveyed fishes of the Cossatot River. Robison and Buchanan (1988) mapped additional records from thesis work (Cokem, 1979;Etheridge, 1974; Johnson, 1978). The following species represent new records within the Red River drainage.Semotilus atromaculatus (Mitchell), the Creek Chub, Family Cyprinidae. One record taken from (he Saline River was collected prior to 1960 (Robison andBuchanan, 1988). The present occurrence of the creek chub in the Saline River is confirmed by a single specimen from Howard County south ofDierks Lake nearBluffCreek, in March 1991.The extreme headwaters of the Cossatot River provided the only other specimens of the creek chub from the Red River drainage (Cloutman and Olmsted,1974). New records include a specimen taken in April1991 from Bois d'Arc Creek (a tributary to the Red River) in Hempstead County, about 3 km southwest ofthe junction of Arkansas Highways 73 and 195. An additional specimen was collected inFebruary 1991 inLittleRiver County from the LittleRiver just south ofthe dam forming Millwood Lake.Centrarchus macropterus (Lacepede), the Flier Sunfish, Family Centrarchidae. Robison and Buchanan (1988) indicated records of the fliersunfish in the RedRiver drainage from Bodcaw Creek (Hempstead County) and Dorcheat Bayou (Columbia County). These streams enter the Red River in Louisiana. A specimencollected inMarch 1991 from Hempstead County represents the westernmost record for Arkansas and is marginal to the general species range. The location ofcollection (a tributary to Yellow Creek on Highway 32, about 4.5 km northeast of the Millwood Lake Dam) documents the flier sunfish in the Little Riverdrainage.109Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 46 [1992], Art. 24http://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol46/iss1/24

https://scholarworks.uark.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2090&context=jaas

Maternity Colony of Gray Bats in a Non-Cave Site

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

UARK (University of Arkansas )

ScholarWorks@UARK