Phyllostomidae possui a maior diversidade morfológica e ecológica dentre os morcegos neotropicais desempenhando importantes papéis em ambientes florestais, tal como a dispersão de sementes. O objetivo do presente estudo foi comparar a dieta de Artibeus lituratus e Sturnira lilium em três regiões fitogeográficas do bioma Mata Atlântica - Floresta Ombrófila Densa (FOD), Floresta Estacional Semidecidual (FES) e Formação Pioneira com Influência Marinha (FPIM) - na Região Sul do Brasil. Os morcegos foram amostrados mensalmente com redes de neblina, seguindo o protocolo padrão para análise de dieta. Analisamos os dados de composição da dieta conforme atributos de riqueza, abundância e similaridade entre as três regiões amostradas (escalonamento multidimensional não métrico - NMDS e Índice de Bray-Curtis). Para A. lituratus e S. lilium o maior número de amostras provém da FES. Em todas as três regiões fitogeográficas, Ficus e Cecropia foram os gêneros mais consumidos por A. lituratus e Solanum por S. lilium. A abundância dos itens alimentares de A. lituratus e S. lilium foi influenciada pelas regiões fitogeográficas com a presença de agrupamentos distintos entre as amostras de FES, FOD e FPIM. A diferenciação da composição das dietas de A. lituratus e S. lilium entre as três fitofisionomias analisadas corrobora a hipótese de que a estrutura da vegetação influencia a composição da dieta dos morcegos. Essa diferença pode ser detectada apenas quando os itens alimentares são identificados em nível de espécie ou morfo-espécie.

The family Phyllostomidae has the greatest morphological and ecological diversity among Neotropical bats, playing important roles in forest environments. This study aimed to compare the diet of Artibeus lituratus and Sturnira lilium in three phytophysiognomies in the Atlantic Forest biome in Southern Brazil - Ombrophilous Dense Forest (FOD), Semideciduous Seasonal Forest (FES) and Restinga (FPIM). Bats were sampled monthly along a year using mist nets. Bat's diet was analyzed in feces following a standardized protocol. We analyzed data on diet composition by richness, abundance and similarity among the three sampled regions (Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling and Bray-Curtis Index). Samples from FES were the most abundant for both A. lituratus and S. lilium, with Ficus and Cecropia being the most consumed genera for the first species and Solanum for the second one in all sampled sites. The abundance of feeding items varied across phytogeographic regions.

ABSTRACT Understanding the factors that affect biodiversity is of central interest to ecology, and essential to species conservation and ecosystems management. We sampled bird communities in 17 forest fragments in the Cerrado biome, the Central-West region of Brazil. We aimed to know the communities structure pattern and the influence of geographical distance and environmental variables on them, along a gradient of fragmented habitats at both local and landscape scales. Eight structural variables of the fragments served as an environmental distance measurement at the local scale while five metrics served as an environmental distance measurement at the landscape scale. Species presence-absence data were used to calculate the dissimilarity index. Beta diversity was calculated using three indices (βsim, βnes and βsor), representing the spatial species turnover, nestedness and total beta diversity, respectively. Spatial species turnover was the predominant pattern in the structure of the communities. Variations in beta diversity were explained only by the environmental variables of the landscape with spatial configuration being more important than the composition. This fact indicates that, in Cerrado of Goiás avian communities structure, deterministic ecological processes associated to differences in species responses to landscape fragmentation are more important than stochastic processes driven by species dispersal.

Nós utilizamos a técnica de marcação-recaptura para avaliar os deslocamentos de morcegos dentro e entre três fragmentos florestais do sul do Brasil. Entre julho de 2002 e junho de 2003, os animais foram capturados com redes-de-neblina instaladas em quatro parcelas de 1 ha, que representavam diferentes graus de isolamento das subformações florestais, aluvial (duas parcelas) e submontana (duas parcelas). Utilizando anilhas metálicas numeradas, nós marcamos 635 morcegos de sete espécies e recapturamos 54 indivíduos de seis espécies. A maior freqüência de recaptura foi obtida para Carollia perspicillata (Linnaeus, 1758), especialmente nas parcelas de origem representadas pela floresta aluvial. Os resultados sugerem que este frugívoro apresenta uma área restrita de forrageio, determinada provavelmente pela abundância de Piper L. (Piperaceae), planta reconhecida como seu alimento preferencial. Em contraste, espécies do gênero Artibeus Leach, 1821 exibiram uma baixa freqüência de recaptura, sugerindo alta mobilidade e grande área de forrageio, provavelmente relacionada à exploração conjunta dos fragmentos da região na busca por recursos, em especial Ficus L. (Moraceae), seu alimento preferencial. Nossos resultados sugerem que mesmo pequenos fragmentos florestais são valiosos para a manutenção de algumas espécies de morcegos, seja por oferecerem muitos dos recursos que eles necessitam ou por estarem espacialmente dispostos de forma a facilitar a utilização conjunta da paisagem.

We used mark and recapture techniques to evaluate movements of bats within and between three brazilian forest remnants. We captured bats with mist-nets in four 1 ha plots representing different degrees of isolation of riparian (two plots) and submontane (two plots) forests between July 2002 and June 2003. Using numbered aluminium tags, we marked 635 bats of seven species and 54 individuals of six species were recaptured. Overall, we recaptured Carollia perspicillata (Linnaeus, 1758) (short-tailed fruit bat) most frequently, especially in plots where they were banded in the riparian forest plots. These results suggest that this bat has restricted feeding areas, which are probably determined by the abundance of Piper Linnaeus (Piperaceae), its preferred food item. In contrast, species of the genus Artibeus Leach, 1821 exhibited few recaptures, suggesting high mobility and larger feeding areas. In fact Artibeus seems to use more of the forest remnants in their search for food, especially Ficus Linnaeus (Moraceae), the preferred food of this bat. Our results suggest that even small forest isolates are valuable for the maintenance of some bat species because they offer many of the resources they need or because they are spatially distributed in a pattern that allows use of the entire landscape.

Estudo preliminar sobre a riqueza de espécies e a freqüência de capturas de morcegos em dois habitats, mata primária e reflorestamento de Araucária, na Região Centro Leste do Paraná. Foi empregado o mesmo esforço para as duas áreas, resultando na captura de 11 espécies na área de mata primária, contra oito no reflorestamento de Araucária. A uniformidade na distribuição da abundância - " equitabilidade" - foi maior na mata primária. No reflorestamento de Araucária, noventa por cento dos indivíduos coletados pertenciam somente a duas espécies. Pelos resultados, conclui-se que a floresta primária com numerosos nichos, apresenta uma riqueza de espécies elevada, mas a ação do homem reduz a riqueza de espécies geral, o que se reflete principalmente na dominância de poucas espécies. Destaca-se aqui, nos dois tipos de ambientes, a presença de Myotis ruber, listada como ameaçada de extinção no Brasil.

Preliminary study about the richness of species and the capture frequency of bats from two habitats: native forest and Araucária reforestation area, in the center east region of Paraná. The same capture effort for the two areas resulted in 11 species of bats captured in the native forest and eight in the Araucária reforestation area. The uniformity in species abundance - evenness - was higher in the native forest. In the Araucária reforestation area, ninety per cent of the collected individuals belonged only to two species. Results show that the primary forest with numerous niches presents high richness of species, but human action reduces the general richness, which reflects mainly in the small number of species. Myotis ruber is registered in both environments and related in the Brazilian list of threatened species of extinction.

Levantamento das espécies de moscas ectoparasitas de morcego da família Streblidae sobre morcegos da família Phyllostomidae foi realizado na Estação Ecológica de Caetetus, São Paulo. Foram capturados 400 indivíduos de 15 espécies de morcegos filostomídeos, mas somente seis espécies abrigavam 93 indivíduos de nove espécies de Streblidae. A prevalência e intensidade média são apresentadas para cada espécie de Streblidae. Strebla chrotopteri Wenzel, 1976 é registrada pela primeira vez no Estado de São Paulo.

A survey of species of streblid bat flies on phyllstomid bats was carried out at Caetetus Ecological Station, São Paulo. We captured 400 individous of 15 species of phyllostomid, but just six species harboured 93 individous of nine species of Streblidae. The prevalence and mean intensity, are given for each species of bat fly. Strebla chrotopteri Wenzel, 1976 is reported for the first times in state of São Paulo.

Com base na abordagem etnozoológica foram resgatadas informações históricas e atuais sobre a mastofauna do município de Fênix, mesorregião centro-ocidental do estado do Paraná, sul do Brasil. Para tanto, no ano de 2004, foram realizadas entrevistas com 19 moradores locais por meio de uma conversa informal que tinham por objetivo o preenchimento de um questionário básico e a apresentação de fotografias da fauna potencial da região. Como resultado, foram registradas 39 espécies de mamíferos, sendo que destas, pelo menos seis são novos registros para a área. Informações obtidas em relação à caça indicam que esta atividade, muito comum no passado, ainda é presente, inclusive em unidades de conservação, como o Parque Estadual Vila Rica do Espírito Santo. As espécies que sofreram e sofrem maior pressão de caça são as mesmas citadas para outras partes do neotrópico. Atualmente, Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris (Linnaeus, 1766) (Hydrochaeridae) é a espécie mais procurada, dada à facilidade de encontrá-la em diversas áreas naturais ou parcialmente antropizadas do município. No que se refere à predação causada por animais silvestres sobre animais domésticos, quase 80% dos entrevistados relataram ter sofrido perdas em suas criações, principalmente galinhas, resultantes de ataques de carnívoros de médio porte. Dados sobre alterações temporais na composição da mastofauna também foram obtidos junto aos entrevistados, como a extinção local de alguns mamíferos de grande porte (Panthera onca (Linnaeus, 1758) (Felidae), Tapirus terrestris (Linnaeus, 1758) (Tapiridae) e Tayassu pecari (Link, 1795) (Tayassuidae)) e o aumento populacional de Cebus nigritus (Goldfuss, 1809) (Cebidae) e de Nasua nasua (Linnaeus 1766) (Procyonidae), supostamente relacionado ao consumo de plantações como o milho.

Based on an ethnozoological approach we obtained historical and present information on the mammalian fauna of the municipality of Fênix, located in the mid-western Paraná state, Southern Brazil. To do so, in 2004 we interviewed 19 local residents. The interview consisted of an informal talk based on a questionary followed by the presentation of photographs of potential mammalian species of the study region. As a result, we recorded 39 species, of which at least six are new records for the study area. Hunting revealed to be not only common in the past, but also still practiced nowadays, even inside nature preserves, like the Parque Estadual Vila Rica do Espírito Santo. The species more appreciated by the hunters are the same cited for other neotropical regions. At present, however, Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris (Linnaeus, 1766) (Hydrochaeridae) is the species more frequently sought since it is still common in several natural areas of the region, including those that have been largely modified by man. With regard to mammalian predation upon domestic animals, almost 80% of the interviewees declared that they had lost some breed, especially chicken, as the result of the attack of medium-sized carnivores. Data on temporal modifications of the mammalian species composition were also obtained with the interviews, as the local extinctions of some large mammals (Panthera onca (Linnaeus, 1758) (Felidae), Tapirus terrestris (Linnaeus, 1758) (Tapiridae) and Tayassu pecari (Link, 1795) (Tayassuidae)) or the population increases of Cebus nigritus (Goldfuss, 1809) (Cebidae) and Nasua nasua (Linnaeus 1766) (Procyonidae), which are supposedly related to the consumption of corn and other plantations.

This study was carried out at the Intervales State Park, an Atlantic Rain Forest area in Southeastern Brazil. Bats were monthly mist netted over a full year, and fecal samples were collected for dietary analysis. The seeds found in each sample were identified in the laboratory under a stereoscopic microscope by comparison with seeds taken from ripe fruits collected in the study area. Three hundred and seventy one bats were collected, of which 316 (85.2%) were frugivorous. The total number of fecal samples with seeds and/or pulp was 121. Sturnira lilium (E. Geoffroy, 1810) was the most abundant species in the study area (n = 157 captures) and Solanaceae fruits accounted for 78.5% of the fecal samples with seeds (n = 56). Artibeus fimbriatus Gray, 1838 (n = 21 samples) fed mostly on Cecropiaceae (38%) and Moraceae fruits (24%), and Artibeus lituratus (Olfers, 1818) (n = 7 samples) on Cecropiaceae (57%) and Moraceae (29%). Carollia perspicillata (Linnaeus, 1758) (n = 16 samples) fed mostly on Piperaceae fruits (56,3%), but Solanaceae (31,3%) and Rosaceae seeds (12,5%) were also found in feces. Overall, seeds found in bat feces belong to eight plant families: Solanaceae (n = 67 samples); Cecropiaceae (n = 14); Piperaceae (n = 14); Moraceae (n = 8); Rosaceae (n = 3); Cucurbitaceae (n = 3); Cluseaceae (n = 1), and Araceae (n = 1). The close association of different bat species with fruits of certain plant families and genus may be related to a possible mechanism of resource partitioning that shapes the structure of the community.

Data about activity patterns, hourly and monthly, on five phyllostomid bats, Glossophaga soricina (Pallas, 1766), Anoura caudifer (E. Geoffroy, 1818), Camilla perspicillata (Linnaeus, 1758), Sturnira lilium (E. Geoffroy, 1810) and Platyrrhinus lineatus (E. Geoffroyi, 1810), studied over a one year period at the Panga Ecological Reserve, Uberlandia, Minas Gerais state, south-eastern Brazil, are reported and discussed.

Assessing the composition of an area's bat fauna is typically accomplished by using captures or by monitoring echolocation calls with bat detectors. The two methods may not provide the same data regarding species composition. Mist nets and harp traps may be biased towards sampling low flying species, and bat detectors biased towards detecting high intensity echolocators. A comparison of the bat fauna of Fazenda Intervales, southeastern Brazil, as revealed by mist nets and harp trap captures, checking roosts and by monitoring echolocation calls of flying bats illustrates this point. A total of 17 species of bats was sampled. Fourteen bat species were captured and the echolocation calls of 12 species were recorded, three of them not revealed by mist nets or harp traps. The different sampling methods provided different pictures of the bat fauna. Phyllostomid bats dominated the catches in mist nets, but in the field their echolocation calls were never detected. No single sampling approach provided a complete assessment of the bat fauna in the study area. In general, bats producing low intensity echolocation calls, such as phyllostomids, are more easily assessed by netting, and bats producing high intensity echolocation calls are better surveyed by bat detectors. The results demonstrate that a combined and varied approach to sampling is required for a complete assessment of the bat fauna of an area.

In this study the incidence of moths and beetles was examined from feces samples of bats that use different foraging behaviors. Twenty sites around the Fazenda Intervales, a Field Research Station located in São Paulo State, in southeastern Brazil were sampled. Feces were collected from bats caught in mist nets, Turtle Traps or hand nets and, in one case, from beneath a roost. Feces samples were taken from six species of bats: Micronycteris megalotis (Gray, 1842), Mimon bennettii (Gray, 1838), Furipterus horrens (F. Cuvier, 1828), Myotis riparius Handley, 1960, Myotis ruber (E. Geoffroy, 1806) and Histiotus velalus (I. Geoffroy, 1824). To record and describe the frequencies dominating bat echolocation calls, an Anabat II bat detector coupled with an Anabat ZCA interfaces and DOS laptop computers were used. The data show that Furipterus horrens feeds extensively on moths, as predicted from the features of its echolocation calls. Gleaning bats, whose echolocation calls are much less conspicuous to moths take a wide range of insect (and other) prey.