Chiroptera Neotropical 17(1), July 2011 New records of Vampyrum

Chiroptera Neotropical 17(1), July 2011
New records of Vampyrum spectrum (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae) for the
Pantanal domain in Brazil, with notes on the species natural history,
biometry, and lower incisors arrangement
Alexandra Pereira da Silva1* & Rogério Vieira Rossi1
1. Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Avenida Fernando Correa da Costa,
2367, CEP 78060-900, Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil.
* Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
Abstract
Vampyrum spectrum is the largest bat of the New World, with wingspan reaching up to one meter. This
carnivorous bat has wide geographical distribution that extends from the state of Veracruz, Mexico, to
central Brazil and northern Bolivia. To date, 21 specimens have been recorded in Brazil, most of them in
the Amazonian domain. There is only one record for the species in the Pantanal domain, referring to a
specimen collected in 1944 in Barra do Aricá, State of Mato Grosso. In this study we present two new
records of V. spectrum for the Pantanal domain, in the Poconé region, State of Mato Grosso, constituting
the second and third records of the species for this region after more than 50 years with no local records.
Our records represent the southern limit of the species range in Brazil and raise to 23 the number of
records in the country. Data on the natural history, biometry, and lower incisors arrangement of the
collected specimens are provided.
Keywords: False vampire, Vampyrum, morphology, geographic distribution, Pantanal.
Introduction
The false vampire bat, Vampyrum spectrum
(Linnaeus, 1758), is the largest bat of the New
World, with wingspan that reaches up to one
meter and body mass of up to 190 g (Navarro &
Wilson 1982; Nowak 1994). The species has a
predominantly carnivorous habit and is considered
a top predator (Vehrencamp et al. 1977; Emmons
& Feer 1997), needing a large foraging area,
which probably accounts for its generally low
local density (Bernard & Fenton 2002).
According to the information available in the
literature, V. spectrum has a wide geographical
distribution that extends from the state of
Veracruz, Mexico, to central Brazil and northern
Bolivia (Emmons & Feer 1997; Williams &
Genoways 2007; Reid 2009). Most Brazilian
records of this taxon are from the Amazonian
domain, where it is widely distributed despite its
low density at several study sites. In this sense,
from the 21 specimens already recorded in Brazil
seven are from the State of Amazonas (Piccinini
1974; Reis & Guillaumet 1983; Reis 1984; Reis &
Peracchi 1987; Sampaio et al. 2003), six from the
State of Pará (Bernard 2001; Kalko & Handley
2001; Bernard & Fenton 2002;), and three from
the State of Amapá (Peracchi et al. 1984; Martins
et al. 2006), while the states of Acre and Rondônia
have one record each (Nogueira et al. 1999;
Discher et al. 2009). In the Cerrado domain, a
specimen was captured in the State of Tocantins
(Nunes et al. 2005); and in the Caatinga domain, a
specimen was captured in the State of Piauí
(Gregorin et al. 2008), which is the easternmost
record for Brazil. There is only one record for the
species in the Pantanal domain, collected in 1944
from Barra do Aricá, State of Mato Grosso
(Marinho-Filho & Sazima 1998; Vieira 1945)
(Figure 1).
Figure 1 – Previous records (circles) and present study
records (square) of Vampyrum spectrum in Brasil.
The aim of this study is to present two new
records of V. spectrum for the Pantanal domain, in
the Poconé region, State of Mato Grosso,
constituting the second and third records of the
species for this seasonally flooded biome after
836 Chiroptera Neotropical 17(1), July 2011
more than 50 years without any records for the
region. Our records represent the southern limit of
the species range in Brazil and raise to 23 the
number of records of V. spectrum in the country.
Material and Methods
Two individuals of V. spectrum were captured
during a bat inventory program held in Pirizal
District, Municipality of Nossa Senhora do
Livramento, Poconé region, State of Mato Grosso,
Brazil, between June and August 2006, under the
auspices of the project “Meso-scale patterns of
Biodiversity in the Different Pastoral Systems of
the Pantanal in the State of Mato Grosso
(BIOPAN)”, conducted by the Pantanal Research
Center (CPP). The collection sites belong to a
long-term sampling site which consists of a
RAPELD sampling system described by
Magnusson et al. (2005), made up of thirty 250-mlong plots systematically distributed over a 25
km2 area. The plots are equidistant, spaced 1 km
apart and follow the topography of the terrain
(Figure 2).
Specimens of V. spectrum were captured in
mist nets (12m x 2.5m, 22.0 mm mesh), arranged
in a continuous 108-m-line at two collection
points (plot D2 = 16º21’22.5” S, 56º20’12.7” W;
plot D4 = 16º20’17.0” S, 56º20’13.4” W), 2 km
away from each other (Figure 2). Individuals were
placed in cloth bags, weighed, measured and their
reproductive condition assessed. They were
subsequently
euthanized,
fixed
in
10%
formaldehyde and preserved in 70% alcohol. In
the laboratory, the skulls were removed and
cleaned with the help of carrion beetles of the
genus
Dermestes.
Eleven
craniodental
measurements were taken with digital calipers to
the nearest 0.01 mm, based on the procedures in
Simmons & Voss (1998) and Vizotto & Taddei
(1973). The stomachs of both specimens were
examined to verify any food items consumed.
These specimens (UFMT 1116 - 1117) are
deposited in the Coleção Zoológica da
Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Cuiabá,
State of Mato Grosso, Brazil.
Figure 2 – Study grid in Pirizal District, Poconé region, State of Mato Grosso, Brazil, showing the sampling points
(A1 to F5). The circles represent the sampling points where specimens of Vampyrum spectrum were captured.
837 Chiroptera Neotropical 17(1), July 2011
Results and Discussion
The first individual, an adult male with
abdominal testis, was captured on August 10,
2006 in a pasture environment on a seasonally
flooded forest, composed predominantly of the
plant Vochysia divergens (Pohl, Vochysiaceae)
(Nunes da Cunha et al. 2007). There is a
permanent lake in the site, which is full even
during the dry season. The second individual, a
lactating female with complete dentition and body
dimensions slightly larger than the male (Table 1),
was captured on August 12, 2006 in a seasonally
flooded savanna environment with termite
mounds, also called ‘murundu’ fields in the
Pantanal. The predominant plant species were V.
divergens and Curatella americana (L.,
Dilleniaceae).
The information presented in this report is
congruent with that found by Acosta & Azurdy
(2006) in Bolivia regarding the time of capture
and the time of year when females with signs of
lactation were captured. Characteristics observed
at the capture sites of the present study, such as
typically open environments, presence of
permanent water bodies, and proximity to human
dwellings match those described for most of the
records from the Amazon region and from Bolivia
(Vehrencamp et al. 1977; Bernard & Fenton 2002;
Acosta & Azurdy 2006; Discher et al. 2009).
Table 1 – Reproductive condition, body measurements (in millimeters), body mass (in grams), and time
of capture of specimens of Vampyrum spectrum in the present study. The measurements follow Simmon
and Voss (1998).
External measurements
and natural history data
Reproductive condition
Forearm length
Foot length
Ear length
Thumb length
Tibia length
Weigth
Time of capture
The stomachs of both specimens were empty.
Body measurements of both specimens showed
intermediate values compared to those found by
Husson (1978) and Simmons & Voss (1998) for
specimens from Suriname and Paracou (French
Guyana) respectively, and similar values to the
specimens from Bolivia (Vargas-Espinoza et al.
2004; Acosta & Azurdy 2006). Moreover, as
mentioned earlier, we recorded slightly larger
body measurements in the female (Table 1).
Husson (1978) found no major differences in the
external measurements of the three males and two
females he analyzed. On the other hand, Simmons
& Voss (1998) recorded larger forearms and feet
in two males compared to a single female
specimen, and Vargas-Espinoza et al. (2004)
reported considerably larger ears in two males
when compared to three females. In another study
of V. spectrum in Bolivia, Acosta & Azurdy
(2006) observed that the external measurements of
a female specimen were slightly larger than those
of the male, similar to the results presented herein.
Few records of craniodental measurements for
V. spectrum can be found in the literature, and this
study presents the first cranial and dental
UFMT 1116
UFMT 1117
Male, abdominal testis
108.48
28.8
41.75
21.37
57.82
165.9
19h33min
Female, lactating
110.59
30.38
41.81
22.19
58.71
189.0
20h55min
measurements for this species in Brazil (Table 2).
In general, measurements of the individuals
captured in this study are larger than those of
specimens examined by Simmons & Voss (1998)
and Husson (1978). An exception is the maxillary
toothrow length, which is larger in the specimens
examined by the latter author.
Unlike the body measurements, we found that
most craniodental measurements are slightly larger
in the male. This same pattern was not found by
Simmons & Voss (1998) and Husson (1978) in
specimens from Paracou (French Guyana) and
Surinam respectively.
Both specimens collected in this study have
full dentition and complete ossification of the
metacarpals, and therefore may be considered
adults. However, the teeth of the female specimen
are quite worn, and the apex of the lower canine is
broken, which suggests that it is an older animal.
The male specimen, on the other hand, has no
tooth wear, suggesting that this is a younger
specimen, which could explain the slightly smaller
body dimensions when compared to those of the
female.
838 Chiroptera Neotropical 17(1), July 2011
Table 2 - Craniodental measurements (in millimeters) of the specimens of Vampyrum spetrum collected
in the present study. The measurements follow Simmons and Voss (1998), except when otherwise
mentioned. a Based on Vizotto and Taddei (1973).
Craniodental measurements
UFMT 1116 (male)
UFMT 1117 (female)
52.25
52.27
Condylocanine length a
Lacrimal breadth
Postorbital breadth
44.55
44.18
12.29
8.42
44.27
43.57
11.71
7.98
Zygomatic breadth
Braincase breadth
Mastoid breadth
Maxillary toothrow length
Breadth across molars
Breadth across canines
25.31
16.36
22.01
21.25
15.18
9.39
25.16
16.22
21.95
21.06
15.16
9.6
Greatest length of skull
Condyloincisive length a
Another characteristic observed in the
dentition of our specimens that deserves to be
mentioned is the disposition of the lower incisors.
The female has a row of four lower incisors
aligned between the canines, while the two lower
external incisors of the male are positioned below
the internal ones, probably due to the lack of space
between the canines which cannot maintain the
four incisors in a row (Figure 3).
Navarro & Wilson (1982) described the pattern
of incisor arrangement in V. spectrum as the inner
pair located behind the outer pair, as observed in
the male specimen of this study. However, Husson
(1978) illustrated lower incisors aligned between
the canines, as observed in the female specimen
from Pirizal. On analyzing three specimens of V.
spectrum deposited in the Museu de Zoologia da
Universidade de São Paulo (MZUSP 6493, 12946,
33556) and other two specimens to be deposited in
the same institution (field numbers N3Q3.004 and
PIQ 53), we found that the lower incisors of V.
spectrum showed different levels of alignment, of
which the extreme patterns corresponds to those
observed in the two specimens collected by us
(Figure 3).
Figure 3 – Frontal view of the mandibules of Vampyrum spectrum specimens collected in the present study. Note the
different patterns of the lower incisors alignment in the female (A) and male (B) specimens. Photographed by Thiago
Semedo.
Acknowledgements
We thank the Pantanal Research Center (CPP) and
Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico
e Tecnológico (CNPq) for financial support and
research grant awarded to APS. We also thank
Christine Strussmann for logistical support in the
field, and the Pantanal guides and trainees who
assisted in field work. We thank Cleuton Lima
Miranda for suggestions and criticisms on earlier
drafts of this manuscript, and Thiago Semedo for
helping with the photograph and distribution map
editions. We also thank Mario de Vivo for
839 Chiroptera Neotropical 17(1), July 2011
allowing access to the specimens housed in the
MZUSP, and Juliana Gualda for help examining
the specimens from the museum.
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