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Chiroptera Neotropical 14(2), December 2008
New records for three species of the genus Myotis Kaup for the state of
Espírito Santo, southeastern Brazil
Thiago B. Vieira1*, Poliana Mendes1, Rafael Z. Coutinho1, Monik Oprea2 e Albert David Ditchfield1
1. Laboratório de Estudos de Quirópteros, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do
Espírito Santo (UFES), Avenida Marechal Campos 1468, Maruípe, Vitória, Espírito Santo, ES 29040090, Brasil.
2. Division of Mammals, MRC 108, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution,
Washington DC, USA.
* Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
Abstract
Among bats, the genus Myotis has the largest geographic distribution, being found nearly worldwide. Six
species of this genus occur in Brazil: M. albescens, M. levis, M. nigricans, M. riparius, M. ruber and M.
simus. Of these, only M. nigricans has been recorded for the state of Espírito Santo. Here we report the
first occurrence of three species of the genus Myotis for the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil, M. ruber, M.
albescens and M. levis. Bats were captured with mist nets in three different locations in the state of
Espírito Santo. Four specimens were captured: two individuals of M. ruber, one individual of M.
albescens, and one individual of M. levis. The results add these species to state of Espírito Santo, and
thereby broaden the geographic distribution for M. levis. M. ruber and M. albescens are valuable, but not
unexpected findings. However, M. levis was not expected for Espírito Santo, and finding it in this state
rejects the hypothesis that this region is beyond the distributional limits for this species.
Keywords: Atlantic Forest, geographic distribution, M. albescens, M. levis, M. ruber, Vespertilionids.
41º00'10"W) in Domingos Martins municipality;
Fazendinha Municipal Park (20°14’30’’S
40°16’23’’W) in Vitória municipality; and Forno
Grande State Park (20º32'29"S 41º07'17"W) in
Castelo municipality (Figure 1). Forno Grande
State Park is a 730ha of Atlantic Forest area
within the coastal mountain range of Espírito
Santo. Pedra Azul State Park is also an area of
Atlantic Forest within the coastal mountain range
of Espírito Santo with 1,240ha. Fazendinha
Municipal Park has an area of 2.29ha, and is an
urban park with a transition zone between the
restinga (coastal shrubland) ecosystem and the
Atlantic Forest, presenting also some exotic
species.
In each locality, six to ten mist nets were set up
at sundown and stayed open for six hours. All
bats were identified using identification keys
(LaVal 1973; Vizotto and Taddei 1973; Barquez
et al. 1999; López-González et al. 2001; Vicente
et al. 2005).
All voucher specimens are preserved in alcohol
70% and at the moment are at the Laboratório de
Estudos de Quirópteros (LABEQ), but they will
be deposited in the mammal collection of the
Museu de Biologia Prof. Mello Leitão, in Santa
Teresa, Espírito Santo, Brazil.
Introduction
Among bats, the genus Myotis Kaup, 1829 has the
largest geographic distribution, being found
nearly worldwide (Koopman 1988; Simmons
2005; Wilson 2007). They comprise the largest
vespertilionid genus, with 103 species described
so far (Simmons 2005). According to Bianconi
and Pedro (2007), six species of Myotis occur in
Brazil: Myotis albescens (E. Geoffroy, 1806);
Myotis levis (I. Geoffroy, 1824); Myotis nigricans
(Schinz, 1821); Myotis riparius Handley, 1960;
Myotis ruber (E. Geoffroy, 1806) and Myotis
simus Thomas, 1901. Of these, only M. simus
does not occur in southeastern Brazil (Simmons
2005). Of the five remaining species, only M.
nigricans has been recorded for all states in
southeastern Brazil (Simmons 2005; Peracchi et
al. 2006; Tavares et al. 2008). Myotis albencens
and M. ruber are registered for the states of Minas
Gerais, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro (Peracchi et
al. 2006; Tavares et al. 2008), while M. levis and
M. riparius are recorded for the states of Minas
Gerais and São Paulo (Simmons 2005; Peracchi et
al. 2006; Tavares et al. 2008).
Here we report the first occurrence of three
species of the genus Myotis in the state of Espírito
Santo, Brazil, broadening and discussing their
geographic distributions in southeastern Brazil.
Results
Two individuals of M. ruber, one male and one
female, were captured on October 6, 2003 at
Pedra Azul State Park at an altitude of 1,300m.
Material and Methods
We sampled three locations in Espírito Santo
state: Pedra Azul State Park (20º25'27"S
415
Chiroptera Neotropical 14(2), December 2008
Both bats have a 40.0mm forearm. The weights
were 7.0g for the female, and 6.0g for the male.
The two specimens were numbered as AD 1006
and AD 1008. A single female of M. albescens
(Figure 2) was captured, at sea level, on April 12,
2007 at Fazendinha Municipal Park. This bat has
a 37.7mm forearm and weighted 4.8g. It was
numbered as TV 73. A single male specimen of
M. levis was captured at an altitude of 1,150m, at
Forno Grande State Park, in July 17, 2004. The
measurements for this specimen were 40.0mm of
forearm, and 5.5g weight. This bat was numbered
RZ 85. None of the specimens were in
reproductive condition.
occur in high altitude forests in northeastern
Brazil (Sousa et al. 2004). Wilson (2007) states
that this species seems to be rare within its range,
and its natural history is poorly known. M. ruber
is listed as Vulnerable at the national level
(Machado et al. 2005) and Near Threatened at
global level (IUCN 2008).
Myotis albescens is usually captured in humid
areas, both in open and forested areas. It is found
in primary and secondary forest and forest edges
(Reis and Peracchi 1987, Patterson 1992,
Sampaio et al. 2003). M. albescens roosts in
buildings, hollow trees, and rock crevices (Wilson
2007). According to Simmons (2005), the
geographic distribution ranges from southern
México to northern Argentina. It is one of the
most widespread species of the genus, and many
individuals have been captured bellow 500m of
altitude (Wilson 2007).
Myotis levis is generally found foraging in open
areas, forest edges, and in forests or jungles
(Bianconi and Pedro 2007). In forest and second
growth it forages intensely in open areas near
water (Reis et al. 2002). M. levis occurs in
Bolivia, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Brazil
(Simmons 2005).
According to Marinho-Filho (1996), all species
of Myotis potentially occur in Espírito Santo, with
the exception of M. levis. However, only one has
been previously recorded in the state, M.
nigricans. Capturing M. albescens and M. ruber
in this state is therefore a valuable but not
unexpected finding. The presence of M. ruber in
Rio de Janeiro, confirmed by Moratelli and
Peracchi (2007), covers the gap in state of
Espírito Santo.
However, M. levis was not expected for
Espírito Santo, and finding the species in this
state falsifies the hypothesis that this state is
beyond the distributional limits for this species
(Eisenberg and Redford 1999). Although
Marinho-Filho (1996) states that M. levis is
limited to southern Brazil, this species
distribution may include the mountains of Rio de
Janeiro (Ésberard and Bergallo 2005, Moratelli
and Peracchi 2007), and Espírito Santo (present
study).
According to Peracchi et al. (2006), Bianconi
and Pedro (2007) and Tavares et al. (2008), the
state of Espírito Santo represents a gap in the
geographic distribution of M. albescens, that had
been reported in surrounding states of Bahia,
Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro (Peracchi et al
2006; Tavares et al. 2008). With the record of this
species for Espírito Santo, this gap has been
eliminated.
To summarize, our reports of M. albescens and
M. ruber confirm the hypothesis proposed by
Marinho-Filho (1996) that these species should be
Figure 1: Capture sites of the three species of the
genus Myotis in the state of Espírito Santo
(Source: Google Earth).
Figure 2: Myotis albescens (Photo: Thiago B.
Vieira).
Discussion
Myotis ruber has been recorded in the most varied
environments, from mature rain forest to forests
in early successional stages, forest edges and even
small patches of urban forests (Reis et al. 2002).
Although it can be found in urban forests, this
species is considered sensitive to environmental
change (Reis et al. 2003). It is frequently found in
southeastern Brazil, Paraguay and northeastern
Argentina; and recently it has been reported to
416
Chiroptera Neotropical 14(2), December 2008
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found in Espírito Santo. Also we broad the
geographic distribution for M. levis.
Agradecimentos
Authors would like to thank IBAMA (Instituto
Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos
Naturais Renováveis) for the licenses to capture
and collect bats (015/2003, CGFAU/LIC
02001.001800/93-81,
017/2004,
39/05NUFAUNA
and
31/96-NUFAUNA
02009.001212/04-91). We also thank Ricardo
Moratelli and one anonymous referee for all the
comments and suggestions. We thank BCI (Bat
Conservation International) for the scholarship
granted to M. Oprea. We are thankful to
Prefeitura de Vitória and the manager of Parque
Municipal da Fazendinha, for the licenses to
collect in the park. We also thank our colleagues
from LABEQ for the help on fieldwork.
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