Search

The movement of individuals between roosts allows gene flow and influences the spatial distribution, dynamics, and genetic structure of populations. The objectives of this study were to describe the patterns of movement of the bats Mormoops megalophylla, Pteronotus fulvus, and Pteronotus mesoamericanus, between a mine (La Mina) and two caves (El Apanguito and Cerro Huatulco) and explore some drivers for the movements in Oaxaca, México using capture-recapture methods. From July 2016 to June 2017, we captured 5082 individuals (2369 P. fulvus, 1868 P. mesoamericanus, and 845 M. megalophylla). We obtained 292 recaptures, including 57 recaptures represented inter-roost movements (34 by P. fulvus, 18 by P. mesoamericanus, and 5 by M. megalophylla). Brownie's Multistate model showed that the movements among roosts were species-specific and were determined only by the roost occupied before capture for P. mesoamericanus, by the roosts used before and after capture for P. fulvus, or only by seasonality for M. megalophylla. The results showed that the reproductive condition could have influenced the movements between roosts in the three mormoopids, mainly due to the formation of maternity colonies of P. mesoamericanus and P. fulvus in the El Apanguito cave and exclusive colonies of M. megalophylla males in Cerro Huatulco. Due to the importance of the reproductive events that occur in the roosts studied, we suggest that the three roosts should be considered as part of the group of Important Sites for the Conservation of Bats in the state of Oaxaca. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pigmentation process can be affected throughout development and result in aberrant pigmentation. This can derive not only from genetic mutations, but also from other sources like infectious diseases that result in color patterns which are different from those characteristic of each species. In bats, most pigmentation abnormalities have been observed in the families Phyllostomidae and Vespertilionidae, probably because they are the largest families in number of species and have been exceptionally well studied. For the Mormoopidae family only two cases are known. This paper documents the first case of hypopigmentation disorder in the bat Mormoops megalophylla throughout its range, recorded in two specimens captured in the state of Oaxaca, México. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]