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Bats have been reported as hosts of the Trypanosoma cruzi protozoan, the etiologic agent of American trypanosomiasis, an endemic zoonotic disease in México.To describe T. cruzi infection in bats from the states of Campeche and Yucatán, México.Captures were made from March to November, 2017, at three sites in Yucatán and one in Campeche. Up to four mist nets on two consecutive nights were used for the capture. The bats' species were identified and euthanasia was performed to collect kidney and heart samples for total DNA extraction. Trypanosoma cruzi infection was detected by conventional PCR with the amplification of a fragment belonging to the T. cruzi DNA nuclear.Eighty-six bats belonging to five families (Vespertilionidae, Noctilionidae, Mormoopidae, Phyllostomidae, and Molossidae) and 13 species (Rhogeessa aeneus, Noctilio leporinus, Pteronotus davyi, P. parnellii, Artibeus jamaicensis, A. lituratus, A. phaeotis, Glossophaga soricina, Carollia sowelli, Chiroderma villosum, Uroderma bilobatum, Sturnira parvidens, and Molossus rufus) were captured. Infection frequency by PCR was 30,2% (26/86) detected only in the renal tissue. The infected species were P. parnellii, G. soricina, A. lituratus, A. jamaicensis, S. parvidens, C. villosum, and R. aeneus.Our results confirmed the participation of several bat species as hosts in the T. cruzi transmission cycle in the region. Further studies are necessary to establish the importance of these animals in the zoonotic transmission of T. cruzi.Introducción. Los murciélagos se han reportado como huéspedes del protozoario Trypanosoma cruzi, agente etiológico de la tripanosomiasis americana, enfermedad zoonótica endémica en México. Objetivo. Describir la infección con T. cruzi en murciélagos capturados en los estados de Campeche y Yucatán, México. Materiales y métodos. Se realizaron capturas de marzo a noviembre de 2017 en tres sitios de Yucatán y uno de Campeche. Para la captura se emplearon hasta cuatro redes de niebla por dos noches consecutivas. Se identificó la especie de los murciélagos capturados y se les practicó la eutanasia para recolectar muestras de riñón y corazón, utilizadas posteriormente en la extracción de ADN total. La infección con T. cruzi se detectó por la amplificación con PCR convencional de un fragmento perteneciente al ADN nuclear de T. cruzi. Resultados. Se capturaron 86 murciélagos pertenecientes a cinco familias (Vespertilionidae, Noctilionidae, Mormoopidae, Phyllostomidae, Molossidae) y 13 especies (Rhogeessa aeneus, Noctilio leporinus, Pteronotus davyi, P. parnellii, Artibeus jamaicensis, A. lituratus, A. phaeotis, Glossophaga soricina, Carollia sowelli, Chiroderma villosum, Uroderma bilobatum, Sturnira parvidens y Molossus rufus). La PCR mostró una frecuencia de infección de 30,2 % (26/86), detectada únicamente en tejido renal. Las especies infectadas fueron P. parnellii, G. soricina, A. lituratus, A. jamaicensis, S. parvidens, C. villosum y R. aeneus. Conclusiones. Los resultados confirmaron la participación de varias especies de murciélagos como huéspedes en el ciclo de transmisión de T. cruzi en la región. Es necesario realizar más estudios para determinar la importancia de estos animales en la transmisión zoonótica de T. cruzi.

Objective. To report the infection with Leptospira in the kidneys of bats from Campeche and Yucatán, Mexico, through the amplification by PCR of two different 16S RNA ribosomal gene fragments. Materials and methods. Bat captures were made at one site in Campeche and two sites in Yucatán. Euthanasia was applied to the captured bats and a necropsy was performed to collect a renal tissue sample that was used in the total DNA extraction. Two different conventional PCR were performed for the amplification of the 16S RNA ribosomal gene fragments. Some sequences from positive products were obtained and analyzed with bioinformatics tools to identify the infectious species of Leptospira. Results. Sixty-nine bats belonging to four families and eight different species were captured. The family with the greatest diversity was Phyllostomidae, with five species. The most captured species was Artibeus jamaicensis (41, 59.4%). Both PCR showed a global infection frequency of 21.7%. The infected species were A. jamaicensis, Pteronotus parnellii, and Chiroderma villosum. The bioinformatic analysis of the positive products yielded a 99.0% identity for Leptospira noguchii, Leptospira borgpetersenii, and Leptospira santarosai. Conclusions. Some bat species of Yucatán and Campeche, Mexico, are renal carriers of pathogenic Leptospira, therefore participating in the transmission cycle in the region. The frequency of infection found in the renal tissue of the captured bats is higher than the one obtained from other reservoirs captured in Yucatán and Campeche. New species of bats are reported as renal Leptospira carriers in Mexico., Objetivo. Reportar la infección con Leptospira en riñones de murciélagos de Campeche y Yucatán, México, a través de la amplificación por PCR de dos fragmentos distintos del gen 16S RNA ribosomal. Materiales y métodos. Se realizaron capturas en un sitio de Campeche y dos de Yucatán. A los murciélagos capturados se les aplicó la eutanasia y se les realizó una necropsia para recolectar tejido renal que se usó en la extracción de ADN total. Se realizaron dos PCR convencionales para la amplificación de los fragmentos de 16S RNA ribosomal. Se obtuvieron las secuencias de algunos productos positivos y se analizaron con herramientas bioinformáticas para identificar la especie infectante de Leptospira. Resultados. Se capturaron 69 murciélagos pertenecientes a cuatro familias y a ocho especies distintas. La familia con mayor diversidad fue Phyllostomidae con cinco especies. La especie con mayor frecuencia de captura fue Artibeus jamaicensis (41, 59.4%). Las PCR arrojaron una frecuencia de infección global de 21.7%. Las especies infectadas fueron A. jamaicensis, Pteronotus parnellii y Chiroderma villosum. El análisis bioinformático arrojó un 99.0% de identidad para Leptospira noguchii, Leptospira borgpetersenii y Leptospira santarosai. Conclusiones. Algunas especies de murciélagos de Yucatán y Campeche son portadores renales de leptospiras patógenas, por lo que podrían participar en el ciclo silvestre de transmisión en la región. La frecuencia de infección encontrada en los riñones de los murciélagos utilizados es mayor en comparación con aquellas obtenidas en otros reservorios de Yucatán y Campeche. Nuevas especies de murciélagos son reportadas como portadores de Leptospira para México.

We report the first Quaternary record of the big-eyed bat Chiroderma villosum from South America based on a left mandible fragment collected in the Gruta dos Brejões, late Quaternary of northeastern Brazil. This material has been identified over the course of our revisionary work of the genus Chiroderma, including all species distributed in South America (Chiroderma doriae, Chiroderma salvini, Chiroderma trinitatum, Chiroderma villosum and Chiroderma vizottoi). Our results revealed that several characters of the second lower molar (m2), and of the posterior mandible may be used to identify and to diagnose the South American Chiroderma. We also revisited the historical interpretation of homologies of the lower molar cusps of Chiroderma, and propose a revised molar cusp terminology.

The relationship between tooth roots and diet is relatively unexplored, although a logical relationship between harder diets and increased root surface area (RSA) is suggested. This study addresses the interaction between tooth morphology, diet, and bite force in small mammals, phyllostomid bats. Using micro computed tomography (microCT), tooth root morphology of two fruit-eating species (Carollia perspicillata and Chiroderma villosum) and two insect-eating species (Mimon bennettii and Macrotus californicus) was compared. These species did not differ in skull or estimated body size. Food hardness, rather than dietary classification, proved to be the strongest grouping factor, with the two insectivores and the seed-processing frugivore (C. villosum) having significantly larger RSAs. Bite force was estimated using skull measurements; bite force significantly correlated with tooth RSA but not with body size. Although the three durophagous species did exhibit larger crowns, the area of the occlusal surface did not vary among the four species. There was a linear relationship between root size and crown size, indicating that the roots were not expanded disproportionately; instead the entire tooth was larger in the hard diet species. MicroCT allows the nondestructive quantification of previously difficult-to-access tooth morphology; this method shows the potential for tooth roots to provide valuable dietary, behavioral, and ecological information in small mammals. J. Morphol. 276:1065-1074, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Most frugivorous bats are efficient seed dispersers, as they typically do not damage seeds and transport them over long distances. In contrast, bats of the phyllostomid genus Chiroderma cheat fig trees by acting more as seed predators than as seed dispersers. The bats initially separate seeds from fruit pulp in the mouth. After extracting the juice from the fruit pulp, they thoroughly chew the seeds and spit out small seed fragments in a pellet. Consequently, the faeces contain almost no viable seeds. We compared the nutrient content of intact fig seeds with ejecta and faecal samples from both Chiroderma villosum and the ‘conventional’ frugivorous bat Artibeus watsoni. We show that C. villosum can extract nutrients from the seeds, especially protein and fat. The processing time of figs showed no significant difference between the two bat species. Food-choice experiments showed that C. villosum preferred fig species with more seeds over those with fewer seeds. This preference, in combination with the specialized seed-chewing behaviour, leads to an increased nutrient intake per fig. This unique strategy enables C. villosum to satisfy its nutritional requirements with a lower number of figs than other species, which decreases the amount of energy necessary for foraging flights as well as the predation risk during foraging.

The information available on diversity of mammals in Natural Protected Areas of Yucatan, Mexico has been poorly documented. Between October 2001 and March 2002 we sampled bats and small rodents in three vegetal associations from Ría Celestún Biosphere Reserve. In total we captured 12 species: seven bat species being Dermanura phaeotis the most abundant in the dry forest, and five small rodent species were found being Peromyscus yucatanicus more abuntant into hummock forest (peten). The habitat with highest specific richness of bats was the dry forest (H’=1.39) while peten was to small rodents (H’=0.838). Finally we made the second report of Chiroderma villosum in Yucatan state.

This study was carried out with the objective of evaluating if the size of forest fragments affects the diversity of bat species. In order to do that, seven fragments were studied in Londrina, Paraná: five small fragments, whose areas varied between 1 and 10 ha; a fragment which is considered medium-sized (Parque Municipal Arthur Thomas - 85,47 ha.); and a large fragment (Parque Estadual Mata dos Godoy - 680 ha.). Thirty three species were collected. Ten species were common to all three types of fragments: Chrotopterus auritus (Peters, 1856), Carollia perspicillata (Linnaeus, 1758), Artibeus fimbriatus Gray, 1838, Artibeus lituratus (Olfers, 1818), Platyrrhinus lineatus (E. Geoffroy, 1810), Pygoderma bilabiatum (Wagner, 1843), Sturnira lilium (E. Geoffroy, 1810), Vampyressa pusilla (Wagner, 1843), Eptesicus brasiliensis (Desmarest, 1819), and Myotis nigricans (Schinz, 1821). Eight species were only found in the large fragment: Noctilio albiventris Desmarest, 1818, Glossophaga soricina (Pallas, 1766), Uroderma bilobatum Peters, 1866, Diaemus youngi (Jentink,1893), Diphylla ecaudata Spix, 1823, Eptesicus furinalis (d'Orbigny, 1847), Histiotus velatus (I. Geoffroy, 1824) and Myotis levis (I. Geoffroy, 1824). Five were only found in the small fragments: Noctilio leporinus (Linnaeus, 1758), Phyllostomus discolor Wagner, 1843, Chiroderma villosum Peters, 1860, Eptesicus sp. e Rogheessa tumida H. Allen, 1866. Chiroderma doriae, which is threatened by extinction, was captured in the large fragment and in one of the small fragments; M. ruber, also threatened by extinction, was captured in the medium-sized and large fragments. We believe that the major cause for the loss of organic diversity is not rational exploitation, but the destruction of habitats, a result of the expansion of irrational human activities.

The feeding ecology of most neotropical bat species is still poorly known, indicating that many complex ecological relationships may be obscured. During a study of bats and their potential role as seed dispersers at the Botanical Garden of Rio de Janeiro, southeastern Brazil, we obtained data on 2 species, Chiroderma doriae and C. villosum, that act as seed predators rather than as seed dispersers. Fecal sample analyses and captive-feeding experiments confirmed this previously undocumented feeding strategy in bats. Both species use a specialized strategy of fig-seed predation, ingesting the rich nutrient content of seeds and discarding most of the coat fragments as compact oral pellets. Evidence from the more abundant C. doriae showed that seeds were consumed in both drier and wetter seasons and by individuals of both sexes, all age classes, and all reproductive stages. Use of seeds, in addition to fruit pulp, probably represents an improvement in the acquisition of nutrients available in figs, showing that the degree of feeding specialization of Chiroderma on this resource may be higher than previous data have shown.

[Figure][1] Chiroderma villosum , hairy big-eyed bat, eating a fig. Photo credit: Marco Tschapka. If you think feeding your picky toddler is tough, spare a thought for Insa Wagner. ‘ Chiroderma villosum [hairy big-eyed bats] insist on fresh figs’, says Wagner from the University of

Se presentan 8 registros nuevos de murciélagos para el Centro de Investigaciones Costeras La Mancha (CICOLMA) ubicado en la zona costera del municipio de Actopan, Veracruz, México, que sumados a los anteriores hacen un total de 23 especies. Los nuevos registros pertenecen a las familias Phyllostomidae (Artibeus intermedius, Chiroderma villosum, Uroderma bilobatum, Centurio senex, Leptonycteris curasoae), Mormoopidae (Mormoops megalophylla) y Vespertilionidae (Myotis fortidens, Myotis velifer). Son importantes los esfuerzos de conservación de estaciones biológicas como el CICOLMA, que a pesar de su pequeña superficie mantienen una amplia diversidad de quirópteros de la región costera de Veracruz.

The present catalogue documents all the chiropteran type specimens found in the collections of the Zoological Museum of the Humboldt-University, Museum fur Naturkunde, Berlin (ZMB). Due to insufficient labeling at the time of receipt and description, many types have until now remained unrecognized, labelled with synonymous or incorrect names. From more than 13,000 specimens examined, we identified 540 types (86 holotypes, 249 syntypes, 22 lectotypes, 168 paratypes or paralectotypes, 5 of ambiguous status, 10 missing). These types belong to 218 described bat species, of which 116 are currently accepted (valid) species names. Lectotypes were designated for the original descriptions of Chilonycteris Boothi, Chiroderma villosum, Molossus ferox, Phyllorhina bicornis, Phyllostomus spiculatus, Rhinolophus capensis, Vespertilio Bocagii, Vespertilio Schreibersii and Vesperus cubanus.

Nasal bones in mammals arise in connective tissue dorsal to the nasal capsule. These bones are noticeably reduced and modified in species whose skulls have undergone major shape transformations (e.g., Cetacea) or where a maneuverable proboscis has developed (e.g., Sirenia, Proboscidea, Mirounga, Tapirus, Nasalis; Stark, 1967; van der Klaauw, 1948-1952). Bats of the genus Chiroderma (5 species) seem to defy these generalizations as the nasal capsule in these bats is unroofed by bone, and a wide cleft extends from the frontal area to the tip of the nasal cartilage. Chiroderma seems a likely candidate to join the sirenian Dugong as the only mammals to lack nasal bones. The dorsal surface of the rostrum of Chiroderma (Fig. 1) was described by Dobson (1878:534) as having a "nasal aperture continued backwards by an oval slit, which reaches as far backwards as a line drawn between the most anterior parts of the bony orbit." He felt that this slit represented "a deep cleft between the nasal bones" that "probably becomes closed in some species when the animal is fully grown" (Dobson, 1878:531-532), suggesting the nasal bones grow medially with age. Unfortunately, this belief was based upon a taxonomic misunderstanding. Dobson accepted uncritically Peters' (1866) assignment of Phyllostoma pusillum Wagner to the genus Chiroderma. This species, with nasals that meet at the midline as in other bats, now is placed in the genus Vampyressa. Because Dobson examined only two other skulls of Chiroderma, Peters' misallocation led him to believe this rostral cleft closed with age. Examination of any reasonably large series of Chiroderma, though, would indicate that this cleft remains open even in old individuals. Perhaps because of his misunderstanding of the ontogeny of the nasal cleft, subsequent workers have not agreed with Dobson's view that nasal bones are present in Chiroderma. Miller (1907:157), for instance, described the nasals of Chiroderma as "apparently absent, their place occupied by an emargination." Most subsequent workers have followed Miller's interpretation; Goodwin and Greenhall (1961) go so far as to grant Chiroderma the common name "Bats without Nasal Bones." Those who have followed Miller's interpretation that nasal are absent in Chiroderma seem to have overlooked his uncertainty on the issue. In a footnote (1907:157), he wrote "I have seen no skulls sufficiently immature to show whether the nasals are absent or not." Because the cranial bones of bats co-ossify early in postnatal development, the sutures between bones are not visible in any but the youngest individuals. Without examining preor neonatal specimens, it is not possible to resolve the disagreement between Dobson's view that nasals are present in Chiroderma, and Miller's cautious view that they are absent. I have examined two mid-term fetuses of Chiroderma and find Miller's caution well taken: Chiroderma does possess nasal bones. The two fetal specimens I examined are from fluid-preserved female Chiroderma villosum taken in Costa Rica and Chiapas, Mexico, and stored in the collections of the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology (numbers 111474 and 114456, respectively). The fetuses were carefully skinned then cleared and stained for cartilage and bone using Wassersug's (1976) alcian-alizarian technique. For comparative purposes, I also examined a series of 24 fetuses of Sturnira lilium from Costa Rica, and 16 of Uroderma bilobatum from Panama. Both series were from fluid-preserved females in the UMMZ collection, and represent a range in relative age from embryos just beginning cranial ossification to near-term fetuses. These specimens were cleared and stained in the same way as were the fetal Chiroderma. Both Chiroderma fetuses are mid-term, as judged by vertebral and cranial development. All vertebrae are at least partly ossified in both centrum and neural arch, and the latter have begun to fuse at the dorsal midline. The cranial bones, except for the nasals, are well advanced in development. Although the main roofing bones do not meet at the midline, the frontals contact the parietals, which are fused with the squamosals, and the paired interparietals are in contact with the supraoccipitals. The deciduous teeth are erupted, and conical apices of permanent canines and molars are visible. Both the medial wall of the orbit and the auditory capsule are unossified. The ossifications I identify as nasals are situated between the rostral edge of the frontal and the caudal end of both maxilla and premaxilla. One individual (UMMZ 111474) has two small nasal ossifications on each side (Fig. 2E); the other (Fig. 2F) displays one large center of ossification almost connecting the frontal and maxilla on the right side and two nearly fused ossifications in February 1984 163

These notes describe some observations on the relative abundance, colony sites, behavior and feeding habits of eleven species of bats from the state of Bahia, Brazil. ( Phyllostomus hastatus, P. discolor, Glossophaga soricina, Sturnira lilium, Vampyrops lineatus, Chiroderma villosum, Artibeus lituratus, A. jamacensis, Myotis nigricans, Molossus major and Molossops planirostris .)