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Alopecia, or alopecia syndrome is the partial or complete loss of hair from an animal's body. Following a previous report on bats with alopecia, in this work we complemented the list of bat species with alopecia available in the literature through 2023, adding phyllostomids (Artibeus planirostris, Carollia perspicillata), an emballonurid (Peropteryx pallidoptera), molossids (Molossus rufus, Nyctinomops macrotis), and vespertilionids (Corynorhinus rafinesquii, Eptesicus fuscus, Nycticeius humeralis, Myotis austroriparius, M. grisescens, M. velifer). We also explored factors that may explain alopecia in the first records of this condition in ten Pteronotus mesoamericanus females from Oaxaca, southeastern Mexico, recorded from November 2020 to January 2022. In those individuals, hair loss was observed on the back and head; six of them were lactating and four showed no evidence of reproductive activity. In addition, we documented alopecia on the thorax in four individuals of three species: Artibeus lituratus (one pregnant female and one male with scrotal testes), Pteronotus fulvus (one pregnant female), and Artibeus toltecus (one pregnant female). The alopecic bats presented mild alopecia (the affected area ranged from 1–5 cm2), and only one female showed moderate alopecia (8.1 cm2). Alopecia in P. mesoamericanus, P. fulvus, A. toltecus, and A. lituratus may be due to hormonal or nutritional imbalances associated with reproduction. In addition, in A. lituratus it may also be the result of environmental stress when foraging in an urban area. The causal agents of alopecia in bats are still not fully known, and it is probably a multifactorial phenomenon. La alopecia, o síndrome de alopecia es la pérdida parcial o total del pelo del cuerpo de un animal. Siguiendo un informe previo sobre murciélagos con alopecia, en este trabajo complementamos la lista de especies de murciélagos con alopecia disponibles en la literatura hasta 2023, agregando filostómidos (Artibeus planirostris, Carollia perspicillata), un embalonúrido (Peropteryx pallidoptera), molósidos (Molossus rufus, Nyctinomops macrotis) y vespertiliónidos (Corynorhinus rafinesquii, Eptesicus fuscus, Nycticeius humeralis, Myotis austroriparius, M. grisescens, M. velifer). También exploramos los factores que pueden explicar la alopecia en los primeros registros de esta condición en diez hembras de Pteronotus mesoamericanus de Oaxaca, sureste de México, registradas desde noviembre de 2020 hasta enero de 2022. En esos individuos se observó pérdida de pelo en el dorso y la cabeza; seis de ellos estaban lactando y cuatro no mostraron evidencia de actividad reproductiva. Además, documentamos alopecia en el tórax en cuatro individuos de tres especies: Artibeus lituratus (una hembra gestante y un macho con testículos escrotados), Pteronotus fulvus (una hembra gestante) y Artibeus toltecus (una hembra gestante). Los murciélagos alopécicos presentaron alopecia leve (el área afectada osciló entre 1–5 cm2), y solo una hembra presentó alopecia moderada (8.1 cm2). La alopecia en P. mesoamericanus, P. fulvus, A. toltecus y A. lituratus puede deberse a desequilibrios hormonales o nutricionales asociados con la reproducción. Además, en A. lituratus también puede ser el resultado del estrés ambiental cuando se alimenta en un área urbana. Los agentes causales de la alopecia en murciélagos aún no se conocen por completo, y probablemente se trate de un fenómeno multifactorial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Reproduction is a critical phase for most living organisms and in bats the reproductive strategies exhibit considerable complexity and variability. Objective: To describe the reproductive patterns and population dynamics of seven bat species (Artibeus toltecus, Carollia perspicillata, Glossophaga soricina, Mormoops megalophylla, Pteronotus fulvus, Pteronotus mesoamericanus and Natalus mexicanus) that roost in one mine (La Mina) and two caves (El Apanguito and Cerro Huatulco) in the State of Oaxaca, in Southeastern México. Methods: Sampling was conducted monthly from July 2016 to June 2017. Bats were captured using a harp trap, which was placed at the entrance of the roosts. The captured bats were identified using taxonomic keys, marked with an aluminum ring, sex and age class were also determined. Reproductive activity was modeled through 63 GLMs for each species (504 in total). The best model was selected according to the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC). Results: A total of 5 836 bats were captured and marked, classified into 14 species, 10 genera, and five families. The most abundant species were: P. fulvus and P. mesoamericanus, representing 41 % and 32.3 % of the captures, respectively. The mormopids M. megalophylla, P. fulvus, P. mesoamericanus, together with N. mexicanus showed a restricted seasonal monoestrous pattern, while the phyllostomids A. toltecus, C. perspicillata, and G. soricina showed a seasonal bimodal polyoestry pattern. The monthly abundance of species fluctuated significantly (H= 13, df= 11, P= 0.044) in the three roosts throughout the entire study period and the best supported GLM that included the seven species showed that the six chosen variables (season, sex, roost, temperature, precipitation and humidity) were positively associated with reproductive activity. Conclusions: The reproductive activity of each species seems to be synchronized with the end of the dry season and the beginning of the rainy season, as well as influenced by factors such as temperature, humidity and roost site. [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]