The diets of British bats (Chiroptera)

Sixty-one studies of the diets of 15 species of bats found in the British Isles are reviewed. Fourteen studies describe the diets of more than one species. Barbastella barbastellus and Plecotus spp. eat mainly Lepidoptera. Eptesicus serotinus takes mainly Coleoptera, but feeds on a wide range of prey, found in several habitats. Rhinolophus ferrumequinum hunts mainly Coleoptera and Lepidoptera by hawking, gleaning and perch hunting. Myotis bechsteinii takes mostly woodland families of Diptera and Lepidoptera. The remaining nine species eat mainly Diptera. Myotis nattereri feeds almost entirely on diurnal Diptera, gleaned from their nightly resting places. Rhinolophus hipposideros and Myotis mystacinus take mostly swarming crepuscular Diptera by hawking, probably near water and in damp wooded areas; both also glean. Myotis brandtii feeds on Diptera by hawking and gleaning; Nyctalus noctula by hawking. Myotis daubentonii, Pipistrellus spp. and Nyctalus leisleri eat many aquatic Diptera, and may therefore be expected to feed close to freshwater habitats. M. daubentonii hunts by trawling aquatic Diptera from the surface of water.     

A phylogenetic supertree of the bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera)

We present the first estimate of the phylogenetic relationships among all 916 extant and nine recently extinct species of bats Mammalia: Chiroptera), a group that accounts for almost one-quarter of extant mammalian diversity. This phylogeny was derived by combining 105 estimates of bat phylogenetic relationships published since 1970 using the supertree construction technique of Matrix Representation with Parsimony (MRP). Despite the explosive growth in the number of phylogenetic studies of bats since 1990, phylogenetic relationships in the order have been studied non-randomly. For example, over one-third of all bat systematic studies to date have locused on relationships within Phyllostomidae, whereas relationships within clades such as Kerivoulinae and Murinae have never been studied using cladistic methods. Resolution in the supertree similarly differs among clades: overall resolution is poor (46.4%, of a fully bifurcating solution) but reaches 100% in some groups (e.g. relationships within Mormoopidae). The supertree analysis does not support a recent proposal that Microchiroptera is paraphyletic with respect to Megachiroptera, as the majority of source topologies support microbat monophyly. Although it is not a substitute for comprehensive phylogenetic analyses of primary molecular and morphological data, the bat supertree provides a useful tool for future phylogenetic comparative and macroevolutionary studies. Additionally, it identifies clades that have been little studied, highlights groups within which relationships are controversial, and like all phylogenetic studies, provides preliminary hypotheses that can form starting points for future phylogenetic studies of bats.     

Temporal variation in the organization of a Neotropical assemblage of leaf-nosed bats (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae)

In the present study, I described the organization of a Neotropical bat assemblage, and tested whether this organization was variable in time. In an Atlantic Forest reserve in southeastern Brazil bats were captured monthly with mist nets over 4 years, and individuals were classified into guilds. I analyzed only leaf-nosed bats, and observed that guilds of fruit-eating bats dominated the assemblage. This pattern was repeated across months and years. However, among frugivores, canopy and understory guilds peaked during different months, but in both cases during the rainy season, while variation among habitat-opportunistic species was not explained by rainfall. The most reliable ecological service delivered by phyllostomid bats in the area is seed dispersal, although other services may be also important in particular seasons. My results suggest that the observed patterns of temporal species turnover are related to the abundance of preferred food items.     

Scrota1 melanins in bats (Chiroptera): description, distribution and function

Several species of bats contain pigment granules within the scrotal skin, tunica vaginalis, or tunica albuginea surrounding the testis and/or epididymis. Seventy-two species of bats, representing 49 genera were examined for the presence of such pigmentation. Histological, chemical and spectrophotometric tests were performed and confirmed the pigment as melanin. Melanin was found only in the families Pteropidae, Megadermatidae, Myzopodidae and Vespertilionidae. A strong correlation exists between scrotal pigmentation and roosting in locations where the bats are exposed to solar radiation. Melanin pigmentation in the scrotal region appears to be an adaption protecting male germinal tissue from the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation. In one species, Laoiu frons , melanin deposited within the scrotal skin appears to have a social/reproductive communication function.     

Roosting associations of flat-headed bats, Tylonycteris species (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) in Malaysia

Roosting associations of Tylonycteris pachypus and T. robustula were studied in West Malaysia. Both species roosted within the internodes of one species of bamboo, but were only once found together at roost. Roosting groups, which formed before entry in the morning, were not limited in size by the dimensions of the roost site. In both species the sexes exhibited different roosting behaviour, the males tending to be solitary and the females gregarious. Seasonal variations in associations occurred correlated with the reproductive cycle. Banding demonstrated that the populations were highly mobile, that the bats frequently changed roost sites, and that the roosting associations were of an ephemeral nature.     

Hidden diversity in bent‐winged bats (Chiroptera: Miniopteridae) of the Western Palaearctic and adjacent regions: implications for taxonomy

The taxonomic status of bent‐winged bats (Miniopterus) in the Western Palaearctic and adjacent regions is unclear, particularly in some areas of the eastern Mediterranean, Middle East and Arabia. To address this, we analysed an extensive collection of museum materials from all principal parts of this distribution range, i.e. North Africa, Europe and southwest Asia, using morphological (skull) and genetic approaches (mitochondrial DNA). Linear and geometric morphometric analysis of cranial and dental characteristics, together with molecular phylogeny, suggested that Miniopterus populations comprise four separate species: (1) M. schreibersii sensu strictissimo (s.str.) – occurring in Europe, coastal Anatolia, Levant, Cyprus, western Transcaucasia, and North Africa; (2) M. pallidus – occurring in inland Anatolia, Jordan, eastern Transcaucasia, Turkmenistan, Iran and southern Afghanistan (Kandahar); (3) a Miniopterus sp. – recorded from Nangarhar province in eastern Afghanistan, which we tentatively assign to M. cf. fuliginosus; and (4) a Miniopterus sp. with Afro‐tropic affinities confirmed from south‐western Arabia and Ethiopia, which we tentatively name M. cf. arenarius. The latter two species are well differentiated by skull morphology, while M. pallidus possesses very similar skull morphology to M. schreibersii. The results also suggest the existence of a possible new taxon (subspecies) within M. schreibersii s.str. inhabiting the Atlas Mountains of Morocco. © 2012 The Linnean Society of London     

Adaptation to the complexity of a task (a P300 study)

In numerous studies the P300 component of the event-related brain potential (ERP) has been shown to occur in connection with stimulus evaluation processes. 10 healthy right-handed volunteers (3 women, 7 men) aged from 25 to 30 years (mean age 27.8 years) participated in the experiments. One of 5 equiprobably occurring two-letter strings appeared on the screen always at the same central location. The strings informed the subjects about the difficulty of subsequently presented mental arithmetic tasks. After the letter strings vanished from the screen the subjects were to press the space-bar whereby a mental arithmetic task was presented corresponding in difficulty to the preceding message. The EEG was recorded by means of Ag/AgCl electrodes from frontal (F zeta), central (C zeta) and parietal (P zeta) midline electrodes referenced to linked earlobes. EEG and EOG were sampled 1200 ms, starting 200 ms prior to string onset. P300 peak latencies, peak amplitudes and areas in the time range 300 to 900 ms were measured in ERPs averaged selectively for the 5 strings. The main finding was that the P300 amplitude in ERPs to the 5 different strings varied in a U-shaped trend as a function of announced task difficulty. This result gives further evidence that the P300 amplitude reflects distance between incoming information and current adaptation level at the inferred internal dimension, i.e. task difficulty in this experiment.     

On the bats (Chiroptera) of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia

As part of a study of the mammalian fauna of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a number of interesting bat specimens have been collected. The Egyptian fruit-eating bat, Rousettus aegyptiacus , and the Greater mouse-tailed bat, Rhinopoma microphyllum , are recorded for the first time from the country. Distributional notes and comments on the biology of these two and on five other species of bats from Saudi Arabia are mentioned. Previous distributional records of the other eight species known from the country are summarized. A map showing collecting localities is included.     

Key morphofunctional transformations in the evolution of bats (Mammalia,Chiroptera)

Study on the morphology and morphogenesis of wing membranes in bats has revealed some peculiarities in their structure and development. Understanding the embryogenesis of these animals, as well as attraction of data obtained on their molecular genetics and paleontology, allows one to single out some factors that could have initiated evolutionary modifications in development programs. A scenario of the key morpho-functional transformations in the forelimbs during the evolution of chiropterans is given.     

Morphological diversity of wing structure in Rhinolophoid bats (Chiroptera,Rhinolophoidea)

The results of studies on the morphological diversity of wing structure in horseshoe bats (Rhinolophoidea) are considered in relation to ecological differentiation within the superfamily. Various skeletal elements of the wing are shown to form several groups of mutually correlated characters. The main groups comprise the characters that account for the size of the wing and play a role in the formation of its outer contours. The distribution of characters shows that they describe different aspects of variation and can provide a fairly complete picture of the morphological and ecological structure of the superfamily. The results obtained by means of multidimensional scaling and clustering methods primarily reflect ecological types of bats and only then characterize their taxonomic relationships. Analysis of variation in structural features of the wing within the superfamily Rhinolophoidea shows that the same wing form in different families may be accounted for by different ratios of digit elements, primarily the lengths of distal and proximal phalanges of digits III and IV.