Eimeria from bats of Bolivia: two new species from vespertilionid bats.

Between 1985 and 1987, fecal samples were collected from 71 bats representing 14 species (Desmodontidae, Molossidae, Noctilionidae, Phyllostomidae, Vespertilionidae) from 8 localities in 3 states (Beni, Pando, Santa Cruz) in Bolivia, South America. Of these, 2 black myotid bats (Vespertilionidae), Myotis nigricans, and 1 tent-making bat (Phyllostomidae), Uroderma magnirostrum, had oocysts in their feces that represent undescribed species of Eimeria. The new species from M. nigricans (2/4, 50%) has sporulated oocysts that are subspheroidal, 18.9 x 16.9 (17-23 x 14-20) microm, without a micropyle; oocyst residuum of 6-8 spheroidal globules and 1 highly refractile polar granule are present. The oocyst wall has 2 layers (approximately 1.3 microm thick), with a rough outer layer. Ovoidal sporocysts are 10.1 x 7.4 (7-14 x 5-10) microm, with a Stieda body, substieda body, and a sporocyst residuum. The new eimerian species from U. magnirostrum (1/2, 50%) has sporulated oocysts that are subspheroidal to ellipsoidal, 23.8 x 20.8 (20-26 x 19-24) microm, without micropyle or oocyst residuum, but 1-3 polar granules are present. The oocyst wall has 2 layers (approximately 1.5 microm thick), with a rough, mammilated outer layer. Ovoidal sporocysts are 11.6 x 8.6 (10-12 x 7-10) microm, with a Stieda body, substieda body and a sporocyst residuum.     

Resource partitioning in rhinolophoid bats revisited

We assessed the ecomorphological structure of a guild of rhinolophoid bats in a Malaysian rainforest first described by Heller and von Helversen (1989). These authors found that the distribution of echolocation call frequencies used by 12 syntopic species was more even than expected from allometric relationships or in randomly generated communities, and that the observed minimal ratio was greater than expected by chance alone. In this study we were able to expand their guild to 15 species, but in doing so it became apparent that call frequencies might be less evenly distributed across the total frequency range than previously proposed. We replicated Heller and von Helversen’s (1989) analyses with the full 15-species complement but were unable to support their suggestion that rhinolophoid bats exhibit resource partitioning through differences in frequency bands. We adopted a multivariate approach and incorporated measures of body size and wing morphology into the analysis. We used phylogenetic autocorrelation to ensure that the species were statistically independentand principal component analysis to describe the morphological space occupied by the 15 species in the community and four additional species representing the extremes of phenotypic variation. We derived interspecific Euclidean distances and tested the mean values and SDs of these distances against those of 100 guilds of ”synthetic” species created randomly within the principal component space. The guild of Rhinolophoidea was not distributed randomly in multivariate space. Instead we found evidence of morphological overdispersion of the most similar species, which suggests niche differentiation in response to competition. Less similar species were nearer in morphological space than expected, and we suggest this is a consequence of ecological constraints on parameter combinations. Despite this underdispersion, many of the more distant neighbours were evenly rather than randomly spaced or clumped in morphospace, suggesting that, given the environmental constraints on morphology, species in this guild do experience limits to their similarity. Finally, we tested the influence of the relative abundance of species on morphological displacement, and found no evidence that abundant, spatially correlated species reduce interspecific overlap in morphological space. Received: 10 April 1999 / Accepted: 28 February 2000     

Frequency modulation patterns in the echolocation signals of two vespertilionid bats

In this study we measure and classify frequency modulation patterns in echolocation signals of two species of bats. By using the derivative of an exponential model fitted to pulses emitted by Pipistrellus pipistrellus and Myotis myotis, we show that the modulation functions differ fundamentally between the two species and also vary within each species. This variation makes it unlikely that pulse design and the concomitant modulation pattern can be explained by a single common principle as previously suggested.     

Dental incremental lines in some small species of the European vespertilionid bats

The dentine and cementum of the mammals exhibit incremental lines (IL) that may be seen as dark and light rings in properly prepared sections of teeth. Counting of IL provides a potential method to evaluate the absolute age of many wild species. The aim of the present study was to evaluate IL in small bat species and to test whether the number of IL is associated with the absolute age of bat when its minimal age was known based on ringing data. Teeth of 26 specimens of the following species were examined:Myotis daubentonii (n = 12),Barbastella barbastellus (n = 4),M. brandtii (n = 2),M. nattereri (n = 2),Pipistrellus nathusii (n = 2),Plecotus auritus (n = 2),M. dasycneme (n = 1),Vespertilio murinus (n = 1). Transverse morphological sections of canines, incisors and postcanine teeth were analysed by a light microscopy. In 4 cases, the minimal age of animals examined in this study was known. The IL were revealed in the dentine of 14 bats examined. The cementum of all animals was devoid of IL. The mean distance between the first and second juxtaposed IL ofM. daubentonii was 3.2 ± 0.2 mm, but it was significantly fewer among the subsequent adjacent lines. Due to a thinness of the IL, an accurate counting was considerably difficult in the canines containing more than 10 IL, as well as in the incisors and postcanine teeth with more than 3-6 IL. The IL of roots showed the most contrast, but they were almost obscured from view at the cingulum and crown. In bats of known-age, the numbers of IL were significantly lower than minimal age of those animals examined, and IL were either revealed only in certain teeth or absent entirely in all teeth. The present findings suggest that the number of the IL varies in different teeth and is strongly dependent on section level. Consequently, age determination in small bats using dental IL is doubtful and requires a reevaluation.     

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.     

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.     

Nucleolar behavior during meiosis in four species of phyllostomid bats (Chiroptera, Mammalia)

We analyzed the behavior of the nucleolus, nucleolar structures and nucleolus organizer regions (NORs) during meiotic division in four species of phyllostomid bats that have different numbers and locations of NORs. Nucleoli began disassembly at leptotene, and the subcomponents released from the nucleolus were dispersed in the nucleoplasm, associated with perichromosomal regions, or they remained associated with NORs throughout division. In Phyllostomus discolor, a delay in nucleolus disassembly was observed; it disassembled by the end of pachytene. The RNA complexes identified by acridine orange staining were observed dispersed in the nucleoplasm and associated with perichromosomal regions. FISH with rDNA probe revealed the number of NORs of the species: one NOR in Carollia perspicillata, one pair in Platyrrhinus lineatus and P. discolor, and three pairs in Artibeus lituratus. During pachytene, there was a temporary dissociation of the homologous NORs, which returned to pairing at diplotene. The variation in the number (from one to three pairs) and location of NORs (in sex or autosomal chromosomes, at terminal or interstitial regions) did not seem to interfere with the nucleolar behavior of the different species because no variation in nucleolar behavior that could be correlated with the variation in the number and chromosomal location of NORs was detected.     

Ultrastructural changes in the seminiferous epithelium of two seasonally reproducing bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera)

The Sertoli cells of the Cape horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus capensis) and Schreiber's long-fingered bat (Miniopterus schreibersii) undergo marked changes in ultrastructure related to stages in the spermatogenic cycle. The amount of lipid stored in the Sertoli cells varies annually and is at a maximum from just after spermiation to early in the following spermatogenic cycle. During spermatogenesis, the diameter of the lipid droplets decreases, reaching a minimum prior to spermiation. Sertoli cells exhibit a marked apicobasal differentiation, particularly in the vicinity of developing late spermatids, where the cytoplasm of the Sertoli cell is packed with smooth endoplasmic reticulum. The possible roles of lipid droplets and smooth endoplasmic reticulum. The possible roles of lipid droplets and smooth endoplasmic reticulum in steroidogenesis by Sertoli cells are discussed. Junctional complexes occur between Sertoli cells and spermatogonia, are apparently absent from between Sertoli cells and spermatocytes, and are restricted to the region of the developing acrosome in the spermatids. Annulate lamellae, which occur commonly in the developing germinal cells and less frequently in the Sertoli cells, may be associated with the production of microtubules, which are present in both spermatids and Sertoli cells.     

Six new Eimeria species from vespertilionid bats of North America.

Twenty species of bats (Molossidae, Vespertilionidae) were collected from California, New Mexico, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah, and Baja California Norte (Mexico), and 29 of 404 (7%) animals, including Antrozous pallidus, Eptesicus fuscus, Myotis auriculus, Myotis californicus, Myotis ciliolabrum, Myotis evotis, Myotis lucifugus, Myotis thysanodes, Myotis vivesi, Myotis volans, Myotis yumanensis, and Nycticeius humeralis were infected with Eimeria spp., which represent 6 new species. Sporulated oocysts of a new species from A. pallidus are subspheroidal, 24.8 x 21.6 (22-27 x 19-24) microm with a polar granule and a large globular residuum. The oocyst wall is sculptured, with 2 layers, approximately 1.5 thick. Ovoidal sporocysts are 11.5 x 7.8 (9-13 x 7-10) microm, with Stieda body and residuum of many large granules. Sporulated oocysts of a new species from M. californicus are subspheroidal, 20.7 x 18.2 (19-23 x 16-20) microm, with 1-7 tiny polar granules, but without oocyst residuum. The oocyst wall is rough, with 2 layers, approximately 1.4 thick. Ovoidal sporocysts are 11.2 x 7.3 (10-12 x 7-8) microm, with Stieda body and a globular residuum. Sporulated oocysts of a second new species from M. californicus are subspheroidal, 23.1 x 20.7 (20-26 x 19-23) microm, with residuum and 1 polar granule, but a micropyle is absent. The oocyst wall is rough with 2 layers, approximately 1.5 thick. Ovoidal sporocysts are 12.5 x 7.2 (11-14 x 7-8) microm, with a Stieda body and residuum. Sporulated oocysts of a new species from M. ciliolabrum are subspheroidal, 24.9 x 20.1 (18-27 x 17-23) microm, with 1-2 polar granules, but without micropyle and residuum. The oocyst wall is rough with 2 layers, approximately 1.5 thick. Ellipsoidal sporocysts are 12.5 x 9.0 (8-14 x 7-10) microm, with Stieda and substieda bodies and residuum. Sporulated oocysts of a new species from M. evotis are subspheroidal, 21.3 x 18.6 (20-24 x 15-20) microm, with a prominent polar granule, but without micropyle and residuum. The oocyst wall is smooth with 2 layers, approximately 1.0 thick. Ovoidal sporocysts are 12.2 x 8.0 (11-13 x 7.5-9) microm, with Stieda and substieda bodies and residuum. Sporulated oocysts of the new species from N. humeralis are subspheroidal, 22.4 x 18 (21-24 x 17-20) microm, with 1-3 polar granules, but residuum and micropyle are absent. The oocyst wall is lightly sculptured with 2 layers, approximately 1.4 thick. Ovoidal sporocysts are 10.9 x 7.7 (9-12 x 6-8) microm, with Stieda body and residuum. Sporulated oocysts of E. pilarensis Scott and Duszynski, 1997 and those of at least 12 other morphological forms were seen in the other infected bats; these latter forms were seen in too few numbers to be adequately described as new species.     

广东7 种蝙蝠的核型研究

对采集于广东的4 科7 种蝙蝠进行了核型分析,它们的核型分别是:犬蝠(Cynopterus sphinx)2n =34,FN= 58;印度假吸血蝠(Megaderma lyra)2n = 54,FN = 104;大耳双色蹄蝠(Hipposideros pomona)2n = 32,FN =60;中蹄蝠(H. larvatus)2n = 32,FN = 60;大卫鼠耳蝠(Myotis davidii)2n = 46,FN = 52;大黄蝠(Scotophilus heathi)2n = 36,FN = 54;南长翼蝠(Miniopterus australis)2n =46,FN = 50。其中大耳双色蹄蝠和大卫鼠耳蝠的核型为首次报道,犬蝠、印度假吸血蝠、中蹄蝠、大黄蝠和南长翼蝠的核型为中国第一次报道。     

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.     

Resource partitioning of sonar frequency bands in rhinolophoid bats

Summary In the Constant Frequency portions of the orientation calls of various Rhinolophus and Hipposideros species, the frequency with the strongest amplitude was studied comparatively. (1) In the five European species of the genus Rhinolophus call frequencies are either species-specific (R. ferrumequinum, R. blasii and R. euryale) or they overlap (R. hipposideros and R. mehelyi). The call frequency distributions are approximately 5–9 kHz wide, thus their ranges spead less than ±5% from the mean (Fig. 1). Frequency distributions are considerably narrower within smaller geographic areas. (2) As in other bat groups, call frequencies of the Rhinolophoidea are negatively correlated with body size (Fig. 3). Regression lines for the genera Rhinolophus and Rhinolophus, species from dryer climates have on the average higher call frequencies than species from tropical rain forests. (4) The Krau Game Reserve, a still largely intact rain forest area in Malaysia, harbours at least 12 syntopic Rhinolophus and Hipposiderso species. Their call frequencies lie between 40 and 200 kHz (Fig. 2). Distribution over the available frequency range is significantly more even than could be expected from chance alone. Two different null hypotheses to test for random character distribution were derived from frequency-size-relations and by sampling species assemblages from a species pool (Monte Carlo method); both were rejected. In particular, call frequencies lying close together are avoided (Figs. 4, 5). Conversely, the distribution of size ratios complied with a corresponding null hypothesis. This even distribution may be a consequence of resource partitioning with respect to prey type. Alternatively, the importance of these calls as social signals (e.g. recognition of conspecifics) might have necessitated a communication channel partitioning.