JOURNAL OF BAT RESEARCH & CONSERVATION 19

Luan G. A. Goebel, Gabriela Rodrigues Longo, Patrício A. Rocha, Marcela Alvares Oliveira, Ana Rúbia S. Rossi, Ana Cristina Mendes-Oliveira, Guilherme S. T. Garbino

Abstract: Bats of the family Phyllostomidae are known to use leaves and cavities, such as holes in tree trunks and caves for roosting. However, roosting preferences of bats in the Amazon are still poorly understood. Here, we describe the roosting types used by Mesophylla macconnelli, Micronycteris sp., Lophostoma silvicola, and Phyllostomus hastatus inserted in the arc of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. The species Micronycteris sp. was documented roosting in cavities of a standing tree, L. silvicola was cohabiting a termite nest with P. hastatus, and M. macconnelli used a roost made of leaves. Our study reports an important cohabitation between L. silvicola and P. hastatus. Furthermore, to our knowledge, we revealed the first record of the inverted boat architecture with modified leaves of Heliconia sp. used by M. macconnelli. These findings expand the ecological information on bats for the southern Amazon and provide insights into roosting availability in a severely fragmented region.