First record of the ghost bat Diclidurus scutatus Peters (Mammalia, Chiroptera, Emballonuridae) in São Paulo city, Brazil

Primeiro relato do morcego-fantasma Diclidurus scutatus Peters (Mammalia, Chiroptera, Emballonuridae) na cidade de São Paulo, Brasil

SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION

First record of the ghost bat Diclidurus scutatus Peters (Mammalia, Chiroptera, Emballonuridae) in São Paulo city, Brazil

Primeiro relato do morcego-fantasma Diclidurus scutatus Peters (Mammalia, Chiroptera, Emballonuridae) na cidade de São Paulo, Brasil

Miriam M. Sodré^I; Wilson Uieda^II

^ICentro de Controle de Zoonoses do Município de São Paulo. Rua Santa Eulália 86, Santana, 02031-020 São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil. E-mail: [e-mail]

^IIDepartamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista. 18618-000 Botucatu, São Paulo, Brasil. E-mail: [e-mail]; [e-mail]

ABSTRACT

Because of their habits (fly high and harbor on palm leaves), there are few records of the ghost bat Diclidurus scutatus Peters, 1869. In Brazil, this species is known only from Northern region and this paper describes its first occurrence in Southeastern region. The ghost bat was found died on the window sill of a 9^th floor apartment of a residential building in the urban area in the city of São Paulo, São Paulo State. Probably this bat must live at Serra da Cantareira, one of the Atlantic forest fragment nearby São Paulo city.

Key words: Insectivorous bat; urban area.

RESUMO

Devido aos seus hábitos de voar alto e se abrigar em folhas de palmeiras, há poucos registros na literatura sobre o morcego Diclidurus scutatus Peters, 1869. No Brasil, essa espécie é conhecida somente na região Norte e o presente estudo descreve sua primeira ocorrência na região Sudeste. O morcego foi encontrado morto no parapeito da janela de um apartamento do nono andar, em um edifício residencial, na área urbana da cidade de São Paulo, estado de São Paulo. Provavelmente esse morcego devia viver na Serra da Cantareira, um fragmento da mata Atlântica, próximo da cidade de São Paulo.

Palavras-chave: Área urbana; morcego insetívoro.

From 925 known species of Chiroptera (NOWAK 1994), only 47 species in 13 genus are members of the family Emballonuridae (KOOPMAN 1993). One of these genus is Diclidurus WIED (1820), which four neotropical species: D. albus, D. scutatus, D. isabellus and D. ingens. These species could be found from Mexico through Central America until South America (KOOPMAN 1993). There are few records of these species in Brazil and records are restricted to the States of Amazonas, Pará, Bahia and Espírito Santo (CUNHA-VIEIRA 1942, HUSSON 1962, VILLA-R. 1966, CEBALLOS & MEDELLIN 1987, NOWAK 1991, KOOPMAN 1993). With respect to D. scutatus, its presence was only recorded in Northern region of Brazil (CUNHA-VIEIRA 1942, KOOPMAN 1993, NOWAK 1994, EISENBERG & REDFORD 1999).

The present study describes the first occurrence of the ghost bat Diclidurus scutatus in the city of São Paulo (23º32'S, 46º37'W, 760 m high), São Paulo State, Southeastern Brazil. São Paulo is the biggest city of Latin America and one of five biggest metropolitan areas of the world (IBGE 2000). The city is almost completely urbanized with many buildings that offer suitable conditions for several sinantropic species, including bats. The Centre of Zoonosis Control (CCZ), from the Health Secretary of São Paulo city, which frequently attend people on disturbance caused by bats. In April 24^th 2004, the CCZ was called to take a died bat on the window sill of a 9^th floor apartment (aprox. 30 m high) of a residential building on Mandaqui quarter, northern area of the city. This ghost bat, an adult male, was deposited at the Museu de Zoologia of the Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo State, Southeastern Brazil (MZUSP 32344).

The main measures of this D. scuttatus from São Paulo city are: forearm length = 58.9 mm; head and body length = 62.7mm; skull total length = 15.5 mm; upper tooth-row length = 7.5 mm; lower tooth-row = 7.2; weight = 13 g. The fur of bat consists of long silky hairs of white color and the basal part of the hair is greyished brown (Fig. 1). The wing skin and legs are also white. As it is an adult male, the bat has two glandular pouches on interfemoral membrane (HUSSON 1962).

Because its rarity, with few individuals in the zoological collections, no information about its behavior and ecology could be found in literature. Probably this specimen of the ghost bat must live at Serra da Cantareira, one of the Atlantic forest fragment nearby São Paulo city, and it could forage high over urbanized areas.

The present note increases significatively the geographic distribution of D. scutatus, which was known in Brazil, only from northern region, where the ghost bat was described by Peters in 1869 (Type-locality: Belém, Pará).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

To Adriana R. Rosa, João do E. Santo Neto, Elias da S. Couto, and, for permission to the use of the photo of bat, to Alessandre da S. Martins.

Received in 06.X.2005; accepted in 16.VIII.2006.

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• CUNHA-VIEIRA, C.O. 1942. Ensaio monográfico sobre os quirópteros do Brasil. Arquivos de Zoologia da Universidade de Paulo, São Paulo, 3 (8): 220-471.
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• HUSSON, A.M. 1962 The bats of Suriname. Zoologische Verhandelingen, Leiden, 58: 1-282.
• IBGE. 2000. Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística - Censo 2000. Available in the World Wide Web at: http://www.ibge.gov.br/home/estatistica/populacao/default_censo_2000.shtm [Accessed in 21.VI.2005]
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• NOWAK, R.M. 1994. Walker's bats of the world. Baltimore, Johns Hopkins University Press, 287p.
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Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  09 Oct 2006
• Date of issue
  Sept 2006

History

• Received
  06 Oct 2005
• Accepted
  16 Aug 2006