Molossid unlimited: extraordinary extension of range and unusual vocalization patterns of the bat, Promops centralis

The big crested mastiff bat, Promops centralis, occurs in Central and South America, but knowledge of its ecology is limited due to its open space hunting strategy, making captures extremely challenging. Notwithstanding, members of the species produce echolocation calls that are easy to identify. Af...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of mammalogy 2020-05, Vol.101 (2), p.417-432
Main Authors: Hintze, Frederico, Arias-Aguilar, Adriana, Dias-Silva, Leonardo, Delgado-Jaramillo, Mariana, Silva, Carina Rodrigues, Jucá, Thays, Mischiatti, Francyne Lyrio, Almeida, Márcio, Bezerra, Bruna, Aguiar, Ludmilla M. S., Ramos Pereira, Maria João, Bernard, Enrico
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
big crested mastiff bat
Chiroptera
duty cycle
echolocation calls
Feature Articles
frequency
MaxEnt
Molossidae
social calls
species distribution modeling
vocalizations
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Summary:The big crested mastiff bat, Promops centralis, occurs in Central and South America, but knowledge of its ecology is limited due to its open space hunting strategy, making captures extremely challenging. Notwithstanding, members of the species produce echolocation calls that are easy to identify. After recording calls of P. centralis 1,500 km away from its known range in Brazil, we hypothesized that the distribution range of this species was probably greatly underestimated. To improve the accuracy of P. centralis' real distribution, we employed acoustic surveys throughout parts of Brazil, conducted after a bibliographic review to gather additional records, and used MaxEnt to model the species' potential distribution. We have found that P. centralis has a much wider distribution in South America than previously thought, adding more than 3.8 million km2 to its former known area. We also describe an unusual vocalization pattern of P. centralis, with individuals emitting at least three very distinct but highly variable calls. This study shows that bioacoustic surveys and species distribution models can complement traditional methodologies in studying species that are difficult to capture, such as P. centralis, potentially contributing to more effective conservation and management plans.
ISSN:0022-2372
1545-1542
DOI:10.1093/jmammal/gyz167