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.
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21 November 2019
Molossid unlimited: extraordinary extension of range and unusual vocalization patterns of the bat, Promops centralis
Frederico Hintze,
Adriana Arias-Aguilar,
Leonardo Dias-Silva,
Mariana Delgado-Jaramillo,
Carina Rodrigues Silva,
Thays Jucá,
Francyne Lyrio Mischiatti,
Márcio Almeida,
Bruna Bezerra,
Ludmilla M. S. Aguiar,
Maria João Ramos Pereira,
Enrico Bernard
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Journal of Mammalogy
Vol. 101 • No. 2
April 2020
Vol. 101 • No. 2
April 2020
big crested mastiff bat
Chiroptera
duty cycle
echolocation calls
frequency
MaxEnt
Molossidae
