Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Tent Roost of Macconelli's Bat (Vampyressa Macconelli) - Foster 1992
Tent Roost of Macconelli's Bat (Vampyressa Macconelli) - Foster 1992
Tent Roost of Macconelli's Bat (Vampyressa Macconelli) - Foster 1992
Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/
info/about/policies/terms.jsp
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content
in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship.
For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.
Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation and Wiley are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend
access to Biotropica.
http://www.jstor.org
This content downloaded from 129.67.77.210 on Thu, 10 Mar 2016 20:07:09 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
BIOTROPICA 24(3): 447-454 1992
Mercedes S. Foster
National Ecology Research Center, Fish and Wildlife Service, National Museum of Natural History,
ABSTRACT
Between 11 September and 2 November 1990, 26 tent roosts, four of which were occupied by Macconnell's bat
(Vampyressa macconnelli), were discovered in an area of mature flood plain forest in Manu National Park, Madre de
Dios, Peru. All were constructed in the terminal blade of unseparated pinnae in fronds of Astrocaryum macrocalyx
Burret (Palmae). Tents generally were not found in fronds of A. macrocalyx shorter than 2 m or longer than 4 m,
or in other species of palms or broad-leaved plants that have been reported to harbor tent roosts of bats. The proximal
four to nine unseparated pinnae of the terminal blade were severed to form the tent. Tents averaged 50.7 cm long,
17.1 cm maximum width, and 16.7 cm maximum depth, and were an average of 2.33 m above the ground. From
one to seven bats were present in the four occupied tents but were not present in a tent every day. The density of
RESUMEN
Entre el 11 de septiembre y el 2 de noviembre 1990, se encontraron en el area de bosque maduro inundable del
Parque Nacional del Manu, Madre de Dios, Peru, 26 toldos diurnos de descanso del murcielago, cuatro de que
estaban ocupados por el murcielago de Macconnell (Vampyressa macconnelli). Casi todas se construyeron en las frondas
de Astrocaryum macrocalyx Burret (Palmae), en la parte terminal de la hoja donde las hojitas no se separan. Generalmen-
te, no se encontraron los toldos en frondas de A. macrocalyx con un largo inferior de 2.0 m o mayor de 4.0 m, ni
en palmeras de otras especies, ni en plantas con hojas anchas. Las proximas cuatro a nueve hojitas no separadas se
cortaron para formar el toldo. El promedio del largo del toldo era 50.7 cm, el ancho mrnximo, 17.1 cm, y la profundidad
mrnxima, 16.7 cm. Su altura promedio sobre el suelo era 2.33 m. Se encontraron desde uno hasta siete murcielagos
en los toldos ocupados. Los murcielagos no se encontraron todos los dias en los toldos. Toldos en uso se encontraron
Key words: Astrocaryum macrocalyx; bat tent; Macconnell's bat; Peru; Vampyressa macconnelli.
YELLOW-EARED BATS of the genus Vampyressa are aceae. Timm (1984) found a single male V. pusilla
found from southern Mexico to southern Peru, in a tent made from a Philodendron leaf. Koepcke
gardens, plantations, and mature and disturbed rain (V. macconnelli) in fronds of Geonoma sp. and an-
bution, these bats are considered uncommon, and has also been reported to roost elsewhere (Sanborn
little is known of their natural history (Nowak & 1951, Goodwin & Greenhall 1962, Handley 1976).
roost records are extremely limited for two of the several respects from those reported by Koepcke
Brooke (1987) located 115 tents (11 occupied) experiments to assess the suitability of fronds of
447
This content downloaded from 129.67.77.210 on Thu, 10 Mar 2016 20:07:09 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
448 Foster
Cut pinnae
ground (m) no.a no.b (cm)' Len. base Width max. Depth max.
N 24 50 50 24 19 15 14
a Pinnae cut through completely; combined value for right plus left side of rachis.
b Pinnae cut through the blade but not the central vein; combined value for right plus left side of rachis.
c Distance along the rachis occupied by the bases of the pinnae cut through completely.
METHODS
in the vicinity of Cocha Cashu Biological Station, unable to take all measurements from damaged
77?18'W; elev. ca 380 m). The area is described To assess the suitability of fronds of different
in Terborgh (1983). The first tent was located when species for tents and to determine the rate at which
I brushed against it and flushed the bats. Its struc- cut pinnae dry and break, I constructed tents in
other tents, even in the absence of bats. Some ad- pattern mimicking the bat cuts. In addition, I count-
ever, were located during systematic examination of both sides of the rachis, noted the rachial distance
connection with vegetation studies. of the leading edge of the most anterior pinna in
Tents that did not contain bats were subjectively Astrocaryum fronds of different lengths to determine
disintegrating, based on the integrity of the structure Occasionally, when scanning Astrocaryum fronds
active were checked for 1-10 days to see whether leaves for bats. To determine if such debris was
bats occupied them. The ground under each tent present frequently enough to provide negative re-
was searched carefully for seeds or bat droppings. inforcement to sight-hunting predators, I counted
I netted a single 8.5-g nonlactating female bat unmodified fronds with dried leaves suspended be-
from the first tent located. It measured: total length, neath the terminal blade.
46 mm; tail, 0; forearm, 31.8; foot, 6.2; ear, 13.0; Mean values were compared using the Wilcox-
and tragus, 6.0. It had pale brown fur and dark on-Mann-Whitney test for large samples corrected
wing membranes. The proximal half of each ear for ties (Siegel & Castellan 1988). Tests were one-
and tragus, the base of the nose leaf, and the lower tailed and tested whether character values for 2-
lip were bright yellow. I examined the teeth with 4-m fronds exceeded values for fronds of other
RESULTS
molar was also about twice the size of the first and TENT STRUCTURE.-All of the 2 6 tents I located
square rather than triangular. I subsequently ex- were in fronds of Astrocaryum macrocalyx Burret
amined specimens of Artibeus spp., V. pusilla, and (Palmae), which has pinnately compound leaves. In
Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. forming a broad blade along the distal 10 percent
On the basis of the described characteristics, I iden- of the rachis. Bats constructed their tents in this
tified the tent bat as Vampyressa macconnelli. blade by severing the central vein and lateral shafts
This content downloaded from 129.67.77.210 on Thu, 10 Mar 2016 20:07:09 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
Tent Roosts of Bats 449
FIGURE 1. Terminal blade of Mstroaty&m macrocalyx showing pinnae CUt tO form a tent roost used by Vampyressa
macconnell:.
of the first (proximal) four to nine unseparated pinnae were cut decreased distally (e.g., most prox-
pinnae, which occupy about 40 percent of the ra- imal pinnae, #1: x = 8.8 cm, range = 4.5-18.0
chial length of the blade (Table 1). In nearly all cm; N = 43; pinnae #5: x = 6.8 cm, r = 3.3-
tents, the shafts of an additional one to four pinnae 12.1, N= 44; pinnae #9: x = 3.8 cm, r= 1.8-
were prtially cut, but not the central vein. The 6.5, N = 16; Fig. 1). The angle at which the pinnae
distances from the frond rachis at which successive diverged from the rachis decreased distally as well
This content downloaded from 129.67.77.210 on Thu, 10 Mar 2016 20:07:09 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
450 Foster
It A~~~
FIGURE 2. Tent roosts of Vampyressa macconnelli and palm fronds at Cocha Cashu Biological Station, Manu
National Park, Madre de Dios, Peru. (a) V. macconnelli hanging in a tent roost in an Astrocaryum macrocalyx frond.
(b) Lateral view of a tent in a frond of A. macrocalyx. (c) Dead leaf resembling a small bat hanging from the underside
of the terminal, unseparated pinnae of a frond of A. macrocalyx. (d) Terminal, unmodified blades of Scheelea cephalotes
This content downloaded from 129.67.77.210 on Thu, 10 Mar 2016 20:07:09 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
Tent Roosts of Bats 451
(e.g., angle of pinna #1: x = 420, r = 26-49', N 13.4, range = 9-23, N = 64) than fronds of 1.0-
- 20; #5: x = 19?, r = 13?-23?, N = 20; #9: x 2.0 m (x = 10.3, range = 9-13, N = 40; Z =
- 110, r = 7?-160, N = 11; Fig. 1). The path -6.719, P < 0.001) or >4.0 m (x = 5.8, range
described by the cuts was straight or somewhat "J" = 3-9, N = 40; Z = -8.582, P < 0.001). The
shaped. The cuts generally produced a hole 0.2- extent of the unseparated pinnae along the central
4.0 cm long and 0.2-1.0 cm wide. The severed rachis was also significantly greater on 2.0-4.0 m
edges were irregular and obviously chewed over 1 fronds (x = 29.7 cm, range = 13.5-58.0, N =
The parts of the blade formed by the distal 3.0-17.8, N = 20; Z = -5.954, P < 0.001) or
portions of the severed pinnae folded ventrally to from 1.0-2.0 m (x = 15.9 cm, range = 9.7-22.8,
form the sides of a large chamber. The cut ends of N = 20; Z = 4.901, P < 0.001). The length of
the walls projected backward, curving to meet in the leading edge of the blade was approximately
the midline and close the chamber posteriorly. The the same in all groups (2.0-4.0 m: x = 32.6 cm,
anterior portions of the blade curved forward over- N= 64 vs 1.0-2.0 m: x = 29.2 cm, N = 20; Z
lapping in the midline. In some tents, overlap was = -1.589, P > 0.05; 2.0-4.0 m vs >4.0 m: x
complete, and the chamber was closed anteriorly = 30.3 cm, N = 20; Z = -1.063, P > 0.05).
and dorsally. In other tents, a narrow slit remained Even within the 2.0-4.0 m range, the bats
along the anterodorsal midline (Fig. 2a). seemed to have selected among fronds. The number
In shape, tents most closely resembled inverted of unseparated terminal pinnae (x = 14.5, range
canoes (Fig. 2b). Because fronds curve downward = 12-19, N = 48; Z = 3.762, P < 0.001) in
distally, the portion of the rachis to which the uncut, fronds with tents, their rachial distance (x = 30.5,
unseparated pinnae are attached, i.e., the top of a range = 20.3-41.7, N = 24; Z = 2.600, P <
tent, was usually horizontal. The leading and trailing 0.005), and the length of the leading edge of the
edges of tents sloped downward. Tents bulged in blade (x = 37.3, range = 25.6-50.0, N = 24; Z
the center because of changes in pinnae widths along = 2.153, P < 0.025) all exceeded these values for
their lengths. An unseparated pinna is tightly pleat- the 2.0-4.0 m fronds sampled at random (see
distally, it begins to flatten and is ca 17-22 mm Nine of the 10 active or probably active tents
wide. At 50-67 percent of its length, it reaches a were in the next to newest fronds in the tree; usually
maximum width of 20-26 mm, decreasing again the newest frond was still growing. The other tent
to ca 18 cm a few centimeters from the tip. Tent was in a tree with two newer fronds. Unused tents
dimensions are summarized in Table 1. were in trees with 3-7 newer fronds.
Edges of the cut pinnae in the tents I constructed I examined 205 2.0-4.0 m long fronds in 51
turned brown after ca 1 wk. The brown area was Astrocaryum palms for suspended leaves. Forty-two
2 to 3 mm wide after ca 1 mo. The ventral edges fronds (20.5%) had one or more dried leaves hang-
of tents (i.e., trailing edge of the most proximal cut ing near the rachis of the terminal unseparated pin-
pinna) sometimes began to curl after 3 to 4 wk. nae (Fig. 2c). These leaves were attached with spi-
The most common damage to tents was the loss of der's web or insect material, or their petioles were
PLANT CHARACTERISTICS.-The Astrocaryum fronds shu that might be suitable for tents is Scheelea
used by V. macconnelli for tents ranged from 2.2 cephalotes (Poepp. ex Mart.) Karsten, in which the
to 4.7 m long (x = 3.23 m, SD = 0.58, N= 26), terminal pinnae of the shorter (usually <2.0 m)
but only one frond exceeded 4 m. All were in fronds remain unseparated to form a terminal blade
relatively small palms that lacked a trunk. Fronds (Fig. 2d). The unseparated pinnae are weaker and
of mature trees usually exceed 4 m and often reach narrower than those of Astrocaryum. Because they
8 m. All fronds used for tents lacked spines along form an extremely acute angle with the central ra-
the ventral rachis in the area of the tent, although chis, the leading edges of the anterior pinnae are
palms of this species are generally extremely spiny. separated by only a few centimeters, and the blade
There was no evidence that spines had been re- is narrow. In addition, the pinnae, though attached
Several frond characteristics varied significantly along the basal few centimeters (Fig. 2d). Thus,
among fronds of different length. Fronds of 2.0- when I cut Sheelea fronds (N = 7) in the fashion
4.0 m had more unseparated terminal pinnae (x = of the tents in Astrocaryum, the pinnae did not hold
This content downloaded from 129.67.77.210 on Thu, 10 Mar 2016 20:07:09 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
452 Foster
together to make a roof posteriorly nor did they tent roof adjacent to the midrib or to a pinneal vein
overlap anteriorly to close the tent in front. The within 2 cm of the midrib, beginning 1.5-13.0 cm
resulting tube-shaped structures were 5.0-7.0 cm from the proximal end of the tent and covering
than the Astrocaryum tents (Table 1). Twenty tents were located in the vegetation
The unseparated terminal pinnae in fronds of plots, which had a combined area of 81,600 M2.
Hyospathe elegans Mart., another common under- Six of these were probably active, for a density of
story palm, resemble the terminal blade of Astro- ca 0.74 active tents/ha. With 30 percent of active
caryum (Fig. 2d). However, the pinnae and their tents occupied by an average of 3.3 bats, a crude
central veins seem weaker in Hyospathe and diverge estimate of bat population density is ca 1.1 bat/
from the rachis at a greater angle. When I severed ha. No bat droppings were apparent under any of
DISCUSSION
close at either end or above, so that hanging bats Koepcke (1984) found two tents of V. macconnelli
would be exposed from almost any angle. about 1 m above the ground in fronds of Geonoma
Several of more than a dozen other palm species sp. The manner of construction was the same as
found in the flood plain forest at Cocha Cashu (R. that of tents I found in Astrocaryum. In both in-
B. Foster, pers. comm.) might be suitable for tents stances, the cuts in the fronds followed either the
(e.g., Phytelephas macrocarpa R. & P., Geonoma "V" or "J" shapes described for tents of Artibeus
spp.) as might the many species of Araceae, Cyclan- spp. and Uroderma (Barbour 1932, Chapman 1932,
thaceae, Marantaceae, and Musaceae from which Foster & Timm 1976, Timm 1987).
tents of various bat species have been reported pre- The Geonoma tent pictured by Koepcke (1984)
viously (Timm & Mortimer 1976; Koepcke 1984; was essentially pendant, with the bats in the apex,
Timm 1984, 1987). Many broad-leafed species of while the Astrocaryum tents were more horizontal,
Zingiberaceae and Rubiaceae are also present. I with the bats located proximally. The tents in As-
examined individuals of these families whenever trocaryum were also considerably higher above the
they were encountered but did not locate any bat ground (Table 1). These differences undoubtedly
tents were active (contained bats when located), Koepcke (1984) found tents of V. macconnelli
seven were probably active, one was probably in- in both Geonoma sp. and Anthurium sp. Goodwin
active, and 15 in various stages of disintegration and Greenhall (1962) also reported finding these
were assumed to be inactive. Tents contained 1-7 bats under a leaf of Antharium (sic) huegelli (=
bats (x = 3.3, N = 3). The seven individuals Anthurium hookeri Kunth), but did not mention
returned after being flushed twice within an hour, that the leaf was modified. I did not find tents in
and then disappeared and did not return during the species of either genus. At Cocha Cashu these bats
next seven days. Another tent had two roosting bats showed a clear preference for young Astrocaryum
that were never flushed. They occupied the tent one fronds 2.0-4.0 m long. Bats may be selecting young
day, were absent the next, and (presumably the leaves that are easier than older ones to chew, as
same ones) were present again the day after, but suggested by Choe and Timm (1985) for Artibeus
not during the next eight days. A single bat did watsoni and by Timm and Lewis (1991) for Uroder-
not return in four days after being disturbed. Finally, ma bilobatum. Also, terminal blades of shorter and
one bat occupied a tent 27 days after I constructed longer Astrocaryum fronds may be too small and
it in an Astrocaryum frond. It also did not return have too few pinnae to form tents with adequate
in 6 days after being flushed. shelter. Leaves of other plant species, such as Schee-
Roosting bats occupied the proximal half of a lea cephalotes, also may not be as strong as those
tent (Fig. 2a), hanging face to face and slightly of Astrocaryum macrocalyx, or may not form as
offset on either side of the central rachis. Opposite effective a shelter. Others (Timm & Mortimer 1976;
and adjacent individuals seemed to touch. Tiny holes, Choe & Timm 1985; Brooke 1987, 1990; Timm
presumably made by bat claws, were present in the & Lewis 1991) have reached similar conclusions
This content downloaded from 129.67.77.210 on Thu, 10 Mar 2016 20:07:09 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
Tent Roosts of Bats 453
about the suitability of leaves of certain size or surely flush roosting bats by moving the fronds when
Vampyressa macconnelli is considered uncom- imity and continued use of tents, which has been
mon in high ground forest around the Cocha Cashu reported for several species (e.g., Koepcke 1984,
station (Terborgh et al. 1984), which is confirmed Timm 1987), implies a low level of predation on
by my estimate of bat density. Nevertheless, the bats roosting in such structures. On the other hand,
availability of suitable fronds for roost tents prob- Central American Squirrel Monkeys (Saimiri oer-
ably does not influence the abundance of this bat. stedi) may represent a significant mortality factor
Astrocaryum of the size used are common in the for tent-occupying bats in western Costa Rica. These
forest understory. The tents that I constructed seemed monkeys recognize and actively search tents. They
perfectly functional after a month, although the cuts attempt to catch bats by jumping on the tents and
I made with scissors probably did not dry as quickly knocking them and their contents to the ground
as those chewed by bats. Koepcke (1984) suggested (Boinski & Timm 1985). Bats flushed from the
that tents might be used for up to six months, and roost are also exposed to predation by double-toothed
Brooke (1987) reported a tent of V. nymphaea that kites (Harpagus bidentatus) or other raptors that
was used for nine months. The presence of two tents forage with monkeys (Boinski & Timm 1985).
each in four palms, and the successive, rather than Common Squirrel Monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) and
simultaneous construction of the tents in the palm capuchins (Cebus albifrons and C. apella), as well
in which it was possible to determine the sequence as double-toothed kites, are found at Cocha Cashu
suggest that the bats have other, as yet unidentified, (Terborgh et al. 1984).
The use by a V. macconnelli of a tent that I tinued use could increase the vulnerability of the
made shows that these bats will occupy tents that bats to predators that initially locate only one tent
they do not construct. Brooke (1987) also reported or that revisit sites of previous prey contact. This
this for V. nymphaea, and both she and Timm may explain the intermittent use of some tents,
(1987) observed that some bats will occupy tents particularly after disturbance. Additional negative
of other species. Because, like others who have re- reinforcement for diurnal, sight-hunting predators
ported tent roosts, I did not observe any tent being may derive from contact with dead leaves suspended
made, it is possible that the roosts occupied by the from the underside of the terminal blade in Astro-
V. macconnelli at Cocha Cashu were constructed by caryum. These often resemble small hanging bats
another species of bat. Eighteen species of stenoder- and at casual glance can deceive an experienced
mine bats have been recorded at the site in addition observer (Fig. 2c). Many diurnal forest raptors occur
to V. macconnelli (Terborgh et al. 1984, Ascorra in the study area (Terborgh et al. 1984), but none
et al. 1991). At least nine of these roost in tents: has been reported to forage at bat tents.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
tent construction differed significantly from that re- assisted with the identification of the palms. J. Terborgh
ported for the other nine species yet was the same
This content downloaded from 129.67.77.210 on Thu, 10 Mar 2016 20:07:09 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
454 Foster
LITERATURE CITED
ASCORRA, C. F., D. E. WILSON, AND M. RoMo. 1991. Lista anotada de los quir6pteros del parque nacional Manu,
BOINSKI, S., AND R. M. TIMM. 1985. Predation by squirrel monkeys and double-toothed kites on tent-making bats.
BROOKE, A. P. 1987. Tent construction and social organization of Vampyressa nymphaea (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae)
1990. Tent selection, roosting ecology and social organization of the tent-making bat, Ectophylla alba,
CHOE, J. C., AND R. M. TIMM. 1985. Roosting site selection by Artibeus watsoni (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) on
EMMONS, L. H. 1990. Neotropical rainforest mammals: a field guide. University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.
FOSTER, M. S., AND R. M. TIMM. 1976. Tent-making by Artibeus jamaicensis (Chiroptera: Phyllostomatidae) with
GOODWIN, G. G., AND A. M. GREENHALL. 1961. A review of the bats of Trinidad and Tobago, descriptions, rabies
infection, and ecology. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 122(3): 190-301.
, AND . 1962. Two new bats from Trinidad, with comments on the status of the genus Mesophylla.
HANDLEY, C. O., JR. 1976. Mammals of the Smithsonian Venezuelan Project. Brigham Young Univ. Sci. Bull.:
KOEPCKE, J. 1984. "Blattzelte" als Schlafplatze der Fledermaus Ectophylla macconnelli (Thomas, 1901) (Phyllostomi-
LEWIS, S. E., AND D. E. WILSON. 1987. Vampyressa pusilla. Mamm. Species, No. 292.
NOWAK, R. M., AND J. L. PARADISO. 1983. Walker's mammals of the world. 4th edition, Vol. 1. Johns Hopkins
OWEN, R. D. 1987. Phylogenetic analyses of the bat subfamily Stenodermatinae (Mammalia: Chiroptera). Spec.
SANBORN, C. C. 1951. Mammals from Marcapata, southeastern Peru. Publ. Mus. Hist. Nat. "Javier Prado," Univ.
SIEGEL, S., AND N. J. CASTELLAN, JR. 1988. Nonparametric statistics for the behavioral sciences. 2nd edition.
TERBORGH, J. 1983. Five New World primates. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey.
, J. W. FITZPATRICK, AND L. EMMONS. 1984. Annotated checklist of bird and mammal species of Cocha
Cashu Biological Station, Manu National Park, Peru. Fieldiana Zool., n.s., No. 21: 1-29.
THOMAS, 0. 1901. On a collection of mammals from Kanuku Mountains, British Guiana. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist.
Ser. 7, 8: 139-154.
TIMM, R. M. 1984. Tent construction by Vampyressa in Costa Rica. J. Mammal. 65: 166-167.
1987. Tent construction by bats of the genera Artibeus and Uroderma. Fieldiana Zool., n.s., No. 39: 187-
212.
, AND S. E. LEWIS. 1991. Tent construction and use by Uroderma bilobatum in coconut palms (Cocos nucifera)
,AND J. MORTIMER. 1976. Selection of roost sites by Honduran white bats, Ectophylla alba (Chiroptera:
This content downloaded from 129.67.77.210 on Thu, 10 Mar 2016 20:07:09 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions