No abstract

Ectophylla alba is a tent‐making bat that roosts in mixed‐sex clusters comprising adults and offspring. Our goal was to determine the genetic identity of individuals belonging to different roosting groups. We tested the hypothesis of kin selection as a major force structuring group composition. We used 9 microsatellites designed for E. alba to determine the genetic identity and probability of parentage of individuals. We analyzed parentage and kinship using the software ML‐Relate, GenAIEx, and Cervus. The obtained relationship probabilities (0.5) revealed a clear maternal relationship between female adults and offspring with allele compatibility, and at least 5 relationships between male adults and pups. We found a low degree of relatedness within roosting groups. Between roosting groups at different sites, the mean probability of a half‐sibling relationship ranged from 0.214 to 0.244 and, for full‐sibling relationship, from 0.383 to 0.553. Genetically, adult individuals were poorly related within clusters, and kinship as an evolutionary force could not explain group membership.

No abstract

Insectivorous bats represent more than half of all the Chiropterans of the world.  Although they are important stabilizers of insect populations within their habitat due to their feeding habits, just few studies have been focused on the diet of insular bat species.  The lesser sac-winged bat, Saccopteryx leptura, is widely distributed in the new world tropics, but little is known about its prey selection.  In this study we determined the diet composition of the population of S. leptura from Gorgona Island, Colombia, using stomach and intestinal content samples.  We focused our research on their atypical daytime feeding behavior to evaluate differences in prey selection considering two main factors: 1) plant canopy cover and 2) bat sex.  We found prey representatives of nine orders of insects, with Hymenoptera, Coleoptera and Hemiptera as the most consumed according to their abundance and volume percentage.  We identified two new records at genus level in S. leptura´s diet, Camponotus (Formicidae) and Trigona (Apidae).  In general terms, we did not find differences in the diet between canopy covers nor sexes.  However, when analyzing the consumed percentage volume by order, there were significant differences in consumption of Psocoptera in both factors.  Our results suggest that S. leptura has an opportunistic diet, as they tend to feed on prey of a wide range of sizes, usually the most abundant and available in the environment.