The Common Mustached Bat (Pteronotus parnellii) is a mormoopid bat living in caves in lowland rainforests throughout the north and eastern Neotropics, including several Caribbean islands. Recent studies have shown that this taxon is certainly a composite of several cryptic species, especially in the western part of the Guiana Shield, where molecular reconstructions and bioacoustics point to the presence of at least two cryptic species that may not be related to genuine P. parnellii, native of Jamaica. The current taxonomy of this species complex is therefore confused. We examined here over 200 bioacoustically identified individuals to show that two phonic types live in sympatry in French Guiana with no overlap in frequencies of echolocation calls. Morphologic variation showed consistent and significant differences between the two phonic types, but external measurements were unable to discriminate all bats. Two mitochondrial markers analyzed in a selection of each of these phonic types were further used to evidence that they represent two genetically discrete groups, and to assign them to the existing molecular clades described elsewhere. Molecular comparisons with reference specimens sampled near the type localities of P. parnellii and P. rubiginosus further suggest that the 53 kHz phonic type found in French Guiana and Amapa (Brazil) should be assigned to the later species, while the 59 kHz phonic type represents an undescribed species.

In this study, we examined the pathophysiological consequences likely to be attributable to a herpesvirus infection for immune function, corticosterone, telomere length and inflammation. We found that the plasma concentration of haptoglobin was strongly associated with the observable clinical manifestation of disease and could predict probabilities of survival.

Infectious diseases are one of the most common threats for both domestic and wild animals, but little is known about the effects on the physiological condition and survival of wild animals. Here, we have tested for the first time in a wild vertebrate facing a viral disease possibly due to herpesvirus (i) whether nestlings with either low levels of oxidative damage or high levels of antioxidant protection are less susceptible to develop visible clinical signs, (ii) whether the disease is associated with the nestlings’ oxidative status, (iii) whether the association between the disease and oxidative status is similar between males and females (iv), and whether cloacal and tracheal swabs might be used to detect herpesvirus. To address our questions, we took advantage of a population of Magnificent frigatebirds (Fregata magnificens) whose nestlings have experienced high mortality rates in recent times. Our work shows that (i) blood lipid oxidative damage is associated with observable clinical signs and survival probabilities of nestling frigatebirds, and (ii) that high glutathione levels in red blood cells are associated with the emergence of visible clinical signs of the disease. Our work provides evidence that differences in the oxidative status of nestlings might underlie individual health and survival.

Diet quality may have an important effect on the regulation of oxidative status and the immune system during an infectious disease. However, the relationship among intake of specific dietary molecules, an individual’s oxidative status and the occurrence and progress of a viral disease remains almost unexplored in free‐living organisms. Here, we study a wild, long‐lived animal, the Magnificent frigatebird Fregata magnificens to investigate: (a) the differences in a number of physiological traits (biomarkers of blood oxidative status, corticosterone (CORT), immunity and inflammation) between sick and healthy nestlings; and (b) whether experimentally increased intake of resveratrol (a polyphenol with antioxidant and antiviral properties) affects these physiological markers during the progress of a severe viral disease. Birds with visible clinical signs showed higher oxidative damage, haemolysis and haemagglutination scores and lower antioxidant defences in comparison with birds without clinical signs. At the end of the experiment, supplemented birds showed the following: (a) increased plasma haptoglobin levels and circulating antioxidant defences; (b) reduced generation of lipid oxidative damage; and (c) negligible to no influence on immune markers, baseline CORT levels and activity of antioxidant enzymes. Our work illustrates how the availability of specific organic molecules in the diet may constrain the individuals’ capacity to cope with viral infections in free‐living animals. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2435.13195/suppinfo is available for this article.

Outbreaks of wildlife diseases are occurring at an unprecedented rate. In French Guiana, recurrent episodes of frigatebird chicks’ mortality due to a viral disease that first appeared in 2005 have recently turned into massive mortality episodes (85–95%) of chicks. One of the suggested hypotheses behind the appearance of the disease is food limitation due to the recent decline of local shrimp fishery boats on which frigatebirds rely for opportunistic feeding. We therefore experimentally fish‐supplemented frigatebird chicks with and without clinical signs of the disease. Food supplementation protected all chicks from the appearance of clinical signs of the disease and increased survival perspectives of sick chicks. These results suggest that food shortage might decrease resistance of chicks to infectious diseases and that using a specifically tailored food supplementation regime could be a complimentary tool to protect frigatebirds and other endangered birds from disease outbreaks threatening them with extinction.