Is the knowledge of bat distribution in the Atlantic Rainforest sufficient? Comments about new findings and a case study in the Paraná State coastal area, Brazil

Abstract

This study aimed to utilize data of recent studies of bats surveying in the Atlantic Rainforest to evaluate the degree of knowledge of bat distribution in this biome. Data of new records or range extension of species published between 2010 and 2013 were compared among Brazilian biomes. We also utilized a case study in the Paraná State coastal area, southern Brazil, which was considered of low priority for bat inventories but had new records reported recently. The Atlantic Rainforest showed the highest number of papers with new information about bat distribution in Brazil. The number of bat species for this biome reaches 117. In the past 10 years, 11 new records have been reported for the Paraná State coastal area, increasing the bat richness by 33%. Our findings suggest that we do not know sufficiently the bat distribution across the Atlantic Rainforest. In such a hotspot for biodiversity conservation, it may be dangerous to establish low-priority areas for inventories, especially when an almost unique and biased survey method has been used.

Assessing the distribution of a species‐rich group in a continental‐sized megadiverse country: Bats in Brazil

“…The spatial and taxonomic bias found here is supported by new acoustic studies in Brazil (Hintze, Barbier, & Bernard, ) and reinforces the clear under sampled characteristic of the Brazilian bat fauna, with large knowledge gaps (Bernard et al, ). Therefore, besides some progresses (Barros et al, ; Dalponte, Gregorin, Esteves‐Costa, Rocha, & Marcelino, ; Miranda, Zago, Carvalho, Rubio, & Bernardi, ), our analysis still suggests that none of the Brazilian biomes can be considered well surveyed for bats (see also Varzinczak, Bernardi, & Passos, ).…”

First record of the Vulnerable bat Furipterus horrens (Cuvier, 1828) (Chiroptera: Furipteridae) in the state of Paraná, southern Brazil

“…With this new record, the number of bat species known to Paraná has now increased to 70 (Bianconi et al 2009, Scultori et al 2009, Passos et al 2010, Moratelli et al 2011, Carvalho et al 2014. Although recently there has been an increase in the number of bat records in the Atlantic Forest of Paraná, a number of factors such as fewer long-term monitoring schemes and the routine use of mist nets for recording species have been detrimental to improving the knowledge on Paraná's bat diversity (Varzinczak et al 2016).…”

Expansion of the southern limit of Vampyrodes caraccioli Thomas, 1889 (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae) and first record for Santa Catarina state, southern Brazil

“…At least 117 species have been registered to the Atlantic Forest bioma (Varzinczak et al 2015), 42.7% of them being recorded in Santa Catarina, turning the state into a hot spot for bat diversity in Brazil. Bats in Santa Catarina belong mainly to Phyllostomidae (19 spp.)…”

“…Miranda et al 2007, Cherem andAlthoff 2016), even though it is one of the priority regions for studies on the fauna of bats in the state of Santa Catarina. For the Atlantic Forest Domain, the fauna of bats can still be subsampled even in areas with a large sampling effort (Varzinczak et al 2015). Studies on the composition of the assemblages are still of fundamental importance.…”