<B>DIVERSIDAD DE MURCIÉLAGOS Y USO DE HÁBITAT EN EL PARQUE NACIONAL VOLCÁN MASAYA, EN EL PACÍFICO DE NICARAGUA</B>

Abstract

ResumenDurante 2014 estudiamos la diversidad de murciélagos del Parque Nacional Volcán Masaya a través de capturas en diferentes tipos de cobertura arbórea; también caracterizamos la comunidad de murciélagos insectívoros que habita el tubo de lava llamado Tzinacanoste, determinando patrones de desplazamiento de una de las especies. El ensamble taxonómico de murciélagos en el parque se determinó y describió analizando su potencial de conservación y la importancia que representa (por sus servicios ambientales) para las zonas de producción sostenible alrededor del volcán Masaya. En total se identificaron 29 especies (26.3% del total de especies identificadas en Nicaragua) pertenecientes a 5 familias. En el bosque cerrado se encontró la mayor riqueza con 18 especies, de las cuales, un tercio de éstas fueron exclusivas de este tipo de bosque; a diferencia del área abierta de uso público, que presentó valores mínimos de riqueza con cuatro especies. Destacan cuatro especies con fines de conservación e investigación, tres de la familia Phyllostomidae (subfamilia Phyllostominae), Micronycteris microtis, Micronycteris schmidtorum y Lophostoma brasiliense y una especie de Mormoopidae, Mormoops megalophylla, cuya subespecie M. megalophylla megalophylla, presenta su límite sur de distribución mundial en este parque. También es importante considerar en los planes de conservación a las cuatro especies asociadas al bosque seco (Balantiopteryx plicata, Pteronotus davyi, Glossophaga leachii y Carollia subrufa), que en el país se distribuyen básicamente en la región Pacífica. Los resultados demuestran la importancia del Parque Nacional Volcán Masaya como un área importante para la conservación y la investigación de los murciélagos.Palabras clave: Bosque seco, conservación, especies, gremio trófico, servicio ambiental.AbstractDuring 2014 we studied the diversity of bats in the Masaya Volcano National Park through captures in different types of tree cover; we also characterize the community of insectivorous bats that inhabits the lava tube locally called Tzinacanoste, determining displacement patterns for one of the species. The taxonomic assembly of bats in the park was determined and described, analyzing its conservation potential and the importance it represents (for its environmental services) for the sustainable production areas around the Masaya volcano. In total 29 species were identified (26.3% of the total species identified in Nicaragua) belonging to 5 families. The closed forest presented the highest species richness with 18, and a third of these were exclusive to this type of forest; unlike the open area for public use, which presented minimum values with four species. Four species are of conservation and research interest, three of the family Phyllostomidae (subfamily Phyllostominae), Micronycteris microtis, Micronycteris schmidtorum and Lophostoma brasiliense, and a species of Mormoopidae: Mormoops megalophylla, whose subspecies M. megalophylla megalophylla, presents the southern limit of world distribution in this park. It is also important to consider in the conservation plans the four species associated with the dry forest, which in the country are basically distributed in the Pacific region: Balantiopteryx plicata, Pteronotus davyi, Glossophaga leachii and Carollia subrufa. The results demonstrate the importance of the Masaya Volcano National Park as an important area for the conservation and research of bats.Key words: Conservation, dry forest, environmental service, species, trophic guild.

A big leap from its normal distribution, two Hahn’s short-tailed fruit bats (Carollia subrufa) (Hahn, 1905) reported in far southwestern Costa Rica

“…The sites where C. subrufa was captured include the plants on whose fruits this species typically feeds 1,20,21, , suggesting that Finca Cántaros offers an adequate food supply for this species, due to the abundance of Piper and Solanum species around the property. As such, the capture of C. subrufa a mere 10km from the Panamanian border allows us to hypothesize that this species could have an even more extensive range, is not only restricted to the dry forest habitat 22 , but also occurs in wet forest and Premontane Moist Forest (Map, 1). This suggests that future studies should include collaboration with our neighboring country.…”