Composition of a bat assemblage (Mammalia: Chiroptera) in the natural reserve salto morato, east coast of paranÁ, south brazil

Abstract

Brazilian fauna is characterized by megadiverse groups. Within those, there are bats that are directly responsible for important ecosystem services, such as pollination, dispersion and pest control. Despite of their importance, there are several geographical gaps in the Brazilian bat fauna knowledge. Thus, the present study aimed to analyze the composition of bat assemblage in a Conservation Unit in the Atlantic Forest biome, East Coast of Paraná state, southern Brazil. Samplings were carried out during six nights, in average, per month between 2013 and 2014. Captures were performed by 18 mist nets installed at different heights in the forest. Reaching sampling sufficiency, we found high species richness (n =25 spp.), which imply the important role of Conservation Units to maintain bat diversity. The high number of captures (n =1201) can be explained by sampling in different forest height, which may indicate the occurrence of spatial variation in habitat use. Moreover, the current results can assist the management and administration of protected areas, as well as the species conservation in situ.