Saulo Felix

Mammals of Serra da Bocaina National Park, state of Rio de Janeiro, southeastern Brazil

Here we present a commented list of mammals registered in the Serra da Bocaina National Park. Three field trips (February, 2010, and May and July, 2011) were accomplished along the RJ-165 highway in the Municipality of Paraty, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Forty-eight species belonging to nine orders were recorded. The local mammal fauna could be considered diverse and rich, with some species regarded as biological indicators of habitat quality. Endangered and rare rodent species like Blarinomys breviceps , Juliomys rimofrons , and Thaptomys nigrita were captured. Road and hunting impacts on mammals are discussed.

Seasonality and habitat influence on bat assemblage structure in an urban Atlantic Forest remnant from Southeastern Brazil

Abstract The Brazilian Atlantic Forest is a severely threatened biodiversity hotspot and many remnants exist only as fragments. In order to understand how bat assemblage structure within a forest fragment surrounded by an urban matrix might respond to seasonality and different habitats, we sampled bats over 39 nights in the forest fragment of Gericinó-Mendanha Massif, Rio de Janeiro State. From February 2006 to January 2010, we captured 874 bats, belonging to 25 species and eight different feeding guilds. Frugivorous species were the most abundant, representing 83.33% of captures, and the gleaning insectivores were the least abundant (1.47%). We did not find changes in bat species composition between seasons, although capture rate was higher in the rainy season. However, we did find significant differences in species abundance between seasons. The habitat influence did not significantly differentiate the assemblages, but species richness was higher in the mature ombrophilous forest. The community composition indicates that this conservation unit is an important remaining fragment for maintaining the diversity and richness of bats, although it is possible that historical processes of environmental exploitation have already resulted in a loss of species.

Diet of Tonatia bidens (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae) in an Atlantic Forest area, southeastern Brazil: first evidence for frugivory

Abstract The greater round-eared bat Tonatia bidens has a varied diet, consuming mostly insects, although it also feeds on small terrestrial vertebrates, such as rodents and birds. In 2008–2009, we expanded the knowledge of this species’ feeding ecology by analyzing the diet of a T. bidens population in an Atlantic Forest fragment in southeastern Brazil. Food remains found in day shelters and feeding roosts included insects, birds, mammals and fruits. Insects, Lepidoptera, Blattodea, Coleoptera and Orthoptera, were the main component of the diet. There was a preferential consumption of the soft parts of insects and vertebrates, possibly because these parts are more easily digested and are the most nutritious. This first evidence of fruit consumption is also discussed. This analysis indicates that T. bidens has a more general diet than previously reported.