Reproductive biology of Artibeus fimbriatus Gray 1838 (Chiroptera) at the southern limit of its geographic range

Abstract Bats of the Phyllostomidae family exhibit different reproductive patterns in Neotropical regions and the strategy adopted depends on the regional climate. Here we studied the reproductive biology of Artibeus fimbriatus at the southern limit of their distribution in Brazil. This region has n...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inBiota neotropica Vol. 16; no. 4
Main Authors Lima, Camila S., Fabián, Marta Elena
Format Journal Article
LanguagePortuguese
Published Instituto Virtual da Biodiversidade | BIOTA - FAPESP 2016
Subjects
BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION
Sazonal
Reproduction
Phyllostomidae
Photoperiod
Fotoperíodo
Seasonal
Reprodução
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Abstract Bats of the Phyllostomidae family exhibit different reproductive patterns in Neotropical regions and the strategy adopted depends on the regional climate. Here we studied the reproductive biology of Artibeus fimbriatus at the southern limit of their distribution in Brazil. This region has no rainy season, and the climate is characterized by high temperatures and variable photoperiods. We examined 129 A. fimbriatus females over several months, and used histological procedures where necessary in order to determine whether bats were pregnant. Females exhibited a long reproductive period and were pregnant from June until February. The reproduction events were found to be dependent on the photoperiod, but independent of annual accumulated precipitation. Our results show that at the southern limit of their distribution, A. fimbriatus exhibit seasonal-dependent reproductive patterns, with parturition events occurring during spring and summer, in which the days are longer and temperature is warmer.
ISSN:1676-0611
1676-0611
DOI:10.1590/1676-0611-bn-2016-0231