Reproductive pattern, diet and parasitology of Artibeus lituratus (Olfers, 1818) (Mammalia, Chiroptera) in urban parks in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

Abstract

This work reports data about the reproductive dynamics, dietary pattern and associations with parasites of Artibeus lituratus specimens captured from 2009 to 2018 in three urban natural parks in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro. The animals were captured with mist nets, measured, weighed and inspected for ectoparasites; whenever possible, feces were collected and blood smears prepared for dietary analysis and presence of hemoparasites, respectively. Based on an evaluation of 307 captured specimens, the biometric data were within the expected for the species. Diet was evaluated from 68 fecal samples, which contained insect fragments, and fruit pulp and seeds of Urticaceae, Combretaceae, Myrtaceae, Piperaceae, and Solanaceae. The parasites found in association with the bats were the Diptera Paratrichobius longicrus and the mite Periglischrus iheringi, in addition to the hemoparasites Plasmodium sp., Hepatozoon sp., and Litomosoides sp. Data about the reproduction of A. lituratus in these urban parks show that this species maintains a reproductive pattern typical of Stenodermatinae, which consists of bimodal polyestry with peaks in March and April and in July, August and September.

Keywords

• hábito alimentar
• mata atlântica
• morcego
• sanidade animal
• sinantrópico