Predation of the bat Pteronotus personatus (Mormoopidae), by a tarantula Lasiodora sp. (Theraphosidae, Araneae), in cave in northeastern Brazil

Abstract

The growing number of reports of spiders preying on bats over the past decade indicates that such events are more frequent than originally thought. The present note reports on the predation of a bat, Pteronotus personatus (Mormoopidae), by a tarantula spider, Lasiodora sp. (Theraphosidae). The event took place on the floor of the Urubu Cave in northeastern Brazil, and may be considered opportunistic, as in the majority of the cases of bat predation by these spiders. However, the high densities of both Pteronotus and Lasiodora in the cave suggest that this type of interaction may be relatively frequent.

Keywords

• Chiroptera
• Mygalomorphae
• Natural history
• Sergipe