1Conservación de la Biodiversidad del Usumacinta, A. C. Carretera Balancán-Tulipán No. 12, C. P. 86936, Balancán. Tabasco, México. E-mail: gil.pozo@cobius.org (GP-M); jorge.lopez@cobius.org (JAL-H); homeroreus27@gmail.com (ACP).
Diaemus youngii (white-winged vampire bat) is one of the three species of hematophagous bats present in Mexico. Its coloration is light brown or dark cinnamon, with white wing tips. The body length is between 83 mm and 84 mm, and weighs between 31 g and 38 g. The eyes are relatively larger than those of other bats of similar body size (Greenhall and Schutt 1996). Additionally, D. youngii has a short thumb and a single callosity, contrasting with Desmodus. The uropatagium is more developed, and its legs are more robust than those of Desmodus and Diphylla (Scheffer et al. 2015). Another distinctive feature of D. youngii is the presence of scent glands inside the mouth (Medellín et al. 1997). Individuals of D. youngii rest in caves, tree hollows, and on long leaves of banana plants. Its distribution is discontinuous from Tamaulipas, Mexico, to Argentina, and it mainly inhabits humid and dry tropical forests (Greenhall and Schutt 1996; Barquez et al. 2015). In Chiapas, it has been recorded in the Sierra Lacandona subprovince (Alvarez-Castañeda and Alvarez 1991).
Macrophyllum macrophyllum (Long-legged bat) measures between 41 mm and 53 mm and weighs between 7 g and 10 g. The fur is brown, and the ears are separated and slightly larger than the head. Its limbs are long (Harrison 1975), and the uropatagium has a fringe of hair along the edge (Medellín et al. 1997). This bat inhabits humid and dry tropical forests, mainly in areas associated with water bodies. Its shelters include caves, sewers, and under bridges. It is distributed from southern Mexico to Argentina (Harrison 1975). In Chiapas, it has been recorded in the Sierra Lacandona subprovince (Alvarez-Castañeda and Alvarez 1991) and the La Encrucijada Biosphere Reserve in the Pacific coastal plain (Hernández-Mijangos et al. 2008).
Both species have a marginal distribution in Mexico, being considered rare or uncommon, with incidental captures in few localities (Harrison 1975; Seymour and Dickerman 1982; Greenhall and Schutt 1996) and scarce records in biological collections in Mexico (Kraker et al. 2021; CONABIO 2024). Therefore, the contribution of new localities for both species is valuable to advance our knowledge of their geographical distribution, particularly in areas that are underexplored and with increasing changes in land use, such as the Pacific coastal plain of Chiapas (Lorenzo et al. 2017).
The presence of D. youngii and M. macrophyllum was documented during the project “Flora and fauna characterization and monitoring in the Maragato and Papagayo oil palm estates, municipality of Villa Comaltitlán, Chiapas,” which aimed to sample regional flora and fauna. The objective of the present study was to provide information on these two species, expand the geographical distribution of D. youngii to the Mexican Pacific slope in Chiapas, and add records of M. macrophyllum for this area.
The sampling was conducted at the Papagayo plantation, Municipality of Villa Comaltitlán, Chiapas, in December 2020, May 2021, and July 2022. This municipality comprises the following types of vegetation: tular (20 %), high tropical forest (7 %), mangrove forest (5 %), and secondary vegetation and popal in smaller proportions (5 %). The region also includes agricultural areas (32 %) and pastures (31 %; INEGI 2010). The local climate is warm and humid, with abundant summer rainfall. The rainy season spans from May to October and ranges between 1500 mm and 4000 mm annually (INEGI 2010). The study area is located within an oil palm plantation (Elaeis guineensis; 15°12’2” N, 92°34’43” W) on the banks of the Papagayo River.
Since the project aimed to prepare an inventory of species, the collection of specimens and their inclusion in biological collections were not considered. It is worth noting that the sampling design (duration and schedule) for bats was adjusted to the sampling of other terrestrial vertebrate species. In particular, bats were sampled in an ecotone between poplar groves and secondary vegetation. To this end, three mist nets measuring 12 m long × 3 m wide were installed for 7 nights per sampling event. The nets were placed at different heights above the ground, from 0.3 m to 3.5 m, separated from each other by 100 m. The nets were active from 20:00 h to 24:00 h and were checked every 30–40 minutes. The sampling effort was quantified as the product of the total net length, in meters, by the total number of installed hours (Medellín 1993).
The captured specimens were removed from the nets using leather gloves and placed in cloth bags for identification. We recorded some somatic measurements (total length, tail length, forearm length, and weight), age category, reproductive status, and sex, minimizing the handling and photographing time to reduce stress. Subsequently, each individual was photographed and released in the capture area. Species were taxonomically determined using the field guide by Medellín et al. (1997), and the taxonomic classification followed Ramírez-Pulido et al. (2014). The photographic records are deposited in the image bank of Conservación de la Biodiversidad del Usumacinta A. C. (COBIUS A. C.).
The sampling effort was 6216 net-hours, which yielded 386 bats belonging to 12 species. Artibeus jamaicensis (n = 139), Sturnira parvidens (n = 126), and A. lituratus (n = 37) were the species with the greatest number of captured specimens.
On December 13, 2020, D. youngii was recorded in an ecotone near the Papagayo River surrounded by an oil palm plantation (Table 1, Figure 1a, b, and c). The individual exhibited the scent glands inside the mouth and the white wing edges, which are distinctive traits of the species (Figure 1b and c).
Four individuals of M. macrophyllum were recorded in the study area in 2021 and 2022 (Table 1). The fur coloration and the tail extending to the edge of the uropatagium of the captured organisms match the description in the identification guide (Figure 1d), and the measurements are consistent with those reported for the species (Medellín 2005; Hernández-Mijangos et al. 2008). An additional record was obtained incidentally on July 15, 2022, outside the sampling period, on the Pijijiapan-Tonalá road in the peri-urban area of Pijijiapan, 86 km from the previous record in Villa Comaltitlán. One roadkilled specimen was observed; it was decomposing, so some somatic measurements were not recorded (Table 1, Figures 1e and f).
Diaemus youngii and M. macrophyllum have been listed in bats of Chiapas for several decades (Alvarez-Castañeda and Alvarez 1991; Lorenzo et al. 2017; Retana and Lorenzo 2002; Muñoz-Alonso and March-Mifsut 2003). The record of D. youngii in this study is the first for the Pacific coast of the state of Chiapas. There are previous records of D. youngii in the ejido Benemérito de las Américas (Alvarez-Castañeda and Alvarez 1991), in areas near the Usumacinta River in the Lacandon tropical forest (CONABIO 2024), and in the vicinity of the Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve (GBIF 2024), all corresponding to the Sierra Lacandona subprovince (Alvarez-Castañeda 1993; Lorenzo et al. 2017; Kraker et al. 2021). In nearby areas outside of Chiapas, it has been recorded in Teapa, Tabasco (CONABIO 2024, Figure 2).
The new record of D. youngii is located more than 197 km straight from the nearest capture site near the Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve and outside the species distribution polygon described in the International Union for Conservation of Nature, IUCN (Figure 2; Barquez et al. 2015). This new record was obtained in an ecotone of popal and secondary vegetation 60 m from the Papagayo River (Figure 3). D. youngii thrives in several types of vegetation, such as low tropical forest, high tropical forest, grasslands, as well as ecotones, secondary vegetation, forest edges, and human settlements (Greenhall and Schutt 1996; Costa et al. 2008; Pedroso et al. 2018), so the new record matches the observed habitat. Additionally, the present study recorded D. youngii in the rainy season, consistent with previous reports (Greenhall and Schutt 1996). However, it is unknown whether the periodicity of precipitation influences the detection of this species (Scheffer et al. 2015). The recent record of the species in the study area is probably a consequence of the scarce studies on biodiversity in the coastal plain, a fact that has hindered its previous detection. Additionally, changes in land use, expanding human settlements, and the presence of domestic livestock in the area favor the presence of D. youngii due to its preference to feed on the blood of domestic animals, particularly poultry (Scheffer et al. 2015).
The records of M. macrophyllum supplement previous data for the Pacific slope of Chiapas (Hernández-Mijangos et al. 2008; iNaturalistMX 2022). In Chiapas, this species has also been documented in Arroyo San Pablo, Chajul, and Arroyo José, in the Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve (Alvarez-Castañeda and Alvarez 1991); outside of Chiapas, it has been recorded in Teapa, Tabasco (CONABIO 2024).
Four of the five new records reported in the present study were located 60 m from the Papagayo River, which offers favorable conditions for various species of aquatic insects, the main food source for M. macrophyllum (Figure 3; Harrison 1975; Weinbeer et al. 2013). This bat species is found in caves or logs near the coast, streams, or rivers that run through various vegetation types, including humid and dry tropical forests (Seymour and Dickerman 1982; Weinbeer et al. 2013).
Although the records obtained during the fauna sampling in the study area were not deposited in a Mexican scientific collection, the information is valuable and can be verified through photographic records (Figure 1). In other similar cases, the information provided from citizen science data has proven its value in expanding our knowledge of wild species, supplementing geographical, biological, ecological, and risk information, particularly for poorly sampled areas (Díaz-Segura et al. 2021; Castro-Bastidas and Serrano-Serrano 2022).
Although both species are listed as Least Concern in the IUCN Red List (Barquez et al. 2015; Rodríguez and Pineda 2015), D. youngii is in the Special Protection category and M. macrophyllum is in the Threatened Category in the Mexican Official Standard 059 (SEMARNAT 2010). Both species have their northernmost distribution limit in Mexico, probably with small populations (Scheffer et al. 2015; Hernández-Mijangos et al. 2008). Therefore, anthropogenic impacts on their habitats (e.g., pollution of water bodies, introduction of domestic species, changes in land use) could lead to local changes in their populations and distribution (Scheffer et al. 2015).
Acknowledgments
The authors thank the Oleopalma company for the opportunity to carry out the first vertebrate monitoring in the Palmicultores San Nicolás S.P.R. de R.L plantations, and especially to D. Palma and E. Hernández for their logistical support. We thank A. Rojas, F. R. Angel, and A. Dionicio for their work during sampling. Finally, we thank the journal reviewers and editors for their time, suggestions, and corrections that considerably improved the manuscript. María Elena Sánchez-Salazar translated the manuscript into English.
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Associated Editor: Itandehui Hernández Aguilar
Submitted: December 11, 2024; Reviewed: January 24, 2025.
Accepted: March 16, 2025; Published on line: May 26, 2025.
