Chiroptera + Eulipotyphla - Lab

Order Chiroptera

• bats

• 1,500 species (20% of mammal species)

• economically/ecologically important

  • suppress arthropod populations (esp. agricultural and forest pests)

  • Pollinators

  • Seed dispersers

two important adaptations of Chiroptera

• true flight

• echolocation

maternity season for Chiroptera

• solitary bats

• colonial bats

  • bachelor colonies

  • maternity colonies

• roost types

  • some bats, (like eastern red bats) will roost in canopy foliage and even leaf litter in the fall

  • many species will roost in tree cavities or under loose bark

  • certain species (such as gray bats) roost in caves year round

  • other species will roost in man made structures like attics, barns, culverts and bridge

mist netting/harp traps pros

• Demographic data

• Assess health and reproductive status

• Mark animals for potential recapture

• Tag to track and see habitat use

• Physical ID

• Disease monitoring, etc.

mist netting/harp traps cons

• Invasive/stressful for the bats

• Hard to capture species that are rare on the landscape

• Hard to net open under-/mid-story

acoustics pros

• Non-invasive

• Can monitor an area for a long period

• Get relative activity

• Get an idea of what species are around

acoustics cons

• No individual/count/demographic data

• Difficult to ID sometimes

Chiroptera flight adaptations

• wings formed from the bones of the hand

• patagia = membranes/flaps of skin covering the wings

Chiroptera echolocation adaptations

• facial ornamentation

• tragus

Family Vespertilionidae

• Chiropteran family

• great diversity in morphology

• all bats native to VA belong to this family

• almost all are insectivorous; one species is fish specialist

• small body sizes (<50g)

• well-developed tragus present

• Vesper - evening, Vespertilio - bat

Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae, Nycticeius humeralis

• only Nycticeius native to the US

• roosts in hollow trees and sometimes buildings

• thought to migrate in winter

• forms maternity colonies

  • use cavities and sloughing bark as roost and maternity sites

  • typically produce twins

• Nycticeius - "belonging to the night”, humeralis - “of the forelimb”

Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae, Lasiurus intermedius

• generally non-migratory

  • most found in areas that don’t get very cold

• lover of Spanish moss

• Lasiurus - lasios (hairy) and oura (tail), intermedius - bat’s yellow-orange to brown fur

Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae, Lasiurus borealis

• red bat

• furred tail membrane (uropatagium)

• sexually dimorphic coloring

  • males - deep orange, females - strawberry blond

• solitary, roosts in trees

• roosts by a single foot

• 4 mammae (often has 1-2 pups)

Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae, Lasiurus borealis

Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae, Lasiurus seminolus

• color not sexually dimorphic

• similar to Eastern Red Bat

• migrate

• root in Spanish moss during winter and spring

Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae, Lasiurus cinereus

• furred tail membrane (uropatagium)

• silvery tipped fur

• solitary

• migratory

• only land mammal endemic to Hawaii

• all migratory bats mostly eat moths

• wind energy collisions

Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae, Lasiurus cinereus

Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae, Lasionycteris noctivagans

• migratory and hibernates

• flies slowly and erratically

Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae, Lasionycteris noctivagans

Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae, Eptesicus fuscus

• habitat generalist

• live in buildings, caves, trees

• hibernate in buildings and caves

• beetles make up large part of diet

Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae, Eptesicus fuscus

Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae, Corynorhinus townsendii

• big ears, lumpy nose

• VA state bat (subspecies virginianus)

• subspecies federally endangered

• live in caves

• a moth specialist

Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae, Corynorhinus townsendii

Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae, Perimyotis subflavus

• forearm bones are lighter in color than wing

• tri-colored fur (single strand)

• hibernate in caves

• proposed for federal endangered

• previously Eastern Pipistrelle

Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae, Perimyotis subflavus

Genus Myotis

• “mouse-eared” bats

• narrow/longer than wide ears

• sharp tragus

• 1 pair of mammary glands

• long-lived (20-30 years depending on species)

• Myotis of VA are all hibernating bats

• many species impacted by WNS and habitat loss

Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae, Myotis grisescens

• endangered (since 1976 due to anthropogenic cave disturbances)

  • de-listed in 2025

• hibernate in large numbers in caves

• use (different) caves in summer

• wing membrane attaches at tarsus

Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae, Myotis grisescens

Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae, Myotis leibii

• very small (smallest of our eastern bats)

• endangered in many states

• roosts in rock outcrops and similar structures in summer

• hibernates in caves

• dark facial “mask”

Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae, Myotis septentrionalis

• endangered (recent uplisting)

• frequents forested/cluttered areas

• roosts beneath bark and in tree cavities

• forms small maternity colonies

• long, pointed ears and tragus

• hibernates

• significant population decline due to WNS

Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae, Myotis sodalis

• endangered since 1967 due to habitat loss

• forms large maternity colonies

• roosts beneath bark of dead trees

• hibernates in very tight clusters in caves

• toes not hairy, keeled calcar (slightly)

Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae, Myotis lucifugus

• under consideration to be listed as endangered

• huge population loss due to WNS

  • one the rebound?

• in winter, hibernates in caves and mines

• in summer, roosts in buildings, trees, bridges

• hairy toes, no calcar keel

• once the most numerous bat in US

Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae, Myotis lucifugus

Family Molossidae

• free-tailed bats

• Old and New World distribution

• possess large ears tha tmeet or nearly meet on forehead

• tail extends well beyond the uropatagium (“free tail”)

• typically are aerial insectivores

  • aerial hawkers

Chiroptera, Molossidae, Tadarida brasiliensis

• tail extends past uropatagium

• colonial bats - huge numbers (1.5 million in Austin, TX)

• migrate as far as Brazil in winter

• roost in caves/anthropogenic structures

• perhaps the fastest bat at 99 mph

Chiroptera, Molossidae, Tadarida brasiliensis

Family Soricidae skulls

• lack zygomatic arches, auditory bullae, and postorbital process

• teeth often tipped with red or black (not always)

• dilambdodont dentition (cheek teeth with a W-shaped pattern of ridges and cusps)

Family Talpidae skulls

• complete zygomatic arches

• no dark tips on teeth

• dilambdodont dentition

Family Soricidae

• shrews

• Appalachian Mountains has highest species diversity in US

• high body mass to surface ratio - very high metabolism

• high desiccation rates because high metabolism leads to high respiratory water loss: typically associated with mesic habitats or deep leaf litter

• active year-round

  • winter - body size + organs shrink by 10-20% in fall

  • less active to reserve energy

• mainly eat invertebrates, but diet varies among species

• red pigmented teeth = iron

  • helps strengthen enamel and reduce wear

Eulipotyphla, Soricidae, Sorex fumeus

Eulipotyphla, Soricidae, Sorex cinereus

Eulipotyphla, Soricidae, Blarina brevicauda

Eulipotyphla, Talpidae, Scalopus aquaticus

Eulipotyphla, Talpidae, Parascalops breweri