Updated compilation of bat species (Chiroptera) for the Brazilian state of Sergipe, including new records

ABSTRACT

This article is a summary study of the existing knowledge related to the occurrence and distribution of bat species in Sergipe, Northeastern Brazil, and includes new records of Peropteryx macrotis (Wagner, 1843) and the first record of Diphylla ecaudata Spix, 1823 for this state. The specimens were captured in groundlevel through the use of mist-nets on the Fazenda Mundo Novo (9º 38’31” Lat S, 37º 47’ 18” Long W) under the municipality of Canindé do São Francisco. The morphology of the specimens was compared with previous descriptions of the respective species available in the scientific literature. A total of 43 bat species belonging to 31 genera and eight families (Phyllostomidae = 29 species; Emballonuridae = 3; Molossidae = 3; Noctilionidae = 2; Vespertilionidae = 2; Mormoopidae = 2; Furipteridae = 1; Natalidae = 1) are now known as occurring in Sergipe. Among them, 20 species are found in the Caatinga (10 endemic), and 32 in the Atlantic Forest (20 endemics). The registered richness represents 24.4% of the bat fauna recorded in Brazil. Despite the relatively small size of the Sergipe state (approximately 22,000 km²), much of its area remains unsurveyed, and further studies are clearly necessary in order to define the true diversity of its chiropteran fauna. In particular, the subterranean ecosystems demand special attention due to not only the paucity of data available for these environments, but also the considerable anthropogenic pressures they suffer, facts that may threaten the existence of these unique habitats and the bats that depend on them.