Morcegos da Chapada do Araripe, nordeste do Brasil

Abstract

Chapada do Araripe is a plateau located within the Caatinga biome in northeastern Brazil between the states of Ceará, Pernambuco and Piauí. Altimetry has great variation, giving a variety of vegetation and environmental dynamics distinct from other Caatinga areas. With the aim of increasing the meager information on biodiversity of the Caatinga, between 2010 and 2012 we conducted a survey of bats in five locations in the Chapada do Araripe, in counties of Barbalha and Jardim, Ceará, and Serrita in Pernambuco. Our survey recorded 25 species in six families resulting in the capture of 201 individuals. Sampling recorded three new records for Ceará State, Sturnira tildae, Pteronotus gymnonotus, Cynomops planirostris and Promops nasutus. A compilation of the literature revealed that in the Chapado do Araripe occur 49 bat species distributed in eight families, representing 64% of bat species in the Caatinga.