Mammalia æquatorialis 2023(5): 75–78

The Ecuadorian Journal of Mammalogy

ISSN 2697-3286

DOI: https://doi.org/10.59763/mam.aeq.v5i.68

Submitted: 2023-05-22 Accepted: 2023-07-27 Published: 2023-12-01

Scientific note

First report of Thyroptera tricolor (Chiroptera:
Thyropteridae) caught in a web of Eriophora sp.
(Araneae: Araneidae) in the Ecuadorian Amazon

Primer reporte de Thyroptera tricolor (Chiroptera:
Thyropteridae) capturado en una telaraña de Eriophora sp.
(Araneae: Araneidae) en la Amazonía de Ecuador

Iván de la Cruz¹, Álvaro Dueñas-Vidal²,
and Pamela Rivera-Parra¹

¹ Departamento de Biología, Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito, Ecuador.

² Departamento de Física, Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito, Ecuador.

Corresponding author: [email protected] (Iván de la Cruz)

ABSTRACT

Predation of bats by large arthropods has rarely been documented. Here we describe the first record of a Spix’s disk-winged bat (Thyroptera tricolor) caught in a web of Eriophora sp. in Yasuní National Park, Ecuador. This observation contributes to the knowledge of bat biology and predator-prey interactions in the Amazon region.

Keywords: arthropod, ecology, predator-prey interaction, spider, Spix’s Disk-winged Bat, tropical rainforest.

RESUMEN

La depredación de murciélagos por grandes artrópodos se ha documentado con poca frecuencia. Aquí describimos el primer registro de captura de un murciélago de alas de disco de Spix (Thyroptera tricolor) en una red de Eriophora sp. en el Parque Nacional Yasuní, Ecuador. Esta observación contribuye al conocimiento de la biología de los murciélagos y de las interacciones depredador-presa en la región Amazónica.

Palabras clave: araña, artrópodo, bosque húmedo tropical, ecología, interacción depredador-presa, murciélago de ventosas de Spix.

The range of Spix’s disk-winged bat (Thyroptera tricolor) extends from Mexico to southeast Brazil (Reyes-Amaya et al., 2016). In Ecuador, this species inhabits tropical and subtropical rainforst on the northern part of the coast, in the foothills of the Andes, and in the Amazon region (Tirira, 2017). It feeds on a wide variety of arthropods, which it mostly obtains by capturing them from the substrate (Dechmann et al., 2006). It has short and wide wings allowing for slow and maneuverable flight, necessary to capture leafhoppers and jumping spiders (Chaverri & Kunz, 2011). There is little information about its ecology. Its morphological adaptation to its unusual resting behavior is its most distinctive characteristic (Vonhof et al., 2004).

The most common natural predators of bats are owls, hawks, and snakes (Nyffeler & Knörnschild, 2013). However, predation by big arthropods has also been reported, although less frequently (de Noronha et al., 2015; Nyffeler & Knörnschild, 2013). There are reports of five families of bats as prey for spiders: Emballonuridae, Hipposideridae, Phyllostomidae Rhinolophidae, and Vespertilionidae (Nyffeler & Knörnschild, 2013), among which two families (Vespertilionidae and Emballonuridae) have been reported as prey for spiders belonging to the genus Eriophora (Nyffeler & Knörnschild, 2013). There are four reported cases of bats captured and predated by Eriophora fuliginea (Nyffeler & Knörnschild, 2013). In Ecuador, there is only one report of predation of Myotis nigricans by a tarantula of the genus Avicularia (Theraphosidae) in a tropical rainforest in the eastern part of the country (Nyffeler & Knörnschild, 2013).

In this paper, we report the first record of Thyroptera tricolor caught in the web of Eriophora sp. (Araneidae) in a tropical rainforest in the Ecuadorian Amazon. The observation was made on September 4^th, 2021, at 20:53 h on the Botanical trail (00°40’28.70” S, 76°23’56.95” W, 210 m altitude), a terra firme forest near the Yasuní Scientific Station, located in Yasuní National Park in the Orellana Province of Ecuador. This forest is classified as Bosque siempreverde de tierras bajas del Napo-Curaray (MAE, 2013).

The sound of the bat flapping its wings in an attempt to escape was what alerted the authors to this event. Initially, we observed a single adult of Thyroptera tricolor trapped in the center of the web, with its wings outstretched (Figure 1A), about 60 cm above the ground. Subsequently, we observed an individual of Eriophora sp. in the immediate vicinity of the web approaching the bat (Figure 1B). During our observation the spider never came close to the bat; we surmise that it was attempting to hide from our presence. Unfortunately, we were not able to continue the observation due to time restrictions. The web was built among plants of the Rubiaceae and Melastomataceae families at the edge of the trail, in an area with little mature vegetation (Figure 1C).

Only one record of bat predation by spiders exists for Ecuador (Nyffeler & Knörnschild, 2013). The report of observations such as this one contributes to the knowledge of bat biology and predator-prey relationships. Few direct bat predation events are observed and reported, although they comprise an essential part of bat biology and merit further study.

Acknowledgments: This observation was made during the field work of research project PIM-19-0, funded by the Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito, Ecuador.

Conflict of interest: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Funding: Research project PIM-19-0 funded by Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito Ecuador.

Orcid:

IDC https://orcid.org/0009-0008-5801-7207

ADV https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5608-0108

PRP https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1773-3855

REFERENCES

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De Noronha, J. da C., Battirola, L. D., Chagas Júnior, A. C., de Miranda, R. M., de Carpanedo, R. S., & de Rodrigues, D. J. (2015). Predação de morcego (Molossus molossus: Molossidae) pela centopeia Scolopendra viridicornis (Scolopendridae) no sul da Amazônia. Acta Amazônica, 45(3), 333–336. https://doi.org/10.1590/1809-4392201404083

Dechmann, D. K. N., Safi, K., & Vonhof, M. J. (2006). Matching morphology and diet in the disc-winged bat Thyroptera tricolor (Chiroptera). Journal of Mammalogy, 87(5), 1013–1019. https://doi.org/10.1644/05-MAMM-A-424R2.1

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Nyffeler, M., & Knörnschild, M. (2013). Bat predation by spiders. PLoS ONE, 8(3), e58120. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0058120

Reyes-Amaya, N., Lozáno-Flórez, J., Flores, D., & Solari, S. (2016). Distribution of the Spix’s Disk-winged Bat, Thyroptera tricolor Spix, 1823 (Chiroptera: Thyropteridae) in Colombia, with first records for the middle Magdalena Valley. Mastozoología Neotropical, 23(1), 127–137. https://mn.sarem.org.ar/article/distribution-of-thyroptera-tricolor-in-colombia-with-first-records-for-the-middle-magdalena-valley/

Tirira, D. G. (2017). Guía de campo de los mamíferos del Ecuador (2ª ed.). Editorial Murciélago Blanco and Asociación Ecuatoriana de Mastozoología. Publicación Especial sobre los mamíferos del Ecuador 11.

Vonhof, M. J., Whitehead, H., & Fenton, M. B. (2004). Analysis of Spix’s Disc-winged Bat association patterns and roosting home ranges reveal a novel social structure among bats. Animal Behaviour, 68(3), 507–521. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2003.08.025

Citation:

De la Cruz, I., Dueñas-Vidal, A., & Rivera-Parra, P. (2023). First report of Thyroptera tricolor (Chiroptera: Thyropteridae) caught in a web of Eriophora sp. (Araneae: Araneidae) in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Mammalia aequatorialis, 5, 75–78. : https://doi.org/10.59763/mam.aeq.v5i.68