Phyllonycteris aphylla in Jamaica 653
TABLE 2 Capture records of 14 P. aphylla trapped at Big Hole, Rock Spring Caverns, St. Mary, Jamaica. All bats were captured in two harp traps and were extracted at approximately the same time ± 15 min. These records do not include 52 individual P. aphylla captured at 20:30 in the harp traps on the same day; there were 26 males and 26 females (23 pregnant). All individuals were adults.
ID
JM230 JM234 JM235 JM2361 JM237 JM239 JM240 JM242 JM244 JM246 JM297 JM298 JM299 JM301
1Not weighed.
species, including 20 P. aphylla (14 on 24 March 23, 6 on 2 April 23). Among these 20 individuals, we captured five pregnant females and two adult females that were not obviously pregnant at the time of capture. These individuals were processed and an additional four (including another pregnant female) were captured at 22.30 on 2 April (Table 1). These records are the first published captures of P. aphylla at Green Grotto Caves, as well as the first confir- mation of reproductive females at this site. Rock Spring Caverns, St. Mary parish, has not been pre-
viously surveyed for bats, although it was geologically sur- veyed and mapped by a team from Leeds University, UK, in 1963 and is well known to local people and cavers (Fincham, 1997). Exploration by the Jamaican Caves Organisation from 2020 onwards documented 11 holes that appear to give access to the caverns, seven of which were numbered by the original expedition and four subse- quently named; e.g. Big Hole and Scary Hole (Fig. 2). Assessments revealed that bats roost throughout most of the cave at varying densities, and based on knowledge of caves throughout the island, it is believed to be one of the largest communities of roosting bats in Jamaica (R.S. Stewart, pers. comm., 2023). On the evening of 1 April 2023, we visited Rock Spring Caverns at Big Hole and set two harp traps at the south-facing edge at c.
18.00.Bats began to emerge at c. 18.20 and through to 20.00 we cap- tured c. 200 individuals of six species; among these were 14 P. aphylla (Table 2). By 20.30 the harp traps had captured c. 100 additional bats, the majority being P. aphylla.We assessed age-class, sex and reproductive status of each P. aphylla before it was released. Among this later group we captured 26 non-reproductive adult males and 23 preg- nant females; there were an additional three adult females that were not obviously pregnant. Assuming no individuals
were recaptures (we were unable to mark these bats because of permit restrictions), we captured a total of 66 mature P. aphylla. Based on the IUCN Red List assessment, this is likely the largest known population of the species (Koenig& Dávalos, 2015). The capture records presented here substantially alter
what was previously known about this species. Not only do they increase the number of sites and reproductive indi- viduals known, but they also the assumption that P. aphylla is only found in hot caves. Although Stony Hill Cave is hot (ambient temperatures of #38 °C), both Green Grotto and Rock Spring contain flowing or pooledwater thatmoderates temperatures within these caves, and both are described as cool (i.e. below external ambient temperatures) with regard to their overall temperature profile (R.S. Stewart, pers. comm., 2023). At Rock Spring Caverns, although some roosting areas are perceived to be warmer than other areas, no surveyed locations in the cave are hot (23.1–23.6 °C in passages and roost spaces; ambient 30.0 °C). Likewise, at Green Grotto Cave, although some unexplored areas may have temperatures above ambient, the principal bat roosting areas are cooler than external temperatures (27.5–29.2 °C; ambient 35.6 °C; D.L. Whyte, unpubl. data, 2023). McFarlane (1986)suggested that P. aphylla may also be restricted to caves associated with abandoned river resurgences, however this is not the case at Stony Hill, Green Grotto or Rock Spring. There are no known unit- ing geological or other physical features between current and previously known roosts. Thus, we believe there is no known limitation for a cave to host a P. aphylla colony and more caves should be surveyed to examine this. Future work on P. aphylla should focus on locating ad-
ditional roosts and safeguarding the three known popu- lations. The primary threats to this species include
Oryx, 2024, 58(5), 650–654 © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Fauna & Flora International doi:10.1017/S0030605323001643 Date
1 Apr. 23 1 Apr. 23 1 Apr. 23 1 Apr. 23 1 Apr. 23 1 Apr. 23 1 Apr. 23 1 Apr. 23 1 Apr. 23 1 Apr. 23 1 Apr. 23 1 Apr. 23 1 Apr. 23 1 Apr. 23
Capture time 19.30
19.30 19.30 19.30 19.30 19.30 19.30 19.30 19.30 19.30 19.30 19.30 19.30 19.30
Sex F
F F
Reproductive status Pregnant
Pregnant Pregnant
M Non-reproductive F
Pregnant Pregnant Pregnant
M Non-reproductive F F F F
M Scrotal M Scrotal
M Non-reproductive F
Not obviously pregnant
Not obviously pregnant Pregnant
Forearm length (mm) 48.8
47.1 47.7 45.1 46.1 47.7 44.4 46.2 45.9 47.1 48.4 47.2 47.3 47.2
Mass (g) 20.69
20.32 20.69
16.42 20.78 19.87 20.09 18.42 19.20 21.52 20.69 21.75 15.99
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