Abstract

CASTILLO-NAVARRO, Yeimy; SERRANO-CARDOZO, Víctor H  and  RAMIREZ-PINILLA, Martha P. Biología reproductiva de Artibeus lituratus y Artibeus jamaicensis (Phyllostomidae: Stenodermatinae) en un área urbana en Colombia. Mastozool. neotrop. [online]. 2017, vol.24, n.1, pp.69-84. ISSN 0327-9383.

We investigated the annual reproductive activity of females of Artibeus lituratus and A. jamaicensis inhabiting an urban area and its relation with climate and dietary resources. The reproductive condition of each of 366 females captured during 2012 was evaluated through external morphological characters (nipple condition and abdominal distension) and the characterization of the phases of the oestral cycle using cytologies of vaginal smears. We document a pattern of bimodal polyestrous for the two species, confirming the previously reported bimodal phenology for A. lituratus on the Cordillera Oriental of the Colombian Andes. By using vaginal cytol­ogy, the evaluation of reproductive condition was optimized, recognizing sexual receptivity (oestrus - copula) in females considered as reproductively inactive by their external morphology. We found females in different reproductive condition in the same sampling period, indicating that there is intraspecific asynchrony in repro­ductive activity. Nevertheless, A. lituratus and A. jamaicensis coincide in gestation and birth periods in the second dry season and in the first wet season of the year. Bats were observed foraging throughout the year, consuming fruits for several months and nectar during the driest season of the year. The species studied do not strictly adjust their reproductive phenology to the climate pattern in the study area and followed a conserved pattern of bimodal polyestry, common with other populations from non-urban habitats.

Keywords : Bats; Oestrus; Polyestry; Reproduction; Vaginal cytology.