PIT-tag as permanent marking method on Myotis chiloensis (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) and Tadarida brasiliensis (Chiroptera: Molossidae) in central Chile
PDF (Español (España))

Keywords

bats
marking methods
Mediterranean ecosystem
monitoring
small mammals

Abstract

Tracking and monitoring of bat populations have frequently involved the use of inappropriate marking methods. Due to their small size, passive integrated transponders (PIT-tag) provide a permanent mark for small vertebrate species through their sub-dermal implantation. However, few studies assess their effects on bats. Here we present the first study on the effect of PIT-tags on bats in Latin America. We evaluated the effect of the use of PIT-tag as a permanent mark on the recapture rate and body condition in Myotis chiloensis and Tadarida brasiliensis in central Chile. For both species, we marked a group of individuals with PIT-tag and left an equivalent group without a mark. In six surveys, between January and March 2019, we captured a total of 262 individuals, 176 corresponding to the species M. chiloensis and 86 to T. brasiliensis, with a total of 43 and 33 recaptures, respectively. The use of PIT-tag had no effect neither on the recapture rate nor body condition for both bat species. Although more investigations are required, our results suggested that the use of PIT-tag as a marking method is adequate and safe for this bat species and it could be implemented in long-term studies.

https://doi.org/10.4067/S0717-65382022000200040
PDF (Español (España))
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Copyright (c) 2022 Martín A. H. Escobar, Francisca Puelma-Diez, Nélida R. Villaseñor

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.