Big eyes on the Island: First record of Chiroderma villosum of Cozumel Island, México and bat species richness in the Caribbean islands

Abstract

The closest record of Chiroderma villosum to Isla Cozumel is documented in the city of Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo.  Here we report the first record of C. villosum for Cozumel Island, and compile information on the richness of bat species in the Caribbean Islands.  Mist nets were deployed on May 5, 2021 at ground level to capture bats in the forest.  Each individual was processed as follows: forearm length taken with a caliper to the closest mm, and body mass was taken with a digital scale with 1g precision.  Bats were identified following the bat field key of México.  In one evening we captured 8 individuals of Artibeus jamaicensis.  In addition, 1 non-reproductive, adult male of C. villosum was captured at 21:45 hr in a mist net crossing a trail in the semideciduous rainforest in the northwest of the San Gervasio archaeological site.  So far, 19 species of bats corresponding to 5 families have been documented in Cozumel Island, the record of this specimen increases the number of species of bats present on the island to 20 species and 16 genera.  More studies are still needed, but it is very likely that this species is widespread in all forested areas in Cozumel.