BATS OF NORTHWESTERN DURANGO, MEXICO: SPECIES RICHNESS AT THE INTERFACE OF TWO BIOGEOGRAPHIC REGIONS

Abstract

An updated list of the bats of northwestern Durango, based on recent collections and literature records, is presented. A total of 43 species were recorded, five for the first time in the state (Balantiopteryx plicata, Artibeus hirsutus, Artibeus intermedius, Chiroderma salvini, and Myotis carteri). Comparisons with other intensively sampled localities across Mexico indicate that species richness in the Sierra Madre Occidental of northwestern Durango is comparable to that of Mexican rainforests, resulting from high diversity of habitats in relatively small areas. Species composition in this region is dominated by vespertilionid and molossid bats, whereas phyllostomids dominate tropical rainforests; thus, species assemblages are considerably different. Moreover, anthropogenic pressure is comparatively lower than in most of the humid tropics of Mexico. Nonetheless, no protected area exists that includes the complete spectrum of habitats of the region. An immediate conservation strategy is urgently needed if this largely unknown region of Mexico is to be preserved.