Nassar, J.M.

The Island of Bonaire possess a system of more than 150 natural caves, but only five of them are known to be used as diurnal and maternity roosts by the five species of cave-dwelling bats reported for this island. In the case of Natalus tumidirostris and Myotis nesopolus, Pos di Antoin is the only one. Additionally, this cave is the most important maternity roost known on Bonaire for Glossophaga longirostris and it is also used by all the species of cave-dwelling bats recorded on Bonaire. Its certification as SICOM will become crucial to support and reach the goal of changing its designation status in the Zone Planning to “Natural Area” and/or “Protection Zone-Cave”, in addition of providing this roost with adequate legislation and management plans for its protection. Besides this, its certification will complement the AICOMs and SICOMs already certified on the ABC islands.

The Island of Bonaire has a system of natural caves that probably exceeds 150 in number. Those caves house at least five species of bats: Leptonycteris curasoae, Mormoops megalophylla, Natalus tumidirostris, Myotis nesopolus and Glossophaga longirostris. The former four depend primarily or exclusively on caves as diurnal and maternity roosts. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species considers L. curasoae as Vulnerable. Several studies have underlined the importance of this bat as a pollinator and long-distance seed dispersal agent of several species of succulent plants in northern South America. Likewise, indirect evidence suggests that between December and March part of the populations of Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire abandon these islands and move to the arid and semiarid zones of Venezuela and Colombia. Until now, we did not know that L. curasoae reproduced on Bonaire, but during the last three years, studies conducted on the island have shown that it is important as a mating and maternity site for the species. At present, we have identified four caves used as maternity roosts. Mormoops megalophylla also reproduces on Bonaire, with at least two maternity caves. Recognition of the Washington–Slagbaai National Park and surrounding areas as an AICOM will contribute to protecting the main habitat types used by all species present on the island as food sources and roosts.

The Island of Bonaire possess a system of more than 150 natural caves, but only five of them are known to be used as diurnal and maternity roosts by the five species of cave-dwelling bats reported for this island. The Curaçaoan Long-nosed bat (Leptonycteris curasoae) uses all five, but only two of them are used by the Ghost-faced bat (Mormoops megalophylla). Leptonycteris curasoae is one of the two nectar-feeding species responsible for pollination and seed dispersal of columnar cacti in Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire. This species has been classified as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Both L. curasoae and M. megalophylla depend on caves as diurnal roosts. Altogether, these attributes reflect clearly the great importance of providing special protection to the caves used by these species. Of the two maternity roosts shared by both species, Kueba di Watapana has demonstrated to be the most important, because it contains one of the largest colonies of pregnant and lactating females of L. curasoae during the reproductive period. Unfortunately, this cave is outside the limits of the protected areas on Bonaire. Its designation as SICOM will contribute to set the basis for adequate management plans and a protective legislation that secures the integrity of this roost and the colonies of L. curasoae and M. megalophylla present in them. The most positive direct impact of this SICOM will be the protection of gravid females of L. curasoae and their newborns. Finally, its designation as a SICOM will complement the AICOM already created.

A unique and novel stereotypic ‘smearing’ behavior and the formation of an odoriferous dorsal patch have been recently described in two species of long-nosed bats, Leptonycteris curasoae and L. yerbabuenae (Glossophaginae: Phyllostomidae). It has been hypothesized that this structure represents a mechanism involved in female mate choice mediated through odor, and that it has only evolved within the genus Leptonycteris. No evidence has been published indicating whether the smearing behavior and the dorsal patch occur in L. nivalis, the third extant species within the genus. We reviewed the available data on the mating behavior of L. nivalis and conducted four surveys on the only mating colony known for this species at Cueva del Diablo, Tepoztlan, Morelos, Mexico, searching for evidence of both the smearing behavior and the dorsal patch in reproductive males of this species. Our findings indicate that L. nivalis does not display the smearing behavior or the dorsal patch, suggesting that this trait and its role in mate choice by females must have evolved from a common ancestor of L. yerbabuenae and L. curasoae after it separated from L. nivalis, between 1.0 and 0.5 million years ago. We propose a possible hypothetical scenario for the evolution of the smearing behavior, based on differential levels of ectoparasitic pressure acting on bat populations established at locations with markedly different environmental temperatures.