ECOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS ON Xeronycteris vieirai: AN ENDEMIC BAT SPECIES FROM THE BRAZILIAN SEMIARID MACROREGION

(Uploaded by Plazi for the Bat Literature Project) We provide information on distribution, shelter use, food consumption, and reproductive biology of the nectar-feeding bat Xeronycteris vieirai. Six adult bats were mist netted near the caves and bromeliad Encholirium splendidum in a transition area between Caatinga and Cerrado biomes in Brazil. Bats were leaving the caves and were observed feeding on that bromeliad species. Our results suggest that distribution of X. vieirai may not be restricted to the Caatinga, but may occupy the entire Brazilian semiarid macroregion. Echolirium splendidum is an important resource for bats in karstic regions and its distribution might be related to the distribution and reproduction of X. vieirai.