The Distribution and Ecology of Bats in the Polillo Islands, Philippines

(Uploaded by Plazi for the Bat Literature Project) The bats of Polillo Island group are described. A total of 25 species of bats were recorded. These include eight fruit bats, one megadermatid, nine rhinolophid and seven vespertilionid. Of the 25 species recorded, 11 are listed as new records for the island. The study employed disturbance gradient surveys in Sibulan watershed, Polillo Island to determine diversity patterns. Trends show that many species are generalist, particularly fruit bats, owing to the small size of the forest and its proximity to disturbed habitats. In addition, new netting techniques were employed: ground netting, sub canopy netting and tunnel trapping. Tunnel trapping proved to be more efficient in capturing bats having an efficiency of 41 and 28-fold than ground and sub-canopy netting respectively. Preliminary assessment shows that foraging behavior plays a great role in discrepancies in capture efficiencies.