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Hurricane-mediated Extirpation of a Bat from an Antillean Island
Armando Rodríguez-Durán1,*, Natalie A. Nieves1, and Yadiamaris Avilés-Ruiz1
1Universidad Interamericana, Department of Natural Sciences Bayamón, Puerto Rico 00957, USA. *Corresponding author.
Caribbean Naturalist, No. 78 (2020)
Abstract
Reinvasion may be a key to resilience of the bat fauna on small islands within the Antillean arch. Culebra is the least-studied island within the Puerto Rican bank. We monitored bat activity from February 2018 through August 2019. Our results suggest that the only species of bats remaining on the island after hurricanes Irma and María are Noctilio leporinus (Fishing Bat) and Molossus molossus (Velvety Free-tailed Bat).The fruit-eating species Artibeus jamaicensis (Jamaican Fruit Bat) appears to be extirpated. Many of the Lesser Antilles lack cave refuges, which combined with their small size, may contribute to the periodic hurricane-induced extirpation of local populations of bats. An increase in the frequency and intensity of hurricanes could determine which species survive on these islands.
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