FRUGIVORY BY PHYLLOSTOMIDAE BATS IN A MONTANE ATLANTIC FOREST, SOUTHEASTERN MINAS GERAIS, BRAZIL

The study was carried out at Parque Estadual do Ibitipoca, in southeastern Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The aim was to verify which fruits are most important in the diet of Phyllostomidae bats between two areas of Ombrophilous Dense Forest: Mata de Grota and Mata Grande. Bats were captured with mist nets and their diet was studied by analysis of fecal samples. In total, 400 captures were obtained, of which the Phyllostomidae family represented 98%. The most abundant species were Sturnira lilium (59.9%), Plavrrhinus lineatus (11.3%), Artibeus lituratus (8.7%) and Carollia perspicillata (7.6%). From the 126 fecal samples, 14 plant species were found; the most commonly consumed ones were Solanum swartzianum (31.1% of samples), Fires mexiae (23.5%), Solanum pseudo quina (9.2%) and Dyssochroma viridiflorum (8.4%). There was no difference in seed richness between the Mata de Grota and Mata Grande, but there was a great difference in the diversity of seeds in these areas. In Mata de Grota, the consumption of F. mexiae was more pronounced, whereas S. swartzianum was consumed more significantly in the Mata Grande than the Mata de Grota. In Sturnira lilium, 71.8% of the diet was composed of Solanaceae seeds, and this plant family also predominated in the diet of C. perspicillata (53.8%). Ficus mexiae was the plant species consumed by the largest number of bats and was an exclusive item in the diets of A. lituratus, A. fimbriatus and Platyrrinus recifinus, and predominated in the diet of P. lineatus. Solanaceae seeds occurred more frequently compared with other plant families. The consumption of large amounts of F. mexiae in several months throughout the year suggests that some species move to the park in these periods in search of this feeding resource.