Morcegos cavernícolas do Brasil: novos registros e desafios para conservação

Abstract

Bats are essential to the maintenance of many subterranean ecosystems, and, on the other hand, natural underground cavities are crucial shelters for the conservation of this animal group. Brazil has more than 12.000 known caves, and this is estimated to be less than 10% of the real total in the country. Furthermore, approximately 2% of these caves have data regarding their bat fauna. In Brazil there are 178 species of bats and 58 of these were documented in caves, but not all are considered cave species. The occurrence of bats in caves in Brazil was assessed by reviewing the knowledge available in the literature about 211 caves, plus an inventory in the 58 caves have not studied, totaling 269 caves divided into 19 federal units: AM (2), BA (34), CE (4), DF (18), ES (3), GO (63), MG (23), MS (2), MT (3), PA (13), PE (3), PI (1), PR (16), RJ (3), RN (8), SC (2), SE (2), SP (67) e TO (2). Studies are concentrated in São Paulo, Goiás and Distrito Federal. Gaps in the existing knowledge about the bat fauna in the Brazilian caves hinders a series of analyzes and important decisions about the preservation of caves in Brazil.