Bats of Barbuda, Northern Lesser Antilles

Authors

Scott C. Pedersen, South Dakota State UniversityFollow
Peter A. Larsen, Texas Tech UniversityFollow
Hugh H. Genoways, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Matthew Morton, Durrell Wildlife Conservation TrustFollow
Kevel C. Lindsay, Natural Resources ManagementFollow
Jerry Cindric, Olathe, KansasFollow

Date of this Version

10-2007

Comments

Occasional Papers, Museum of Texas Tech University, Number 271, 24 October 2007.

Abstract

Five species of bats are known to occur on the Lesser Antillean island of Barbuda—Noctilio leporinus, Monophyllus plethodon, Brachyphylla cavernarum, Tadarida brasiliensis, and Molossus molossus. During the present study, two additional species of bats—Artibeus jamaicensis and Natalus stramineus—were added to the chiropteran fauna of the island. Although the ecological diversity of Barbuda is limited, this bat fauna matches those of islands in the region such as Antigua, Nevis, and St. Kitts. It is proposed that this biodiversity of bats is maintained because of the geology of Barbuda provides ample roosting sites and access to freshwater in caves, bluff faces, and sinkholes. The conservation of the chiropteran fauna of Barbuda, therefore, depends on the protection of these geological resources.