Details - Distributional and reproductive records of bats from south-central Nebraska

Distributional and reproductive records of bats from south-central Nebraska

Title

Distributional and reproductive records of bats from south-central Nebraska

Related Titles

Series: Occasional papers, no. 347

By

Johnson, Owen J., , author

Geluso, Keith , author

Type

Book

Material

Published material

Publication info

Lubbock, TX, Museum of Texas Tech University, 2017

Notes

"6 July 2017."

Bats are facing unprecedented population declines across North America. Onset and continued westward movement of white-nose syndrome (WNS) has caused large-scale mortality in cave-dwelling, hibernating eastern species of bats, whereas numerous migratory bat species are affected by wind-energy facilities across the continent. To date, limited natural history data are available for bats from south-central Nebraska, an area of the state not yet impacted by WNS or wind-energy facilities. Herein, we report on geographic and reproductive records of bats from the region to better understand them and to serve as a baseline on species occurrences and their natural history. We documented 22 county records of seven species from 12 total counties, including expansion of distributional limits for the Northern Long-eared Myotis (Myotis septentrionalis), Evening Bat (Nycticeius humeralis), and American Perimyotis (Perimyotis subflavus) in the state. Fifteen reproductive records were documented from four species in nine counties, including the earliest volant young for Eastern Red Bats (Lasiurus borealis) and latest date of pregnancy for Evening Bats in Nebraska. Understanding the natural history and distribution of bats in the region will help to make informed management decisions in the future.