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1 June 2010 The Vocal Repertoire of Two Sympatric Species of Nectar-Feeding Bats (Glossophaga soricina and G. commissarisi)
Mirjam Knörnschild, Volker Glöckner, Otto Von Helversen
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Abstract

We recorded social vocalizations from two sympatric species of glossophagine bats, Glossophaga soricina and G. commissarisi, using habituated captive groups that were housed in separate flight cages. Whenever possible, the species-specific vocalization types were described in the light of the social context in which they were produced. Several vocalization types within each species' repertoire had remarkable similarities to vocalization types in the other species' repertoire. Out of these, four vocalization types with interspecific acoustic similarities (approach pulses, distress calls, aggressive trills, and alert calls) were used in similar behavioral contexts in both species. Approach pulses were produced whenever a bat was flying towards an already occupied roost. Distress calls were uttered whenever a bat was attacked by conspecifics or restrained by the observer, whereas aggressive trills were produced during aggressive encounters prior to physical contact. Alert calls were uttered when bats were disturbed or when several individuals were circling the same location. The interspecific similarity of both the social context and the acoustic structure of vocalization types suggest that the potential for interspecific communication is high in G. soricina and G. commissarisi.

© Museum and Institute of Zoology PAS
Mirjam Knörnschild, Volker Glöckner, and Otto Von Helversen "The Vocal Repertoire of Two Sympatric Species of Nectar-Feeding Bats (Glossophaga soricina and G. commissarisi)," Acta Chiropterologica 12(1), 205-215, (1 June 2010). https://doi.org/10.3161/150811010X504707
Received: 6 August 2009; Accepted: 1 January 2010; Published: 1 June 2010
KEYWORDS
acoustic similarity
distress calls
eavesdropping
interspecific communication
Repertoire size
social calls
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