Characterization of echolocation calls from insectivorous bats in Puting Bato Cave 5, Burdeos, Polillo Island, Philippines

Issue Date

12-2021

Abstract

Acoustic recording is rarely applied in studying Philippine bats, which is reflected by the scarcity of related publications in the country. As a result, the echolocation calls of many local bat species are still unknown, and a reliable bat call library does not exist. Here, we described the echolocation call of some insectivorous bats in Polillo Island and used the call characteristics to define each species. We captured and recorded the echolocation calls of cave-dwelling bats in Puting Bato Cave 5 in October and November 2019. Using BatSound, we measured the spectral and temporal call characteristics and determined the call structure and duty cycle of all recorded individuals. Then, we applied multivariate discriminant function analysis (DFA) to classify the calls into species and identify the call parameter with the highest discriminating power. In total, we recorded 104 individual bats from five species belonging to four families. All species from families Miniopteridae and Vespertilionidae produced steep frequency-modulated (FM) sweeps, while the species belonging to families Hipposideridae and Rhinolophidae emitted calls with constant frequency and FM components. Among the recorded species, Hipposideros coronatus had the highest peak frequency record (> 150 kHz), while Myotis macrotarsus had the lowest (< 40 kHz). Meanwhile, the longest call duration was recorded from Rhinolophus arcuatus (> 40 ms), while Miniopterus paululus produced the shortest call (< 3 ms). The DFA perfectly classified the calls into the correct species and peak frequency was the most important predictor among the call parameters measured. Our results provide strong evidence that insectivorous bats in Puting Bato Cave 5 produce species-specific echolocation calls, and acoustic recording can be a reliable method to enhance research on these cave-dwelling bats.

Source or Periodical Title

Philippine Journal of Science

ISSN

0031-7683

Volume

150

Issue

6B

Page

1723-1734

Document Type

Article

Frequency

quarterly

Physical Description

illustrations; table

Language

English

En – AGROVOC descriptors

CHIROPTERA; INSECTIVOROUS ANIMALS; BIOACOUSTICS; ACOUSTICS; ECHOLOCATION; AUDIO RECORDINGS; TAXONOMY; MONITORING; PHILIPPINES

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