Murciélagos (Chiroptera) del departamento del Chocó, occidente colombiano

Due to its location on the northwestern corner of the subcontinent, considered epicenter of the great inter- change of biota between North and South America, the department of Choco represents one of the most important terrestrial and aquatic environments in terms of biodiversity in the American tropics. In addition, the entire area of the department is part of in the Biogeographic Choco, which corresponds to a large proportion of conservation corridor Choco-Manabi, hotspot of biodiversity, as well as the Terrestrial Ecore- gion Priority (ETP) Tumbes-Choco-Magdalena. It has been documented, that chiropterans constitute one of the most important components of such diversity. Although there are many e orts that compile the chiropterological information of the department, important advances on the documentation of this group of mammals for the region make urgent a constant evaluation of the bat diversity for the department. On this line of ideas, we present an updated list of bats for the department of Choco, which include species that have been reported in national lists and are represented in scienti c collections of national and international institutions. We report a total of 132 Chocoan bat species, corresponding to 64,4% of the chiropteranfau-na of Colombia. Among this diversity there are six species considered at risk threat (IUCN). This diversity is grouped into 59 genera, seven families and 12 subfamilies. This study increases the Chocoan richness of bats in 49%, going from 83 to 132 species. This results position the Choco as the department with the highest number of species of bats in the country, and one of the areas with the greatest bat diversity in the hemisphere. The subregion with the highest species richness in the department was Atrato with 82 species and the municipality with the highest number recorded species was Quibdo with 72 species. However, our analyses suggest a high biotic potential for the region, and at the same time, point out on the scarcity of studies and knowledge and the poor geographic coverage of diversity inventories; a serious situation if we consider the multiple and constant human pressures on nature in this portion of the country. Habitat fragmentation caused by di erent human activities (agriculture, cattle, and mining) as well as hunting are some of the most relevant anthropogenic pressures. In this scenario, it is evident the need for further research in the department, involving taxonomic and eco- logical aspects, which contribute to a better understanding of this group and provide useful tools for the conservation of bats in northwestern Colombia.