High incidence of hypopigmented marks in the endangered Florida bonneted bat (Eumops floridanus)

Aberrant patches of white skin and/or fur known as hypopigmented marks, have been observed in many mammal species worldwide, but they are typically limited to only a few individuals in a population. Hypopigmented marks were documented in only two museum specimens of the federally endangered Florida bonneted bat (Eumops floridanus) as early as 1950, but recent observations suggest that these marks may be more common in this species than previously believed. To better understand the occurrence and persistence of hypopigmented marks in Florida bonneted bats, we evaluated the variation in frequency, compared effects on survival, and assessed spatial and temporal differences of specimens at an intensively studied site and across the species range. From 2014 through 2017, we regularly captured Florida bonneted bats for demographic studies at Babcock-Webb Wildlife Management Area in Charlotte County and we observed hypopigmented marks on 172 (80.8%) of 213 individuals, the
highest incidence e...

被称为色素减退斑（hypopigmented marks）的异常白色皮肤和/或毛发斑块，在全球许多哺乳动物物种中均有观察到，但通常仅存在于种群中的少数个体身上。早在1950年，联邦濒危物种佛罗里达帽蝙蝠（Eumops floridanus）的博物馆标本中仅记录到两例色素减退斑，但近期观察表明，该物种中此类斑块的发生率可能高于此前的认知。为深入了解佛罗里达帽蝙蝠色素减退斑的发生与持续情况，我们评估了其频率变化，比较了对生存的影响，并分析了在重点研究区域及整个物种分布范围内标本的时空差异。2014至2017年间，我们在夏洛特县的巴布科克-韦伯野生动物管理区定期捕捉佛罗里达帽蝙蝠进行种群统计研究，发现213只个体中有172只（80.8%）存在色素减退斑，这是目前记录到的最高发生率……