Tent Roosts of Macconnell's Bat (Vampyressa macconnelli)

Between 11 September and 2 November 1990, 26 tent roosts, four of which were occupied by Macconnell's bat (Vampyressa macconnelli), were discovered in an area of mature flood plain forest in Manu National Park, Madre de Dios, Peru. All were constructed in the terminal blade of unseparated pinnae in fronds of Astrocaryum macrocalyx Burret (Palmae). Tents generally were not found in fronds of A. macrocalyx shorter than 2 m or longer than 4 m, or in other species of palms or broad-leaved plants that have been reported to harbor tent roosts of bats. The proximal four to nine unseparated pinnae of the terminal blade were severed to form the tent. Tents averaged 50.7 cm long, 17 1 cm maximum width, and 16.7 cm maximum depth, and were an average of 2.33 m above the ground. From one to seven bats were present in the four occupied tents but were not present in a tent every day The density of active tents was ca 0.74/ha