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Carollia castanea se distribuye desde Honduras hasta Venezuela. Casos de leucismo no han sido reportados para esta especie pero si para otros filostómidos. Capturamos un adulto de C. castanea con leucismo en la Zona Protectora Las Tablas. Presentaba despigmentación en la punta de las alas, debajo del antebrazo y en la parte superior del uropatagio, pero las manchas blancas no cubrían una alta porción de la piel. Algunos casos de leucismo en murciélagos han sido explicados por endogamia en poblaciones pequeñas o aisladas, pero esto no está apoyado por evidencia empírica. Nuestro registro es anecdótico, y no podemos ofrecer una explicación ecológica o genética. Proponemos que los casos de leucismo sean evaluados en cada contexto específico y soportado por estudios poblacionales robustos.
Palabras clave: Coloración atípica, Murciélagos, Neotrópico, Talamanca.
Abstract
Carollia castanea is distributed from Honduras to Venezuela. Leucism has not been reported for this species but there are reports for other phyllostomid bats. An adult C. castanea with leucism was captured at Las Tablas Protected Zone, Costa Rica. It presented depigmentation on both wing tips, under the and on the upper part of the uropatagium, however the white patches did not cover a high proportion of its skin. Some leucism cases in bats have been explained by inbreeding in small or isolated population, but it is scarcely supported by empirical evidence. Our record is anecdotal therefore we cannot offer an ecological or even a genetic explanation. We propose that leucism cases should be assessed in each specific context where it is recorded, and supported by robust population studies.
Key words: Atypical coloration, Bats, Neotropics, Talamanca.
Introduction
Melanin is the product of a biochemical synthetic pathway; its quantity and distribution is genetically controlled (Griffiths et al. 2000). Mutation on the genes involved in the synthesis of melanin can be manifested in chromatic disorders such as albinism or leucism (Griffiths et al. 2000, Zalapa et al. 2016). Leucism is a skin condition that results from total or partial lack of pigmentation on the skin or fur (van Grouw 2006).
Reports of leucism in terrestrial vertebrates are generally scarce but relatively common for bats (Arriaga-Flores et al. 2016). The high frequency of leucism in vertebrates has been explained by inbreeding (Hsu 2003), but the relationship...