# Cave‐dwelling bats of Carajás National Forest: New cytogenetic data of threatened species

## TL;DR

This study explores the chromosomal diversity of cave-dwelling bats in Brazil's Carajás National Forest to support conservation efforts and better understand their biodiversity.

## Contribution

The study presents the first karyotype descriptions for five bat species in Brazil, including Natalus macrourus and Peropteryx kappleri.

## Key findings

- Cytogenetic analyses revealed chromosomal diversity in eight bat species from Carajás National Forest.
- Five species had their karyotypes described for the first time in Brazilian specimens.
- The findings support biodiversity conservation and genome sequencing efforts.

## Abstract

In Brazil, bat species that use caves as shelters are constantly susceptible to anthropic impacts. Of the 181 species of bats in Brazil, 81 are recorded in caves, 13 of which are considered essentially cave dwellers. The Carajás National Forest Conservation Unit, located in the southeastern region of Pará, serves as a refuge for these species, among others. The present work sought to reveal the chromosomal diversity of bats in six caves of the Carajás National Forest. Cytogenetic analyses were carried out for some species as an additional tool for taxonomic identification. We present here the conventional karyotype of eight species, five being described for the first time in Brazilian specimens. We also described for the first time the karyotypes of Natalus macrourus and Peropteryx kappleri. These findings may be helpful to support conservation guidelines, and for the knowledge of these species' biodiversity, evolutionary history, and to support genome sequencing efforts.

The Carajás National Forest, a Conservation Unit protected by law, is one of the few forest remnants in the southeastern region of Pará, Eastern Amazonia, Brazil, reconciling biodiversity protection with economic activities (i.e. mining). The present study aims to describe the chromosomal diversity of bats in natural caves of the Carajás National Forest. Our results allow the chromosomal characterization of the collected taxa, helping to define their taxonomic status and thus contributing to decision‐making about the management of the region, from the point of view of biodiversity conservation.