Osteologic collections are used as an aid to scientific and teaching activities, to provide information on specific vertebrate characteristics, such as body support, posture, mode of locomotion, feeding habits and ecological niche. Known techniques for cleaning entire skeletons or mammalian skulls vary according to the destination of the material, the objective of the study, the taxonomic group, and the size of the specimen. The objective of this study was to test three different methods of maceration for cleaning bat skulls (traditional biological maceration, controlled biological maceration using Dermestes maculatus and controlled biological maceration using necrophagous fly larvae). The methods were carried out during five consecutive months, and the minimum and maximum times taken by each method were recorded and documented. Cleaning by fly larvae was the least costly method; the whole process was carried out during the preparation of the osteologic material. The flies ovulated directly on the pieces and the time spent was relatively short. Cleaning by dermestid larvae also resulted in clean parts in a short period, however, its culture needs specific maintenance conditions, since the size of the colony oscillates according to environmental temperature.

The emergence of zoonotic viral diseases, notably exemplified by the recent coronavirus disease pandemic in 2019 (COVID-19), underscores the critical need to understand the dynamics of viruses circulating in wildlife populations. This study aimed to investigate the diversity of coronaviruses in bat populations from northeastern Brazil, particularly in the state of Ceará, where little research on bat pathogens has been conducted previously. Bat sampling was performed between March 2021 and March 2022 across three municipalities, resulting in the collection of oral and rectal swabs from 298 captured individuals. Molecular analyses revealed alphacoronaviruses in multiple bat species. Additionally, a novel Betacoronavirus was identified in Artibeus planirostris, which did not fall within an established subgenus. Phylogenetic placement of these new coronavirus sequences suggests that closely related coronavirus lineages can infect a wide range of bat species sampled in distantly related Brazilian states and biomes. No SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A viruses were found in the sampled bats. These findings expand our understanding of coronavirus diversity in Brazilian bats. The detection of coronaviruses in various bat species underscores the importance of bats as reservoirs for these viruses. The absence of SARS-CoV-2 in the sampled bats indicates a lack of spillback events from human or environmental sources. However, the potential for future transmission events underscores the importance of ongoing surveillance and transmission mitigation protocols in wildlife management practices.

Notas sobre Mamíferos Sudamericanos es una revista de la Sociedad Argentina para el Estudio de los Mamíferos (SAREM). Publica información acotada donde se describen nuevas localidades de registro, datos sobre comportamiento y aspectos ecológicos de mamíferos neotropicales.

Sturnira, known as the yellow-shouldered bat, has a wide geographical distribution and encompasses 24 distinct species. Within Phyllostomidae, Sturnira is the most diverse, with four species in Brazil: S. lilium, S. magna, S. tildae, and S. giannae. Sturnira species occur on the eastern slopes of the Andes and adjacent Amazonian lowlands, spanning from Colombia to northern Bolivia, the Brazilian Amazon, the southern lowlands of Venezuela, and the Guianas. In the present study the following were investigated: the phylogenetic relationships of Sturnira, employing the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene as a marker; the phylogeography of S. lilium and S. giannae, aiming to elucidate their geographical boundaries and phylogenetic positions; the morphology of S. lilium and S. giannae, and their potential distributions. The results indicate that there are two major clades within Sturnira, one including S. lilium, S. parvidens, and S. bakeri as the sister group of S. giannae, S. luisi, and S. paulsoni, and another clade with the remaining species. Morphological analyses showed that the diagnostic characteristics previously advanced for S. lilium and S. giannae overlap. Our findings expanded the known distribution of S. giannae, and show an area where S. lilium and S. giannae overlap in distribution. This area spans from the south of the state of Mato Grosso to the south of the state of Maranhão; the two species are sympatric in northeast Brazil and syntopic in the Pantanal. The comprehensive species distribution model suggested that the sympatry between S. lilium and S. giannae is notably larger than documented here.