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2017 Southeastern Naturalist Notes Vol. 16, No. 4
M.B. Meierhofer and K.D. Demere
Leucism in Two Tri-colored Bats (Perimyotis subflavus) in Texas
Melissa B. Meierhofer1,* and Krysta D. Demere2
Abstract - Although aberrant coloration is known to occur in mammals, few records of the phenomenon
exist in the literature for North American bats. Here we report on 2 leucistic Perimyotis subflavus
(Tri-colored Bats) in Leon County, TX, that had a distinct white patch on their bodies. Our observation
is the third documentation of leucism in Tri-colored Bats.
Introduction. Aberrant coloration, although low in frequency, has been documented
across many mammal species, including an array of bats. However, few published records
exist documenting pigmentation deviations in Perimyotis subflavus (F. Cuvier) (Tri-colored
Bat), a species found throughout most of eastern North and Central America (Blair 1947,
Bleakney 1965, Fujita and Kunz 1984, Goslin 1942, Osgood 1936, Trapido and Crowe
1942). The common pelage color of the Tri-colored Bat consists of hairs that are dark at the
base, yellowish-brown in the middle, and dark at the tip (Barbour and Davis 1969, Fujita
and Kunz 1984, Nason 1948). In general, Tri-colored Bats have dark wing-membranes with
the localized exception of a paler, pink color on the leading edge of the wing. Their ears
1Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843.
2Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute, College Station, TX 77843. *Corresponding author -
melissa.meierhofer@ag.tamu.edu.
Manuscript Editor: Roger Perry
Notes of the Southeastern Naturalist, Issue 16/4, 2017
Figure 1. Observed leucism in 2 Tri-colored Bats in Leon County, TX. (A) The first bat observed with
white patch across the individual’s ribcage and (B) second bat observed with white patches visual
ventrally on the left and right sides. Photograph © Krysta Demere.
2017 Southeastern Naturalist Notes Vol. 16, No. 4
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M.B. Meierhofer and K.D. Demere
and facial skin are pinkish brown (Ammerman et al. 2012). Records describing aberrant
coloration for this species include leucism (i.e., reduced or absent integumentary pigmentation,
but eyes remain pigmented, which separates leucism from albinism; Blair 1947, Goslin
1942), and melanism (i.e., excessive pigmentation; Bleakney 1965, Osgood 1936, Trapido
and Crowe 1942). These pigmentation deviations have been reported throughout the range
of the species including New Jersey (Trapido and Crowe 1942), Ohio (Goslin 1942), Texas
(Blair 1947), Vermont (Osgood 1936), and Nova Scotia, Canada (Bleakney 1965). Here we
report observations of leucism in 2 Tri-colored Bats from eastern Texas.
Observations. On 14 December 2016, while conducting surveys at known winter roosts
of Tri-colored Bats in Leon County, TX, we discovered 2 bats with leucism. We observed
the first bat roosting on the ceiling of a culvert (31.33472°N, 96.009972°W) located north
of Centerville, TX. This individual exhibited white coloration of the pelage across the left
ribcage that extended from the dorsal to the ventral side (Fig. 1A). We counted an additional
14 Tri-colored Bats at this site, but did not notice pigmentation variation on any other
roosting bat during our survey. We observed the second bat roosting on the wall of a culvert
(31.337529°N, 96.010923°W) approximately 0.32 km north of the first site. This individual
had white coloration of the pelage on both the left and right ventral sides (Fig. 1B). To
limit disturbance, we did not handle the bat to determine if the white patches were distinctively
separate, or if they converged medially across the ventral side of the individual. We
observed an additional 224 Tri-colored Bats at this site with no other noticeable signs of
aberrant pigmentation. Except for the localized loss of pigment, both bats displayed coloration
considered normal for the species. We did not collect either bat as voucher specimens
because of limitations on our scientific permit.
Discussion. It is probable that some Tri-colored Bat populations have a greater tendency
toward the production of abnormal coloration. Observations of melanism have been
documented in 9 Tri-colored Bats, of which 5 were from Nova Scotia, Canada (Bleakney
1965), and another 3 were observed from 1 locality in Vermont (Osgood 1936). Due to the
geographic proximity (0.32 km) of the 2 leucistic bats we observed in eastern Texas, it is
probable that the aberrant coloration could be the result of a hereditable gene mutation
within the local population.
Although aberrant coloration is not rare in Tri-colored Bats (Roger Perry, US Forest
Service, Hot Springs, AR, pers. comm.), there are few published accounts of these observations
(Blair 1947, Bleakney 1965, Goslin 1942, Osgood 1936, Trapido and Crowe 1942).
To our knowledge, only 2 literature records of leucistic Tri-colored Bats exist (Blair 1947,
Goslin 1942). Therefore, our observations represent the third documented case of leucism
in Tri-colored Bats, and a new locality record for aberrant coloration in this species.
Acknowledgments. We thank R.L. Honeycutt for providing information on winter roosts. We are
grateful to the Texas Department of Transportation, who allowed us to access culvert sites. Funding
for this project was provided through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's State Wildlife Grant Program
(CFDA# 15.611) as administered by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
Literature Cited
Ammerman, L.K., C.L. Hice, and D.J. Schmidly. 2012. Bats of Texas. Texas A&M University Press,
College Station, TX. 162 pp.
Barbour, R.W., and W.H. Davis. 1969. Bats of America. University Press of Kentucky, Lexington,
KY. 286 pp.
Blair, W.F. 1947. A color pattern aberration in Pipistrellus subflavus subflavus. Journal of Mammalogy
29:178–179.
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M.B. Meierhofer and K.D. Demere
Bleakney, J.S. 1965. First specimens of Eastern Pipistrelle from Nova Scotia. Journal of Mammalogy
46:528–529.
Fujita, M.S., and T.H. Kunz. 1984. Pipistrellus subflavus. Mammalian Species 228:1–6.
Goslin, R. 1942. A bat with white wing-tips. Journal of Mammalogy 28:62.
Nason, E.S. 1948. Morphology of hair of eastern North American bats. American Midland Naturalist
39:345–361.
Osgood, F.L. 1936. Melanistic pipistrelles. Journal of Mammalogy 17:64.
Trapido, H., and P.E. Crowe. 1942. Color abnormalities in three genera of northeastern cave bats.
Journal of Mammalogy 23:303–305.