Insectivorous bat activity dataset across different land-use types in the Islands of São Tomé and Príncipe, Central West Africa

Journal article

São Tomé and Príncipe oceanic islands, in Central West Africa, are characterised by exceptional levels of endemism. Since human colonisation in the mid-15th century, São Tomé and Príncipe have lost 74% and 67% of their native habitat, respectively. Today, these islands are mainly covered by remaining old-growth forests, secondary regrowth forests, shaded plantations (mostly of cocoa), oil palm plantations (in the case of São Tomé), small-scale agricultural areas and urban areas. Yet, little is known about how species on these islands are coping with land-use changes. Island ecosystems are particularly important for bats, with about 25% of the world’s bat species being entirely restricted to island systems. São Tomé and Príncipe Islands comprise six and four native insectivorous bats, respectively. Two species, Chaerephon tomensis and Macronycteris thomensis, are island-endemics in São Tomé; Pseudoromicia principis is an island-endemic in Príncipe; and Miniopterus newtoni is endemic from both São Tomé and Príncipe. Here, we present a dataset comprising a comprehensive compilation of occurrence records derived from acoustic sampling of insectivorous bats across the predominant land-use types of both the São Tomé and Príncipe Islands. In each sampling site, standardised surveys consisted of deploying one Audio Moth device that recorded for 1 minute every 5 minutes over a 48-hour period. We identified a total of 19,437 bat-passes across the 115 sites surveyed in São Tomé Island and 17,837 bat-passes across the 50 sites surveyed in Príncipe Island.

Authors: Palmeirim, AF; Araújo-Fernandes, AC; Castro-Fernandes, AS; Guedes, P; Cassari, J

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Pensoft Publishers
• Journal: Biodiversity Data Journal
• Volume: 12
• Article number: e131955
• Place of publication: Bulgaria
• Publication date: 2024-09-05
• Acceptance date: 2024-08-15
• DOI: 10.3897/bdj.12.e131955
• EISSN: 1314-2828
• Pmid: 39281305
• Language: English
• Keywords: passive acoustic monitoring; Gulf of Guinea; Chiroptera; tropical forests; habitat modification; oceanic islands