ISSN Printed: 0034-7744 ISSN digital: 2215-2075 Reproduction and population dynamics of cave-dwelling bats in Costa of Oaxaca, México Itandehui Hernández-Aguilar1* & Antonio Santos-Moreno1 1. Laboratorio de Ecología Animal, Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigación para el Desarrollo Integral Regional, Unidad Oaxaca. Instituto Politécnico Nacional. Calle Hornos número 1003, Colonia La Noche Buena, Santa Cruz Xoxocotlán, Código Postal 71230, Oaxaca, México;
[email protected] * Correspondence Received 27-VIII-2019. Corrected 13-V-2020. Accepted 19-V-2020. Abstract. Introduction: Reproduction is a critical phase for most living organisms and in bats the reproduc- tive strategies exhibit considerable complexity and variability. Objective: To describe the reproductive patterns and population dynamics of seven bat species (Artibeus toltecus, Carollia perspicillata, Glossophaga soricina, Mormoops megalophylla, Pteronotus fulvus, Pteronotus mesoamericanus and Natalus mexicanus) that roost in one mine (La Mina) and two caves (El Apanguito and Cerro Huatulco) in the State of Oaxaca, in Southeastern México. Methods: Sampling was conducted monthly from July 2016 to June 2017. Bats were captured using a harp trap, which was placed at the entrance of the roosts. The captured bats were identified using taxonomic keys, marked with an aluminum ring, sex and age class were also determined. Reproductive activity was mod- eled through 63 GLMs for each species (504 in total). The best model was selected according to the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC). Results: A total of 5 836 bats were captured and marked, classified into 14 species, 10 genera, and five families. The most abundant species were: P. fulvus and P. mesoamericanus, representing 41 % and 32.3 % of the captures, respectively.