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Carcass age and searcher identity affect morphological assessment of sex of bats
Author(s) -
Nelson David M.,
Nagel Juliet,
Trott Regina,
Campbell Caitlin J.,
Pruitt Lori,
Good Rhett E.,
Iskali Goniela,
Gugger Paul F.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
the journal of wildlife management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.94
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1937-2817
pISSN - 0022-541X
DOI - 10.1002/jwmg.21544
Subject(s) - biology , demography , zoology , wildlife , ecology , sociology
Carcasses provide an important resource for assessing the vulnerability of bat species and sexes to threats, but the reliability of sex data derived from the external morphology (sex morph ) of bat carcasses remains uncertain. We used genetic‐based assessment of sex (sex gen ) to evaluate the effect of carcass age and searcher identity on sex morph ‐based assessments of eastern red ( Lasiurus borealis ) and hoary ( Lasiurus cinereus ) bat carcasses identified by 15 different searchers at a wind‐energy facility. The proportion of carcasses for which sex morph was unknown increased from 0.11 for those recovered within a day of death, to 0.56 within 2–3 days of death, and to ≥0.82 at ≥4 days after death. The proportion of carcasses for which sex morph was correct decreased from 0.9 for those recovered within a day of death, to 0.65 within 2–3 days of death, and to 0.25 at ≥4 days after death. The proportion of sex morph misidentifications of the 108 fresh carcasses (collected within 24 hours of death) varied (0.0–0.43) among searchers. These results suggest that sex morph ‐based assessments should be limited to fresh carcasses. Furthermore, additional training of people who collect and identify bat carcasses from renewable‐energy facilities may improve the accuracy of sex morph data obtained from carcasses. © 2018 The Wildlife Society.