Insectivorous bat activity dataset across different land-use types in the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe

Study Extent

The study was conducted on the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe, located in the Gulf of Guinea off the western equatorial coast of Central Africa. Both islands are occupied by a number of habitat types encompassing a range of human-disturbance intensities, including old-growth forests, regrowth forests, shaded plantations, oil palm plantations (only in São Tomé Island), agricultural areas, and urban areas. This dataset includes a compilation of insectivorous bat records obtained across each of these habitats throughout each of the islands.

Sampling

Acoustic surveys targeting insectivorous bats were carried out between August and September 2022, during the dry season. Sampling sites were stratified according to the availability of different land-use types to ensure representation of each major land-use type present on both islands. In total, 115 sites on São Tomé Island and 50 sites on Príncipe Island were surveyed. Each site was monitored using one AudioMoth recorder, programmed to record for one minute every five minutes over two consecutive days and nights, resulting in a total of 240 minutes of active recording per day.

Method steps

1. Each sampling site was surveyed by deploying one Audio Moth recorder programmed to record for one minute every five minutes, for two consecutive days and nights, at mid-gain with a 384 kHz sample rate, resulting in a total of 240 minutes of active recording per day. Diurnal recording was intended to capture the diurnal activity of Hipposideros ruber. Recorders were attached to an available vertical structure, between 1.5 and 2 m above the ground. Spatially contiguous sampling sites were at least 250 m apart from each other, to minimize simultaneously recording the same individual. A total of 20 spatially aggregated sampling sites were surveyed at the same time.

São Tomé and Príncipe islands comprise six and four insectivorous bats, respectively. Taphozous mauritianus E. Geoffroy, 1818 and Hipposideros ruber (Noack, 1893) are found on both São Tomé and Príncipe islands. Macronycteris thomensis (Bocage, 1891) is endemic to São Tomé, while Pseudoromicia principis (Juste, Torrent, Méndez-Rodríguez, Howard, García-Mudarra, Nogueras & Ibáñez, 2023) is endemic to Príncipe. Miniopterus newtoni Bocage, 1889 is endemic to both islands. Additionally, Chaerephon Dobson, 1874 and Chaerephon pumilus (Cretzschmar, 1826) are found on São Tomé, with Chaerephon pumilus also present on Príncipe.

1. Taphozous mauritianus E.Geoffroy, 1818
   rank: species
2. Hipposideros ruber (Noack, 1893)
   rank: species
3. Macronycteris thomensis (Bocage, 1891)
   rank: species
4. Pseudoromicia principis (Juste, Torrent, Méndez-Rodríguez, Howard, García-Mudarra, Nogueras & Ibáñez, 2023)
   rank: species
5. Miniopterus newtoni Bocage, 1889
   rank: species
6. Chaerephon Dobson, 1874
   rank: genus
7. Chaerephon pumilus (Cretzschmar, 1826)
   rank: species

A total of 115 and 50 sampling sites were set up in the São Tomé and Príncipe Islands, respectively. Sampling covered all the predominant land-use types of both islands.