Breeding behavior of the tri-colored bat (Perimyotis subflavus): relevance for development of a captive breeding program

Since the discovery of White-nose Syndrome (Geomyces destructans) in the United States in 2006, the populations of several cave dwelling bat species have greatly decreased. One of the species affected by White-nose syndrome is the Tri-colored bat (Perimyotis subflavus). Due to the drastic decline in bat populations, researchers and conservationists are discussing possible actions that can be taken to ensure that affected species can survive. Captive breeding programs have been successful in saving threatened and endangered species in the past and this course of action has been proposed for P. subflavus. The largest obstacle to this proposal is that little information exists on how P. subflavus copulates. The goal of this thesis is to describe the breeding behavior and associated environmental parameters for P. subflavus so that this information may be used as a foundation for development of captive breeding programs.