Page 39 Chiroptera Neotropical , 2(1), June, 1996 REFERENCES Alho, C.J.R. & Martins, E.S. 1995. De grão em grão o cerrado perde espaço. World Wildlife Fund & Sociedade de Pesquisas Ecológicas do Cerrado. Brasília, DF. Marinho-Filho, J. & Reis, M.L. 1989. A fauna de mamíferos associada às matas de galeria. In: Anais do Simpósio sobre Mata Ciliar. pp: 43-60. Barbosa, L.M. (ed). Fundação Cargill, Campinas. Marinho-Filho, J. & Sazima, I. (in press). Brazilian bats and conservation biology: a first survey. In: Bats: Phylogeny, Morphology, Echolocation and Conservation Biology. Kunz, T.H. and Racey P.A. (eds). Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. Redford, K.H. & Fonseca, G.A.B. 1986. The role of gallery forests in the zoogeography of the cerrado non-volant mammalian fauna. Biotropica 18:126- 135. BATS FROM THE METROPOLITAN REGION OF SÃO PAULO, SOUTHEASTERN BRAZIL Miriam M. S. Silva; Necira M. S. Harmani; Elizabeth F.B.Gonçalves Centro de Controle de Zoonoses, Prefeitura de São Paulo, Rua Santa Eulalia, n o 86, 02031-020, São Paulo, SP, Brazil Wilson Uieda Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista, 18618-000- Botucatu- SP, Brazil. In 1988, the Zoonosis Control Center of São Paulo (CCZ), initiated the identification of bats and the study of their biology, as well as the analysis of diseases transmitted by these animals, in the metropolitan re- gion of São Paulo. This service was created as a re- sult of complaints from inhabitants concerning the presence of bats in dwellings, buildings and trees lin- ing urban streets. Moreover, several cases of rabies in insectivorous bats have recently been detected in the same region (Almeida et al., 1994; Uieda et al., 1995; Martorelli et al., 1995). This paper contains a list of bat species encountered in São Paulo between 1988 and 1995, as well as data on feeding habits and their occurrence in the metropolitan area. The city of São Paulo (23º32’S; 46º37’ W), located in the state of São Paulo, Southeastern Brazil (Figure 1), contains around 9,5 million inhabitants spread over a surface area of 1.500 km 2 (IBGE,1991). Due to its expansion, it has encroached on various satellite towns, forming an extensive metropolitan area known as Greater São Paulo. A total of 301 bats, sent by municipal authorities or captured by CCZ and the Núcleos Regionais de Zoonoses de São Paulo, were examined by specialists from the CCZ and the Núcleos Regionais de Zoonoses de São Paulo. Feeding habits were defined following Wilson (1973). Twenty-four species (Table I), belonging to four fami- lies were collected: Molossidae (71,4%), Phyllostomidae (23,6%), Vespertilionidae (4,7%) and Noctilionidae (0,3%). Aerial insectivorous bats (Molossidae and Vespertilionidae) were the majority, representing 76,1% of the total. The presence of aerial insectivorous bats in the met- ropolitan region of São Paulo can be explained by the wide availability of structures offering suitable roost- ing conditions, primarily the heat-expansion walls in large buildings (capable of housing major colonies), and year-round food supplies (urban street lights func- tion as light-trap for several species of insects). According to Taddei (1993), anthropophilic habits are most widespread among the Molossidae, specially the genus Molossus (M. molossus and M. ater ). Our data confirm these findings. Similar observations were made by Bredt & Uieda (1996) in the Distrito Fed- eral, Midwestern Brazil. The wide flight space in ur- ban centers surely propitiate the predatory behavior of aerial insectivorous bats (Molossidae and Vespertilionidae, Table I). Seven species of phytophagous bats (frugivorous and nectarivorous) were encountered in São Paulo (table I). The presence of the two most common species is facilitated by different factors. Glossophaga soricina prefers shelters offered by cellars and lofts in residen- tial dwellings, and flower nectar as its prime food source, while the Artibeus lituratus prefers to inhabit the crowns of trees, and largely depends on fruit. In Figure 1. Location of São Paulo state and São Paulo city. São Paulo Minas Gerais Rio de Janeiro Paraná Atlantic Ocean Brazil