First record of complete albinism in Carollia perspicillata (Chiroptera; Phyllostomidae)
Falcão, Fábio de Carvalho
Albinism is a phenomenon present in many vertebrate species, and can be defined as the absence of normal pigmentation of an organism. In bats, complete albinism is considered a rare phenomenon, and its occurrence was recorded for less than 4% of all existing bat species. On 6 September 2012, an individual of Carollia perspicillata (Linnaeus, 1758) was captured in Igaporã, Bahia, and it had all characteristics of complete albinism, lacking normal pigmentation over the entire body surface, including the iris. The purpose of this paper is to report the first record of complete albinism in Carollia perspicillata and thereby increase the number of species recorded with such anomalies; in addition to contributing to the understanding of this pigmentation disorder.(AU)