Pteronotus rubiginosus (Wagner, 1843)

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Mormoopidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 424-443 : 443

17.

Womurs Common Mustached Bat

Pteronotus rubiginosus

French: Ptéronote rubigineux / German: \Wagner-Schnurrbartfledermaus / Spanish: Pteronotus rufo

Other common names: \ Wagner's Mustached Bat

Taxonomy. Chilonycteris rubiginosa Wagner, 1843 ,

“Caicara,” Mato Grosso, Brazil .

Pteronotus rubiginosus was formerly classified as a subspecies of P. parnellii , but here it is considered a distinct species. Distribution of P. rubiginosus has been restricted to South America. Molecular and morphological data confirm its occurrence in the Guianas, Brazil, and Bolivia; its distribution potentially extends to the Amazonian regions of Peru and Venezuela, but phylogenetic status of these populations has not been assessed. Monotypic.

Distribution. From S Venezuela and the Guianas S to C & NE Brazil, E Peru, and NE Bolivia.

Descriptive notes. Head-body ¢.63-79 mm, tail 24-31 mm, ear 18-21-5 mm, hindfoot 13-16 mm, forearm 61-67 mm; weight 20-27 g. Wagner's Common Mustached Bat is the largest species of mormoopid. Dorsally, new pelage varies from light to extremely dark brown; hairs acquire an intense reddish color with age. Ventral hairs are also comparatively darker, with brownish white tips. Rostrum is robust, with nasals parallel and flattened throughout their extension. Pterygoid canal has large pair of foramina, as large as one-half the diameter of foramen ovale. Condylo-basal lengths are 21-23-5 mm. Ratio of interorbital breadth to palatal length is usually equal or less than 0-44. Maxillary tooth row is more than 9-8 mm in individuals from the Amazon region. There is geographical variation in external and cranial sizes of individuals; Wagner's Common Mustached Bat is overall larger in the Amazon region whereits distribution overlaps with that of the Amazonian Common Mustached Bat (P. alitonus). Additional external and cranial features shared with other species in the subgenus Phyllodia are listed in descriptive notes for Parnell’s Common Mustached Bat ( P. parnellii ).

Habitat. Amazon rainforest and northern parts of Brazilian Cerrado.

Food and Feeding. Moths dominate diets of Wagner's Common Mustached Bats, but other prey items have been reported, including termites, homopterans, and many groups of coleopterans.

Breeding. Wagner's Common Mustached Bat has been considered monoestrous, but seasonality in reproductive pattern is not clear. In central Amazon of Brazil, it has been suggested that mating occurs from November to January. In central Brazil (Cerrado biome), mating season apparently occurs in July-August, with parturition in December—January. Pregnant females are reported in April, August, and November in Brazil; in French Guiana, they are reported in June and July. Lactating females have been reported throughout the year (February, May, June, and August-October).

Activity patterns. Overall, Wagner's Common Mustached Bat does not exhibit an activity peak and forages constantly throughout the night. It usually forages along manmade trails inside the forest and more intensely in places with greater insect availability, showing preference for vegetation clutter in non-riparian areas. In the central Amazon of Brazil, activity level increases two hours after sunset, which has been suggested to be correlated with lepidopteran availability. Activity is also positively related to moon intensity, increasing during bright nights, which suggests an activity pattern driven by prey abundance. Echolocation calls consist of long CF-FM pulses of more than 20 milliseconds. Second harmonic has the maximum energy at 53-55 kHz.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Clusters with hundreds to thousands of Wagner’s Common Mustached Bats have been reported in sandstone caves in the eastern Amazon of Brazil. Small groups of less than 100 individuals also have been reported roosting in limestone cavities and man-made structures in central Brazil, suggesting flexibility regarding roost requirements. Wagner's Common Mustached Bats probably fly large distances between day roosts and foraging sites, but there is no information available on how far they fly. In central Brazil, they were found sharing day roosts with Big Naked-backed Bats ( P. gymnonotus ) and many species of phyllostomids. Sexual segregation seems to exist at least during part of the year.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCNRed List. Wagner's Common Mustached Batis one of the most common insectivorous bats in Amazon lowlands.

Bibliography. Appel et al. (2017), Bernard (2002), Bernard et al. (2011), Bowles et al. (1979), Bredt et al. (1999), Clare et al. (2013), Filippi-Codaccioni et al. (2018), Ibanez & Ochoa (1989), Lima et al. (2017), Lépez-Baucells, Torrent et al. (2018), Oliveira et al. (2015), Pavan & Marroig (2016), Pavan et al. (2018), Sampaio et al. (2003), Smith (1972), de Thoisy et al. (2014).

Figures

1. Antllean Ghost-faced Bat (Mormoops blainuviller), 2. Peters’s Ghostfaced Bat (Mormoops megalophylla), 3. Davy’s Naked-backed Bat (Pteronotus davyi), 4. Thomas's Naked-backed Bat (Pteronotus fulvus), 5. Big Naked-backed Bat (Pteronotus gymnonotus), 6. Macleay’s Mustached Bat (Pleronotus macleayii), 7. Sooty Mustached Bat (Pleronotus quadridens), 8. Wagner's Lesser Mustached Bat (Pteronotus personatus), 9. Dobson’s Lesser Mustached Bat (Pteronotus psilotis), 10. Parnell’s Common Mustached Bat (Pteronotus parnellii), 11. Hispaniolan Common Mustached Bat (Preronotus pusillus), 12. Puerto Rican Common Mustached Bat (Pteronotus portoricensis), 13. Mexican Common Mustached Bat (Pteronotus mexicanus), 14. Mesoamerican Common Mustached Bat (Pteronotus mesoamericanus), 15. Allen’s Common Mustached Bat (Pleronotus fuscus), 16. Paraguana Common Mustached Bat (Pteronotus paraguanensis), 17. Womurs Common Mustached Bat (Pteronotus rubiginosus), 18. Amazonian Common Mustached Bat (Pteronotus alitonus)

Distribution. From S Venezuela and the Guianas S to C & NE Brazil , E Peru , and NE Bolivia .