Pteronotus fuscus, Cossmann, 1903

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Mormoopidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 424-443 : 442

15.

Allen’s Common Mustached Bat

Pleronotus fuscus

French: Ptéronote des Caraibes / German: Allen-Schnurrbartfledermaus / Spanish: Pteronotus de Allen

Other common names: Allen's Mustached Bat

Taxonomy. Chilonycteris rubiginosa fusca J. A. Allen, 1911 ,

“Las Quiguas, 5 miles [= 8 km] south of Puerto Cabello, altitude 650 feet [= 198 m], Venezuela.”

Pteronotusfuscus was formerly classified as a subspecies of P. parnellii , but here it is considered a distinct species. Its distribution potentially includes coastal and inland sites of Colombia and south-western Venezuela on the border with Colombia, but phylogenetic status of these populations has not yet been assessed. Monotypic.

Distribution. Colombia, Venezuela, NW Guyana, and St. Vincent, Trinidad, and Margarita Is in the Lesser Antilles.

Descriptive notes. Head-body ¢.63-72 mm, tail 20-27 mm, ear 18-25 mm, hindfoot 13-16 mm, forearm 56-62 mm; weight 13-4-22-4 g. Pelage color is brown to reddish; ventral fur is paler. Skull has narrow and delicate rostrum; nasal bones are parallel and flat. Condylo-basal lengths are 19-21 mm. Maxillary bones are not inflated in their suture with nasals; greatest width across molars is generally less than 8-1 mm in individuals from Guyana and Venezuela. It is larger externally and cranially on Trinidad Island, and noticeable reduction in overall size is noted in individuals from Margarita Island, Venezuela. 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. Tropical dry forests, lower montane forests, and croplands with dense vegetation. Allen’s Common Mustached Bat occurs throughout Venezuela, except in most of the Llanos. It seems to be more tolerant of lower temperatures than smaller mormoopids, roosting in relatively colder caves at ¢.26°C. It is sensitive to temperatures lower than 8°C for long periods of time.

Food and Feeding. Allen’s Common Mustached Bat is insectivorous, but there is no specific information available on prey items in its diet.

Breeding. Allen’s Common Mustached Bat is seasonally monoestrous, with most females giving birth in beginning of rainy season (May-June). On Trinidad Island, females with young have been found in May. In Venezuela, pregnant females have been reported in April and lactating females in July-August.

Activity patterns. Echolocation calls consist in long CF-FM pulses, with most energy at a frequency of ¢.62 kHz in Venezuelan populations; frequency used by Trinidadian individuals is lower at ¢.58-9 kHz.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Allen’s Common Mustached Bat commonly roosts in large cave systems associated with other mormoopids and phyllostomids, butit is also found in smaller caves and other type of roosts. Fluctuations in colony sizes seem to be related to seasonal movements due to reproductive activity. Males and females roost together during mating season, but sexual segregation apparently occurs during gestation and lactation. Males select coolest areas of caves, and females select warmer roosts for nurseries.

Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The IUCN Red List. Allen’s Common Mustached Bat is included under Parnell’s Common Mustached Bat, which is classified as Least Concern.

Bibliography. Bonaccorso et al. (1992), Clare et al. (2013), Eshelman & Morgan (1985), GBIF Secretariat (2017), Goodwin & Greenhall (1961), Gutiérrez & Molinari (2008), Handley (1976), Pavan & Marroig (2016), Pavan et al. (2018), Smith (1972), Vasquez-Parra et al. (2015).

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. Colombia , Venezuela , NW Guyana , and St. Vincent , Trinidad , and Margarita Is in the Lesser Antilles.