Artibeus cinereus (P. Gervais, 1856)

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Phyllostomidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 444-583 : 578

203.

Gervais’s Fruit-eating Bat

Artibeus cinereus

French: Dermanure cendrée / German: Gervais-Fruchtvampir / Spanish: Artibeo de Gervais

Taxonomy. Dermanura cinereum [sic] P. Gervais in Castelnau, 1856 ,

“ Brésil.” Restricted by A. Cabrera in 1958 to Para in northern Brazil and further restricted by J. H. Honacki and colleagues in 1982 to Belém, Para, Brazil.

Artibeus cinereus is placed in Dermanura by some authors but reassigned to Artibeus (subgenus Dermanura ) according to reinterpretation of molecular results. Because itis the oldest name associated to this subgenus, P. Hershkovitz in 1949 suggested it should include all other “small Artibeus ” as subspecies or synonyms. Molecular phylogenetic analysis showed two distantly related clades with A. cinereus morphotypes, suggesting cinereus , as currently understood, would not be monophyletic. Two subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

A.c.cinereusP.Gervais,1856—lowerAmazonBasinandEBrazil.

A. c. quadrivittatus Peters, 1865 — E Venezuela (S of the Orinoco), the Guianas, and N Brazil.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 47-59 mm (tailless), ear 16-18 mm, hindfoot 10-13 mm, forearm 38-42 mm; weight 10-18 g. Gervais’s Fruit-eating Bat has medium gray to dark brownish dorsal pelage, and hairs have four bands (white basal band followed by medium to dark gray band, another lighter band, and distal medium to dark gray band). Ventral fur is medium gray, with hairs having white bases and slightly whitish tips. Facial stripes are white, broad, and bright. Well-developed noseleaf is blackish. Ears are rather short, broad, and rounded above; edges of noseleaf and ears vary between pale cream and whitish. Dorsal base of forearm is covered by dense, long, and smooth hair. Wing membrane attaches near base of outer toe. Uropatagium is dark gray or almost blackish and broad, with dorsal surface slightly haired;it is deeply emarginated, in center reaching at most as far as the line connecting middle oftibia; calcar is short but distinct (4: 5 mm); and external tail is absent. Cranially, supraorbital region is barely inflated, and rostrum is notflattened and without upward curvature or concavity above dorsal surface. Dental formulais12/2,C1/1,P2/2,M 2/2 (x2) = 28. I' are distinctly bilobated. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 30-31 and FN = 56. Xchromosome is subtelocentric, Y-chromosome is submetacentric, and Y,chromosome is metacentric.

Habitat. Forest fragments, primary forests, savannas, and remnant Atlantic Tropical Forest, palm forests of north-eastern Brazil (Pernambuco and Piaui), and modified open areas at elevations below 350 m.

Food and Feeding. Diet of Gervais’s Fruit-eating Bat is mainly composed offruits, although insects are also eaten. Gervais’s Fruit-eating Bat is known to feed on Solanum sp. ( Solanaceae ), Ficus sp. ( Moraceae ), Piper sp. ( Piperaceae ), Vismia sp. ( Hypericaceae ), and Cecropia sp. ( Urticaceae ) in Brazil.

Breeding. In Brazil (Para), a pregnant Gervais’s Fruit-eating Bat was caught in February and two lactating females and ajuvenile female in March. There are two reproductive peaks per year.

Activity patterns. Gervais’s Fruit-eating Bats are known to modify leaves into five architectural roost types (i.e. palmate umbrella, apical, bifid, pyramid, and boat) in at least eleven species of plants in the families Araceae , Heliconiaceae, Palmae , and Musaceae . Small groups (1-3 individuals) use resulting tents during the day.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Streblid bat flies have been found on Gervais’s Fruit-eating Bats, including Aspidoptera falcata, Megistopoda aranea, Neotrichobius delicatus, N. stenopterus, and Paratrichobius loew.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List (as Dermanura cinerea ).

Bibliography. Brosset & Charles-Dominique (1991), Cabrera (1958), Charles-Dominique et al. (2001), Gervais (1856a), Hershkovitz (1949), Honacki et al. (1982), Marques-Aguiar (2008a), Redondo et al. (2008), Reis, Fregonezi et al. (2013), Reis, Peracchi et al. (2017), Rodriguez-Herrera et al. (2007), Sampaio et al. (2016e), Thomas (1901c¢), Timm (1987), Trouessart (1897).

Figures

187. Brown Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus concolor), 188. Honduran Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus inopinatus), 189. Fraternal Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus fraterculus), 190. Hairy Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus hirsutus), 192. Ecuadorian Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus aequatorialis), 193. Jamaican Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus jamaicenss), 194. Dark Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus obscurus), 195. Schwartz’s Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus schwartzi), 196. Great Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus lLituratus), 197. Large Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus amplus), 198. Flat-faced Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus planirostris), 199. Rosenberg’s Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus rosenberg), 200. Thomas's Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus watsoni), 201. Toltec Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus toltecus), 202. Pygmy Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus phaeotis), 203. Gervais’s Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus cinereus), 204. Andersen’s Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus anderseni), 205. Little Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus ravus), 206. Aztec Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus aztecus), 207. Bogota Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus bogotensis), 208. Silvery Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus glaucus), 209. Dwarf Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus gnomus), 210. Jamaican Fig-eating Bat (Ariteus flavescens), 211. Tree Bat (Ardops nichollsi), 212. Red Fruit Bat (Stenoderma rufum), 213. Wrinkle-faced Bat (Centurio senex), 214. Ipanema Broad-nosed Bat (Pygoderma bilabiatum), 215. Visored Bat (Sphaeronycteris toxophyllum), 216. Little White-shouldered Bat (Ametrida centurio), 217. Cuban Fig-eating Bat (Phyllops falcatus)

Subspecies and Distribution. A.c.cinereusP.Gervais,1856—lowerAmazonBasinandEBrazil. A. c. quadrivittatus Peters, 1865 — E Venezuela (S of the Orinoco), the Guianas, and N Brazil .