Tylonycteris pachypus (Temminck, 1840)

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Vespertilionidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 716-981 : 787

53.

Sunda Lesser Bamboo Bat

Tylonycteris pachypus

French: Vespertilion épaté / German: Sunda-Bambusfledermaus / Spanish: Tilonicterio de la Sonda

Other common names: Club-footed Bat, Flat-headed Bat, Lesser Bamboo Bat, Lesser Flat-headed Bat

Taxonomy. Vespertilio pachypus Temminck, 1840 ,

“ Bantam,” WestJava, Indonesia .

Tylonycteris pachypus previously included 1 fulvida as a subspecies, but molecular data support the recognition of the latter as a distinct species. Populations outside Sumatra and Borneo have not been recently compared to other populations, and more phylogenetic and morphological studies are needed encompassing the full distribution of all species of Tylonyctenis. Three subspecies tentatively recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

T.p.pachypusTemminck,1840—SumatraandJava.

T.p.bhaktiOey,1960—Bali,Lombok,andAmbonIs(althoughAmbonindividualsareonlytentativelyassignedtothissubspecies).

T. p. meyeri Peters, 1872 — Philippines.

Present on Borneo, where subspecific identity uncertain, and needs further investigation.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 30-8-40-7 mm, tail 21-5-30-9 mm, ear 6-2-9-6 mm, hindfoot 4-6-6-8 mm, forearm 24-28-7 mm; weight 2:7-4-8 g. The Sunda Lesser Bamboo Batis relatively variable in size, but smaller in the Philippines (subspecies meyeri). Head is flat and broad. Dorsal pelageis glossy brown to reddish brown; ventral pelage is slightly paler with a strong orange tinge; fur is short. Muzzle, ears, and membranes are hairless and dark brown. Ears are subtriangular, relatively long with a broadly rounded tip; tragus is short and blunt. Base of thumbs and soles of hindfeet have well-developed rounded fleshy pads for gripping smooth surfaces. Wing membrane attaches at base of metatarsus; uropatagium extends to tip of tail, and calcar is over halfway to tail from ankle.

Habitat. Primary tropical deciduous forests with abundant bamboo, lowland agricultural areas, and disturbed habitats. Recorded from sea level up to 500 m in the Philippines.

Food and Feeding. Sunda Lesser Bamboo Bats are slow but agile fliers, and catch prey on the wing. They feed on a variety ofinsect prey. Termites appear to be their favored food in some regions. In Sumatra, individuals were observed foraging around the edge and above the canopy of a coffee plantation.

Breeding. Females usually give birth to twins once a year.

Activity patterns. Sunda Lesser Bamboo Bats become active and leave their roosts at early dusk. Roosts are in the hollowed internodes of bamboo. They seem to favor smaller stems than the Sumatran Greater Bamboo Bat ( 7. robustula ).

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Group size varies from one to 16, but can occasionally reach up to 40 individuals.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The [UCN Red List, although most of its distribution is now attributed to a separate species, so a reevaluation is needed.

Bibliography. Bates, Francis, Rosell-Ambal, Heaney, Molur & Srinivasulu (2008), Eguren & McBee (2014), Flannery (1995a), Heaney & Alcala (1986), Heaney etal. (2016), Huang Chujing et al. (2014), Huang, J.C.C. et al. 2014), Rahman et al. (2011), Tu Vuong Tan, Csorba et al. (2017).

Figures

49. Eurasian Particolored Bat (Vespertilio murinus), 50. Asian Particolored Bat (Vespertilio sinensis), 51. Pygmy Bamboo Bat (Tylonycteris pygmaea), 52. Indomalayan Lesser Bamboo Bat (Tylonycteris fulvida), 53. Sunda Lesser Bamboo Bat (Tylonycteris pachypus), 54. Tonkin Greater Bamboo Bat (Tylonycteris tonkinensis), 55. Malayan Greater Bamboo Bat (Tylonycteris malayana), 56. Sumatran Greater Bamboo Bat (Tylonycteris robustula), 57. Yok Don Helmeted Bat (Cassistrellus yokdonensis), 58. Surat Helmeted Bat (Cassustrellus dimissus), 59. Rohu’s Bat (Phuletor brachypterus), 60. Western False Pipistrelle (Falsistrellus mackenziei), 61. Eastern False Pipistrelle (Falsistrellus tasmaniensis), 62. Yellow-lipped Cave Bat (Vespadelus douglasorum), 63. Northern Cave Bat (Vespadelus caurinus), 64. Finlayson’s Cave Bat (Vespadelus finlaysoni), 65. Eastern Cave Bat (Vespadelus troughtoni), 66. Inland Forest Bat (Vespadelus baverstocki), 67. Eastern Forest Bat (Vespadelus pumilus), 68. Little Forest Bat (Vespadelus vulturnus), 69. Large Forest Bat (Vespadelus darlingtoni), 70. Southern Forest Bat (Vespadelus regulus), 71. Large-eared Pied Bat (Chalinolobus dwyeri), 72. Little Pied Bat (Chalinolobus picatus), 73. Hoary Wattled Bat (Chalinolobus nigrogriseus), 74. Gould’s Wattled Bat (Chalinolobus gouldii), 75. New Caledonian Wattled Bat (Chalinolobus neocaledonicus), 76. Chocolate Wattled Bat (Chalinolobus morio), 77. New Zealand Long-tailed Bat (Chalinolobus tuberculatus)

Subspecies and Distribution. T.p.pachypusTemminck,1840—SumatraandJava. T.p.bhaktiOey,1960—Bali,Lombok,andAmbonIs(althoughAmbonindividualsareonlytentativelyassignedtothissubspecies). T. p. meyeri Peters, 1872 — Philippines . Present on Borneo, where subspecific identity uncertain, and needs further investigation.