Carollia castanea, H. Allen, 1890

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Phyllostomidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 444-583 : 535

104.

Chestnut Short-tailed Bat

Carollia castanea

French: Carollia dAllen / German: Kastanienbraune Kurzschwanzblattnase / Spanish: Carolia de Allen

Taxonomy. Carollia castanea H. Allen, 1890 ,

“ Costa Rica.” Restricted by R. H. Pine in 1972 to Angostura, San José, Costa Rica.

S. Solari and R.J. Baker in 2006 identified C. castanea as a species complex based on molecular and morphological analyses. This account deals with the species as treated by L. J. McLellan and K. F. Koopman in 2008 that included C. castanea (sensu stricto) plus an unnamed species. Monotypic.

Distribution. Central America from W Honduras to NW South America, including Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Ecuador, and N Peru, N of the Amazon River. Because of abundance of individuals of the C. castanea complex, hampering precise species identification in the field and in collections, a detailed assessment of its distribution is still needed.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 48-60 mm, tail 7-14 mm, ear 15-19 mm, hindfoot 9-14 mm, forearm 34-38 mm; weight 11-16 g. The Chestnut Short-tailed Bat is small. Dorsal color varies from dull, dark gray-brown or chestnut to pale tan, rarely grayish; tricolored banding of hairs is not well defined; bases are dull brown; and fur is ¢. 6 mm long. Ventral hairs are short and bicolored, with brown tips. Forearms are short and naked, with tuft of hair at bases of thumbs. Uropatagium is wide, with shallow distal notch. Tail is short, almost one-third the length of uropatagium. Wings are attached to ankles. Muzzle is conspicuous but short; lower lip has central papillae surrounded by smaller warts in a Vor U-shape. Noseleaf is short with elongated tip, and horseshoe is fused below nostrils and free on sides. Ears are moderately large and triangular, with pointed tips. Rostrum is short, braincase is globular, and zygomatic arches are incomplete. Anterior upper tooth row (to P?) is almost parallel, but posterior one-half is more divergent. Lower premolars are graded, with P, being smaller rather than subequal; there is a gap between them. Upper and lower molars are broad. Cusps of M, are reduced and not visible in lateral view. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 20 (females) and 21 (males) and FN = 38, with an autosometranslocated to the subtelocentric X-chromosome.

Habitat. Common in secondary woodland, clearings, and plantations and less common in mature forests, clearings, and fruit groves, mostly below elevations of 1000 m.

Food and Feeding. The Chestnut Short-tailed Bat is most specialized on fruits of Piper (Piperaceae) , mostly in dry seasons; it eats fruits form various trees like Markea panamensis ( Solanaceae ) and Dipteryx panamensis ( Fabaceae ) in wet seasons. Insects are occasionally eaten. The Chestnut Short-tailed Bat forages near moist areas and is caught most frequently in tropical evergreen forests. It uses understory vegetation, where it concentratesits feeding on fruits of shrubs and small trees, especially slender green, candle-like fruits of Piper plants. Itis one of the most important seed dispersers for Piper and many other plants with small fruits.

Breeding. Central American populations of Chestnut Short-tailed Bats in Panama have at least two birth peaks in April-May and August-November, confirming a polyestrous breeding pattern. Nevertheless, these records were taken from widely separate localities, and a fixed breeding pattern might characterize populations in a given area.

Activity patterns. The Chestnut Short-tailed Bat is most active 1-3 hours shortly after sunset. Peak activity seems to occur for 3-5 hours of the night. Field data also confirm that it 1s more active during the first one-half of the night, with occasional captures after midnight. Scarcity of records might indicate difficulty of properly identifying it in roosts, or an opportunistic use of roosts where available. Chestnut Short-tailed Bats roost in caves, tunnels, hollow trees, and mines and under overhanging roots.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Chestnut Short-tailed Bat has small home ranges. It was found sharing a shallow limestone cave with Seba’s Shorttailed Bats ( C. perspicillata ).

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Chest nut Short-tailed Bat has a wide distribution and presumably large and stable population.

Bibliography. Allen (1890c), Bonaccorso et al. (2007), Fleming (1991), Fleming et al. (1972), Gorchov etal. (1995), Hoffmann & Baker (2003), McLellan & Koopman (2008), Pine (1972), Reid (2009), Solari & Baker (2006), Thies & Kalko (2004), Thies etal. (2006), Wilson (1979).

Figures

103. Ben Keith's Short-tailed Bat (Carollia benkeithi), 104. Chestnut Short-tailed Bat (Carollia castanea), 105. Gray Short-tailed Bat (Carollia subrufa), 106. Manu Short-tailed Bat (Carolia manu), 107. Sowell’s Short-tailed Bat (Carollia sowelli), 108. Silky Short-tailed Bat (Carollia brevicaudum), 109. Hernandez’s Short-tailed Bat (Carollia monohernandez), 110. Seba’s Short-tailed Bat (Carollia perspicillata), 111. Behn' ’ s Big-eared Bat (Glyphonycteris behnii), 112. Davies’s Big-eared Bat (Glyphonycteris daviesi), 113. Tricolored Big-eared Bat (Glyphonycteris sylvestris), 114. Niceforo’s Big-eared Bat (Trinycteris nicefori), 115. Least Big-eared Bat (Neonycteris pusilla), 116. Hairy Little Fruit Bat (Rhinmophylla alethina), 117. Fischer's Little Fruit Bat (Rhinophylla fischerae), 118. Dwarf Little Fruit Bat (Rhinophylla pumilio)

Distribution. Central America from W Honduras to NW South America, including Colombia , Venezuela , Guyana , Ecuador , and N Peru , N of the Amazon River. Because of abundance of individuals of the C. castanea complex, hampering precise species identification in the field and in collections, a detailed assessment of its distribution is still needed.