Tonatia saurophila, Koopman & E. E. Williams, 1951

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Phyllostomidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 444-583 : 506

37.

Stripe-headed Round-eared Bat

Tonatia saurophila

French: Tonatia des Iézards / German: Kopfstreifen-Rundohrblattnase / Spanish: Tonatia de cabeza rayada

Taxonomy. Tonatia saurophila Koopman & E. E. Williams, 1951 ,

“Wallingford Roadside Cave, Balaclava, St. Elizabeth Parish, Jamaica.”

Tonatia saurophila was originally described from fossil material recovered in a cave in Jamaica and later found alive in Central America; this subspecies is now considered extinct. S. L. Williams and collaborators in 1995 revised 7 Tonatia and recognized 1. saurophila as distinct from 71. bidens .

Thus, references to 1. bidens from Central America and northern South America apply to 1. saurophila . Two extant subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

T. s. bakeri S. L. Williams, Willig & Reid, 1995 — from extreme SE Mexico (LLacandon Forest, Chiapas) E to Honduras; then, distribution is apparently disjunct and continues S from Nicaragua into South America through N Colombia, NW Ecuador, and NW & N Venezuela (N of Cordillera de Mérida).

T.s. maresi S. L. Williams, Willig & Reid, 1995 — Venezuela (E & S of Cordillera de Mérida), the Guianas, N & E Brazil, and along upper Amazon Basin in Colombia, W Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia; also on Trinidad I.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 57-88 mm, tail 13-20 mm, ear 29-35 mm, hindfoot 13-18 mm, forearm 55-60 mm; weight 23-29 g. The Stripe-headed Round-eared Bat is medium-sized, powerful, and strong. Back is uniformly grayish brown to dark brown. Venteris paler than back. Longitudinal white stripe occurs on top of head, which can be very bold or subtle. Rostrum,ears, forearms, legs, and feet are furred. Eyes are small and brown. It has very large rounded ears that do not curl when handled,like those in species of Lophostoma . Short tail is completely included in uropatagium. Noseleaf is triangular but has indentation on each side close to tip. Lower edge of noseleafis indistinguishable from upper lip. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 16 and FN = 20.

Habitat. Tropical rainforests; other tropical ecosystems, including open habitats such as semideciduous forests and drier tropical habitats such as caatinga, cerrado, and Chaco; swamps; and agricultural areas, at low elevations.

Food and Feeding. Based on limited reports, diets of Stripe-headed Round-eared Bats include fruit; insects such as orthopterans, beetles, homopterans, and dipterans; and a few vertebrates.

Breeding. Female Stripe-headed Round-eared Bats give birth to one young. Reproductive cycle seems to be polyestrous and bimodal, with first peak of births at beginning of rainy season and another one in middle of rainy season.

Activity patterns. Stripe-headed Round-eared Bats have been found in caves, mines, and hollow trees.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Given that Stripe-headed Round-eared Bats are vulnerable to habitat disturbance by humans, they are considered threatened in the Mexican federal list of species at risk.

Bibliography. Aguiar et al. (2015), Clarke & Downie (2001), Dalponte et al. (2016), Gardner (1977b), Koopman & Williams (1951), Lee et al. (2002), Williams & Genoways (2008), Williams et al. (1995).

Figures

24. Long-legged Bat (Macrophyllum macrophyllum), 25. Fringe-lipped Bat (Trachops cirrhosus), 26. Striped Hairy-nosed Bat (Gardnerycteris crenulatum), 27. Keenan's Hairy-nosed Bat (Gardnerycteris keenani), 28. Koepcke’s Hairy-nosed Bat (Gardnerycteris koepckeae), 29. Kalko’s Round-eared Bat (Lophostoma kalkoae), 30. Pygmy Round-eared Bat (Lophostoma brasiliense), 31. Carriker’s Round-eared Bat (Lophostoma carrikeri), 32. Schulz’s Round-eared Bat (Lophostoma schulzi), 33. Western Round-eared Bat (Lophostoma occidentale), 34. Davis's Round-eared Bat (Lophostoma evotis), 35. White-throated Round-eared Bat (Lophostoma silvicola), 36. Greater Round-eared Bat (Tonatia bidens), 37. Stripe-headed Round-eared Bat (Tonatia saurophila), 38. Pale-faced Bat (Phylloderma stenops), 39. Pale Spear-nosed Bat (Phyllostomus discolor), 40. Lesser Spear-nosed Bat (Phyllostomus elongatus), 41. Greater Spear-nosed Bat (Phyllostomus hastatus), 42. Guianan Spear-nosed Bat (Phyllostomus latifolius), 43. Woolly False Vampire Bat (Chrotopterus auritus), 44. Southern Golden Bat (Mimon bennettii), 45. Cozumelan Golden Bat (Mimon cozumelae), 46. Spectral Bat (Vampyrum spectrum)

Subspecies and Distribution. T. s. bakeri S. L. Williams, Willig & Reid, 1995 — from extreme SE Mexico (LLacandon Forest, Chiapas) E to Honduras ; then, distribution is apparently disjunct and continues S from Nicaragua into South America through N Colombia , NW Ecuador , and NW & N Venezuela (N of Cordillera de Mérida). T.s. maresi S. L. Williams, Willig & Reid, 1995 — Venezuela (E & S of Cordillera de Mérida), the Guianas, N & E Brazil , and along upper Amazon Basin in Colombia , W Brazil , Ecuador , Peru , and Bolivia ; also on Trinidad I.