Vampyressa sinchi, Tavares, 2014

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Phyllostomidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 444-583 : 559

159.

Quechuan Yellow-eared Bat

Vampyressa sinchi

French: Vampyresse quechua / German: Quechua-Gelbohrfledermaus / Spanish: Vampiresa quechua

Taxonomy. Vampyressa sinchi Tavares et al., 2014 ,

“Llorente (0° 46' 40” N, 77° 21’ 50” W; 1700 m), municipio de Cordoba, departamento de Narino, Colombia.”

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. E slopes of C & E Andes of S Colombia.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 70 mm (tailless), ear 17-18 mm, hindfoot 11-13 mm, forearm 39:1-41-5 mm. No specific data are available for body weight.

Greatest lengths of skulls are 23-3-23-7 mm. The Quechuan Yellow-eared Bat is small but the largest known species of Vampyressa . It is similar to Melissa’s Yellow-eared Bat (V. melissa ) but larger with only a few overlapping dimensions; it has more robust cranium and dentition and differences in basicranium. Dorsal fur is long, lax, and pale brown to dark beige overall, with sparse guard hairs on head; venter is paler. Forearm is densely furred on two-thirds or more of its length. Uropatagium is short and furred dorsally and ventrally, and it has pale whitish fringe on its distal border that is longer on midline. Skull is large and robust, with well-developed sagittal and lambdoidal crests. Thin septum separating incisive foramina is perforated by large accessory median foramen. Post-glenoid process is well developed and extends below level of pterygoid process, mesopterygoid fossa is longer than wide, and post-dental extension of palatal bone has small wing-like projections. Dental formulais12/2, C1/1,P 2/2, M 2/3 (x2) = 30. Dentition is overall similar to Melissa’s Yellow-eared Bat but more robust and with more developed cingula. I' are unevenly bilobed and have larger inner lobes. M,is small and peg-like.

Habitat. Highland Andean cloud forests, suggesting elevations above 1600 m.

Food and Feeding. No information, but skull and dentition suggest that the Quechuan Yellow-eared Bat is frugivorous.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The IUCN Red List. The Quechuan Yelloweared Bat is rare, known from only a few specimens in clouded forests in Andean highlands.

Bibliography. Gardner (1977b), Lemke et al. (1982), Tavares (2008), Tavares et al. (2014).

Figures

143. Guadeloupean Big-eyed Bat (Charoderma tmprovisum), 144. Little Big-eyed Bat (Charoderma trinitatum), 145. Salvin’s Big-eyed Bat (Chiroderma salvini), 146. Hairy Big-eyed Bat (Chiroderma villosum), 147. Brazilian Big-eyed Bat (Chiroderma doriae), 148. Vizotto’s Big-eyed Bat (Chiroderma vizottoi), 149. Bidentate Yellow-eared Bat (Vampyriscus bidens), 150. Brock’s Yellow-eared Bat (Vampyriscus brocki), 151. Striped Yellow-eared Bat (Vampyriscus nymphaea), 152. Baker’s Tent-making Bat (Uroderma bakeri), 153. Common Tent-making Bat (Uroderma bilobatum), 154. Pacific Tent-making Bat (Uroderma convexum), 155. Davis’s Tent-making Bat (Uroderma dauvisi), 156. Brown Tent-making Bat (Uroderma magnirostrum), 157. Kalko’s Yellow-eared Bat (Vampyressa elisabethae), 158. Melissa’s Yellow-eared Bat (Vampyressa melissa), 159. Quechuan Yellow-eared Bat (Vampyressa sinchi), 160. Northern Little Yellow-eared Bat (Vampyressa thyone), 161. Southern Little Yellow-eared Bat (Vampyressa pusilla), 162. MacConnell’s Bat (Mesophylla macconnelli), 163. Caracciolo’s Stripe-faced Bat (Vampyrodes caraccioli), 164. Great Stripe-faced Bat (Vampyrodes major)

Distribution. E slopes of C & E Andes of S Colombia .