Emballonura monticola, Temminck, 1838

Bonaccorso, Frank, 2019, Emballonuridae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 350-373 : 359

19 . Lesser Sheath-tailed Bat

Emballonura monticola

French: Petite Emballonure / German: Kleine Freischwanzfledermaus / Spanish: Embalonuro pequeno

Taxonomy. Emballonura monticola Temminck, 1838 ,

Mount Munara , Java, Indonesia .

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. Thai-Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo,Java, and Sulawesi and several offshore islands (Mergui Archipelago, Adang/Rawi Is, Langkawi I, Redang I, Tioman and Aur Is, Karimata I); also on Simeulue and Babi Is, Nias I, Batu Is (TanahbalaI), Mentawai Is (Siberut and Sipora Is), Enggano, Anambas Is, Natuna I, Riau Archipelago, Bangka, and Belitung Is; it might also occur on Buton I.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 40-47 mm, tail 11-14 mm, ear 12-13 mm, forearm 38- 45 mm; weight 4-5-7 g. No data available for hindfoot length. Dorsal fur of the Lesser Sheath-tailed Bat is uniformly dark brown, sometimes with reddish tinge. Rostrum and palate anterior to molars are relatively short. Karyotype for all species of Emballonura is 2n = 24.

Habitat. Tropical rainforests including secondary forests and up into hill forests from sea level to elevations of c.1800 m.

Food and Feeding. The Lesser Sheath-tailed Bat preys on insects. Anecdotal reports suggest that it feeds on fruit, but they are unsubstantiated. It forages among tree gaps and over streams and rivers.

Breeding. Lesser Sheath-tailed bats produce two litters/year in February—March and October-November. A single young is bom in each season. At birth, the mother will hold her young in her wings to prevent it from falling to the roost floor. Females carry young on a breast as they forage until young are too heavy to carry. Reproductive maturity of males and females occurs at about one year old.

Activity patterns. The Lesser Sheath-tailed Bat is crepuscular. Foraging activity can begin in late afternoon in dense shade under forest canopies. It roosts in caves and rock crevasses, hanging rocks, earthen embankments, tree holes, fallen trees, and tree buttresses. It roosts on vertical walls clinging with feet and wrists. It remains exposed to dim light in twilight zones ofcaves and lit areas of other types of roost shelters. Echolocation call to search for prey is distinctive, beginning with upward sweep in frequency, then becomes steady at 48—51 kHz, and ends with downward sweep of this frequency range—all occurring for 6-8 milliseconds. In Singapore, echolocation call reportedly has a minimum frequency of 46 kHz and a maximum of 49-3 kHz.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Roost colonies of Lesser Sheathtailed Bats usually have 2—20 individuals, but up to 150 individuals can shelter in large caves. Males defend harems in a system of polyestry. Lesser Sheath-tailed Bats often co-occur in caves with Small Asian Sheath-tailed Bats { Emballonura alecto ). This species emits an audible alarm when there is disturbance at the roost.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Lesser Sheath-tailed Bath has a large distribution and occurs in protected areas throughout its distribution. Nevertheless, overall population is believed to be slowly declining due to limestone extraction from caves and deforestation for smallholdings of agriculture, palm oil plantations, logging, and use of fire to clear land.

Bibliography. Bates, rancis & Kingston (2008), Corbet & Hill (1992), Lekagul & McNeely (1977), Nowak (1994), Payne eta/. (1985), Pottie eta/. (2005), Temminck (1838).

Figures

On following pages: 22. New Guinea Sheath-tailed Bat (Emballonura furati); 23. Beccari's Sheath-tailed Bat (Emballonura beccarti); 24. Large-eared Sheath-tailed Bat (Emballonura dianae); 25. Seri'sSheath-tailed Bat (Emballonura sertii); 26. Pacific Sheath-tailed Bat (Emballonura semicaudata); 27. Western Sheath-tailed Bat (Paremballonura tiavato); 28. Peters's Sheath-tailed Bat (Paremballonura atrata); 29. African Sheath-tailed Bat (Coleura afra); 30. Seychelles Sheath-tailed Bat (Coleura seychellensis); 31. Madagascar Sheath-tailed Bat (Coleura kibomalandy); 32. Dark Sheath-tailed Bat (Mosia nigrescens); 33. Chestnut Sac-winged Bat (Cormura brevirostris); 34. Gray Sac-winged Bat (Balantiopteryx plicata); 35. Thomas's Sac-winged Bat (Balantiopteryx io); 36. Ecuadorian Sac-winged Bat (Balantiopteryx infusca).

Distribution. Thai-Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo,Java, and Sulawesi and several offshore islands (Mergui Archipelago, Adang/Rawi Is, Langkawi I, Redang I, Tioman and Aur Is, Karimata I); also on Simeulue and Babi Is, Nias I, Batu Is (TanahbalaI), Mentawai Is (Siberut and Sipora Is), Enggano, Anambas Is, Natuna I, Riau Archipelago, Bangka, and Belitung Is; it might also occur on Buton I.