Centronycteris centralis, Thomas, 1912

Bonaccorso, Frank, 2019, Emballonuridae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 350-373 : 370

47 . Thomas’s Shaggy Bat

Centronycteris centralis

French: Centronyctère de Thomas / German: Thomas-Spornscheidenschwanz / Spanish: Centronicterio de Thomas

Taxonomy. Centronycteris centralis Thomas, 1912 ,

“ Bogava , Chiriqui, Panama .”

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. Along Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean versants of S Mexico through Central America to SE Peru and NW Bolivia, in S Costa Rica and Panama it ranges on Pacific and Caribbean slopes.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 42 - 59 mm, tail 18-40 mm, ear 17-20 mm, hindfoot 7-9 mm, forearm 42-9-49 mm; weight 4 - 6 g. Fur of Thomas’s Shaggy Bat is long and shaggy; dorsum is dull yellow-brown, orange-brown, or gray-brown becoming orange-brown on rump; and venter is graybrown and paler than dorsum. Ear rises above crown (11-20 mm), and inner surface of pinna is ribbed. Facial skin and flight membranes are black. Uropatagium is long and well haired at base; when fully extended, it is longer than legs. Calcar is long and supports trailing edge of extended uropatagium. Wings attach to feet at metacarpalphalangeal joint of toes. Dental formula of the two species of Centronycteris is I 1/3, C 1/1, P 2/2, M 3/3 (x 2) = 32.

Habitat. Mature rainforests, semideciduous forests, and secondary forests. In Panama, Thomas’s Shaggy Bat occurs in ridge top cloud forest up to elevations of 1450 m.

Food and Feeding. Thomas’s Shaggy Bat is insectivorous. It forages while flying back and forth along a route, with slow, deliberate, fluttering flight, and often along natural and man-made pathways. It preys on aerial insects in moderately cluttered to open forest habitats within understories and over flowing creeks. Based on direct observations, it forages 2-5-5 m aboveground. Most identifiable stomach remains in a female from a swamp forest in lowland Costa Rica contained planthoppers (Fulgoroidea, Homop tera) but also at least two different beetles ( Coleoptera ), one of which was probably a leaf-beetle ( Chrysomelidae ), and parts tentatively identified as orthopteran. No scales or other evidence of lepidopterans were present. Based on generalized behavior of these prey, Thomas’s Shaggy Bat might feed by gleaning insects from surfaces ofleaves and branches, taking slow-flying insects on the wing, or using a combination of these two strategies.

Breeding. North of the equator, female Thomas’s Shaggy Bats are pregnant in late April to mid-May in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. A non-pregnant female from Costa Rica was reported in February. South of the equator in south-eastern Peru, a pregnant female was reported in late September, and a lactating female in November. In Ecuador, a female with a small, 9-mm embryo was reported in February. Although information is scant, parturition in South America might occur twice a year.

Activity patterns. Thomas’s Shaggy Bat is crepuscular and roosts in hollow trees and on tree trunks in forest understories. It emerges to forage in late afternoon and continues foraging into early night. Several individuals were observed foraging within sight of each other along a cleared telegraph right-of-way in Nicaragua.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Several observations of Thomas’s Shaggy Bats using specific foraging areas over multiple nights suggested that they established core foraging areas in their home ranges.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Thomas’s Shaggy Bat has a large distribution but is represented by very few specimens. Very little is known about its life history and ecology. Although it occurs in some protected areas and likely occurs in others, it does not have targeted management plans or specific protection except in Mexico.

Bibliography. Alberico eta /. (2000), Albuja (1999), Baker & Jones (1975), Eisenberg (1989), Emmons & Feer (1997), Hice & Solari (2002), Reid (2009), Simmons & Handley (1998), Starrett & Casebeer (1968), Timm et al. (1989), Woodman (2003).

Figures

On following pages: 40. Lesser Ghost Bat (Diclidurus scutatus); 41. Isabelline Ghost Bat (Diclidurus isabella); 42. Lesser Dog-like Bat (Peropteryx macrotis); 43. Greater Dog-like Bat (Peropteryx kappleri); 44. Trinidad Dog-like Bat (Peropteryx trinitatis); 45. White-winged Dog-like Bat (Peropteryx leucoptera); 46. Pale-winged Dog-like Bat (Peropteryx pallidoptera); 47. Thomas's Shaggy Bat (Centronycteris centrali); 48. Common Shaggy Bat (Centronycteris maximiliani); 49. Proboscis Bat (Rhynchonycteris naso); 50. Greater Sac-winged Bat (Saccopteryx bilineata}; 51. Lesser Sac-winged Bat (Saccopteryx leptura); 52. rosted Sac-winged Bat (Saccopteryx canescens); 53. Antioquian Sac-winged Bat (Saccopteryx antioquensis); 54. Amazonian Sac-winged Bat (Saccopteryx gymnura).

Distribution. Along Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean versants of S Mexico through Central America to SE Peru and NW Bolivia, in S Costa Rica and Panama it ranges on Pacific and Caribbean slopes.