Chilonatalus macer, G. S. Miller, 1914

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Natalidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 589-596 : 591-592

3.

Cuban Lesser Funnel-eared Bat

Chilonatalus macer

French: Natalide de Cuba / German: Kleines Kuba-Trichterohr / Spanish: Natalido menor de Cuba

Other common names: Cuban Least Funnel-eared Bat

Taxonomy. Chilonatalus macer G. S. Miller, 1914 ,

“Baracoa [Guantanamo Province], Cuba.”

Chilonatalus macer was often included in C. micropus , but it is most closely related to C. tumidifrons and distinct from both. Monotypic.

Distribution. Cuba, including Isla de la Juventud.

Descriptive notes. Ear 12:7-16-4 mm, forearm 32:3-33-4 mm (males) and 32.1-33-8 mm (females); weight 2-6-3-3 g (males) and 2-6-3-2 g (females). Pelage is dense, long, light brown to orange-brown, lighter dorsally, and bicolored, with tips darker than bases. There are dense mustache-like hair tufts along lateral margins of upper lip. Dermal outgrowths are present around mouth. Ears are broad and square-shaped, with vestigial 2-3 ear pleats, straight anterior and lateral margins, and relatively rounded apex. Natalid organ of males is melon-shaped, up to one-half the length of skull, and covering one-half of dorsum of rostrum and forehead. Wings are broad and relatively pointed, inserting to tibia at its proximal one-half. Free edge of uropatagium has fine fringe of hairs. Penis is short. Rostrum is long and narrow, and braincase is inflated, rising gradually from rostrum. Crown of second premolar is about as high as that of third premolar. Skull constriction between orbits is relatively wide, ridge between basisphenoid furrows is narrow, and second premolar is not crowded.

Habitat. Most commonly mesic habitats such as semideciduous to evergreen forests and occasionally more xeric environments such as thorn scrub at elevations of 0-230 m. The Cuban Lesser Funnel-eared Bat roosts in warm and humid caves that can include hot sections, but it has also been found solitarily in cooler and drier caves.

Food and Feeding. The Cuban Lesser Funnel-eared Bat feeds mostly on moths (Lepidoptera) and occasionally spiders. It can carry ¢.30% ofits body weight in its stomach.

Breeding. Pregnant Cuban Lesser Funnel-eared Bats have been found in May, lactating and post-lactating females in August, and reproductively inactive females in December—March, indicating a reproductive pattern similar to that of other Caribbean natalids.

Activity patterns. The Cuban Lesser Funnel-eared Bat is nocturnal. Foraging exodus of large colonies begins c.14 minutes after sunset and lasts for more than 30 minutes. Some individuals have been captured returning to their roosts late at night (23:00 h), suggesting long periods of activity throughout the night. It has an amazingly maneuverable flight. It is able to fly without hovering within reduced spaces (0-13 m®) and is easily distinguishable inside caves by its rather rectilinear flight path and its very slow and shallow wingbeat. Such slow, maneuverable flight, coupled with its small size, might enable it to forage in denser vegetation than most other Neotropical bats.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Cuban Lesser Funnel-eared Bats generally form groups of 30-50 individuals. They gather in protected areas oflow ceilings, keeping a wide distance from each other, and usually hanging from a single foot. Sexes can segregate, with females roosting deep in warmer areas of caves and males occupying cooler areas near entrances. With its slow flight and high susceptibility to dehydration, home ranges of Cuban Lesser Funnel-eared Bats must be very small. Instances in which they have been found roosting solitarily in highly unusual conditions, such as inside a camping tent or on a sugarcane sapling, suggest that occasionally some individuals are unable to return to their permanent roosts before sunrise. The Cuban Lesser Funnel-eared Bat has been found coexisting in the same caves with 13 other bat species. Although it usually roosts separately, isolated individuals or small groups can roost together with other small bats such as the Sooty Mustached Bat (Pteronotus quadridens) and Gervais’s Funnel-eared Bat ( Nyctiellus lepidus ).

Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The IUCN Red List. Until being considered a distinct species, the Cuban Lesser Funnel-eared Bat was included in the Caribbean Lesser Funnel-eared Bat (C. micropus ), which is classified as Vulnerable. The Cuban Lesser Funnel-eared Bat is known from 33 localities, of which 19 are caves. Colonies are relatively small, containing from a few dozen to a few hundred bats per cave.

Bibliography. Garcia & Mancina, Echenique-Diaz (2011), Mancina et al. (2007), Miller (1914), Ottenwalder & Genoways (1982), Silva-Taboada (1979), Tejedor (2011), Tejedor, Tavares & Silva (2005).

Figures

1. Gervais’s Funnel-eared Bat (Nyctiellus lepidus), 2. Caribbean Lesser Funnel-eared Bat (Chalonatalus micropus), 3. Cuban Lesser Funnel-eared Bat (Chilonatalus macer), 4. Bahamian Lesser Funnel-eared Bat (Chilonatalus tumaidifrons), 5. Cuban Greater Funnel-eared Bat (Natalus primus), 6. Jamaican Greater Funnel-eared Bat (Natalus jamaicensis), 7. Hispaniolan Greater Funnel-eared Bat (Natalus major), 8. Woolly Funnel-eared Bat (Natalus lanatus), 9. Mexican Funnel-eared Bat (Natalus mexicanus), 10. Trinidadian Funnel-eared Bat (Natalus tumidirostris), 11. Lesser Antillean Funnel-eared Bat (Natalus stramineus), 12. Brazilian Funnel-eared Bat (Natalus macrourus)

Distribution. Cuba , including Isla de la Juventud.