Triaenops menamena, Goodman & Ranivo, 2009

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Rhinonycteridae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 194-209 : 207

5.

Rufous Trident Bat

Triaenops menamena

French: Tnaen nsr German: Madagaskar-Dre ıahnbattnase Spanish: Rn ter pardo

Taxonomy. Triaenops menamena Goodman 8c Raniro, 2009 ,

“ Madagascar, Province de Mahajanga, Résene Naturelle Intégrale [ Parc National ] de Namoroka , Grotte d'Ampidiranamhaja, 4 km SSW Namoroka village, 16 25.957' S, 45 17.180 ' E, 120 m above sea level."

Triaenops mmamma was classified under TÍ mju.: (with TÍ humbloti as a synonym). The forms rufus and humblotr were recently found to be unavailable to designate any Malagasy population of Tnaenops because they are synonyms of TÍ penicur, therefore, this taxon was described as TÍ mmamena. Monotypic.

Distribution. Endemic to Madagascar, mostly in lower and drier W part but occasionally reported from Northern, Central, and Southern Highlands.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 56-66 mm, tail 28-35 mm, ear 1-16 mm, forearm 46-56 mm; weight 6-16 g. No specific data are available for hindfoot length. The Rufous Trident Bat is medium-sized. Pelage has similar tinge dorsally and yentrally; color is variable, including brownish, reddish orange, bright orange, pale brown, and dark grayish brown; hairs are darker around eves. Wing membranes are dark brown, and ears and noseleaf are pale pinkish (unpigrnented) and pale gray to dark gravish brown. Noseleaf is large and rounded or pentagonal, with suap-like longitudinal projection that resembles an hourglass in outline, lving across anterior part of anterior leaf, aboye deep anterior medial emargination. Three tall pointed projections are present on posterior part of posterior leaf, its anterior pan bears in medial position long lanceolated projection, with sharplv pointed tip. Total width of three posterior projections is c.50% the width of posterior leaf. Numerous cells, separated from each other by fleshy septa, scallop lateral parts of posterior noseleaf, with only one small cell in central position; lateral margins of two of three tall posterior projections are emarginated at their bases. Two supplementary leaflets occur lateral to noseleaf. Ears are short, wide, and pointed, with prominent step-like emargination on anterior margin. Second phalanx of fourth wing finger has unique transverse bone projection into membrane 02-5-3 mm long. Skull has very prominent nasal swellings laterally and posteriorly. Braincase is almost as high as rostrum and has low but long sagittal crest. Rostrum is relatively short compared with congeners. Wide plates are present on dorsal sides of zygomatic bones. Greatest skull lengths are 15-9-19-3 mm, condvlo-canine lengths are 13-8-16 -6 mm, zygomatic widths are 7 -6-9 -1 mm, and upper tooth row (C‘-M lengths are 5 -9-6-5 mm. l‘ is bilobed; C' is slender, with slight cingulum and large posterior secondary cusp, extending one-half C' crown height; F‘ is small and extruded; C and P‘ are in or nearly in contact; and M’ is only little reduced, with metacone. is bicuspid, I is tricuspid and larger than II, Cl is slender, P z has about two-thirds the crown area and one-half the height of P‘, and M, is unreduced. Baculum is gracile and 1 -5-1 -8 mm long, with broad basal epiphysis and bifurcated distal epiphysis; has relatively narrow diaphvsis, with relatively rather long arms at its distal epiphysis (arm length c.28—32% of baculum length) and relatively broad proximal epiphysis (baculum width 0 -6-0-8 mm; c.42% of baculum length).

Habitat. Mainly dry lowland forests from sea level to elevations of c. 550 m and only exceptionally higher (highest at 1450 m). Rufous Trident Bats most frequently occupy dry deciduous forest limestone karst; however, they are found in numerous other dry vegetation formations on limestone karst (dry open palm savanna and spiny bush), dry vegetation on sand (original, uansitional, and degraded dry deciduous forests), and other local tvpes of forests (e.g. primary or degraded gallery forests).

Food and Feeding. The Rufous Trident Bat is probably an aerial hawker, preying on flying insects of various sizes among vegetation at various heights. They forage most often in forest interiors but also riparian forests and less often forest edges or clearings. Generally, dietary Spectrum rather narrow; moths are the most frequent prey item. Besides moths (on average 464 % in sample of feces), beetles (22 -8%), bugs (l8~ 7%), cockroaches (39%), and flies (1 -5 %) were found. Diets varied seasonally; in dry season, moths accounted for roughly 55% of the diet, beetles 20%, bugs 17 %, cockroaches 2%, and flies 2%; in wet season, moths accounted for roughly 35% of the diet, beetles 30%, bugs 22%, cockroaches 10%, and flies 1 %. Stomachs collected in the wet season contained flying tennites, followed by beetles, moths, and bugs.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. The Rufous Trident Bat probably does not enter torpor or hibernate. leares day roosts around sunset and remains actire the entire night. Three hours after sunset, begins to return to roosts, and around midnight, flight activity increases and continues until almost dawn. Flight activities of males and females differed throughout the night: males return to roosts much earlier than females, many of which return just before dawn. The Rufous Trident Bat roosts mostly in natural caves in karst regions; besides caves and perhaps other underground spaces, dav roosts probably occur in hollows in trees and tree branches (e.g. baobabs, Adansonıa , Malvaceae ). Echolocation consists of multihannonic QCF calls where pulse composed by long CF component, combined with short FM component at end (CF-FM); terminating FM component is steep sweep of c. l 5 kHz. Peak frequencies of males were lower than females. Calls last 5 -1-13-5 milliseconds; interpulse intervals are 9 -8-127-4 milliseconds; CF component maximum frequencies are 81 -4-85-2 kHz (mean 83 -6 kHz) in males and 90-98 kHz (mean 93 -5 kHz) in females; CF component minimum frequencies are 72 ~2-82~ 3 kHz (mean 79-5 kHz) in males and 87 -6-95-4 kHz (mean 91 -3 kHz) in females; and end frequencies are 70-89 kHz (mean 82 kHz).

Movements, Home range and Social organization. ln roosts, Rufous Trident Bats establish aggregations, some of them \en large. largest colony recorded, composed of both sexes, was estimated to be c.41,000 individuals.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on TheIUCNRed List (as T fufus).

Bibliography. Goodman (2011) Goodman à Ranvo (2009) Goodman Andrafdson eta (2005) H Kofoky et a (2009) Osson er a (2006) Peterson er a (1995 Rakotoarveo at a (2007 Rakotondramanana & Goodman (2017) Ramas ndrazana et a (2013) Flan vo 8r Goodman (2006 Razakar vony era (2005)

Figures

1. Orange Diamond-faced Bat (Rhmonícteris aurantia), 2. Persian Trident Bat (Triaenops persicus), 3. Yemeni Trident Bat (Tnaenops paruus), 4. African Trident Bat (Triaenops afer), 5. Rufous Trident Bat (Triaenops menamena), 6. Percival`s Trident Bat (Cloeotis pemivali), 7. Grandidiefs Trident Bat (Paratnaenops auritus), 8. Trouessart’s Trident Bat (Paratriaenops furcula), 9. Paulian ’ Trident Bat s (Paratriaenops pauliani)

Distribution. Endemic to Madagascar , mostly in lower and drier W part but occasionally reported from Northern, Central, and Southern Highlands.