Sturnira adrianae, Molinari, 2017

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Phyllostomidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 444-583 : 545

125.

Adriana’s Yellow-shouldered Bat

Sturnira adrianae

French: Sturnire d/Adriana / German: Adriana-Gelbschulterfledermaus / Spanish: Sturniro de Adriana

Other common names: Caripe Yellow-shouldered Bat (caripana)

Taxonomy. Sturnira adrianae Molinari et al., 2017 ,

“ Venezuela, Estado Barinas, Carretera Santo Domingo—Barinitas, 1 km frontera Mérida — Barinas: latitude, 8.865 °; longitude, -70.593 °; elevation, 1560 m.”

Sturnira adrianae was previously included under S. ludovici . Two subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

S.a.adrianaeMolinarietal.,2017—allAndeanandcoastalMtsofVenezuela,except thoseEoftheUnareDepression;maybe,alsothroughoutEAndesRangeinColombia.

S. a. caripana Molinari et al., 2017 — known from fourlocalities in the Turimiquire Massif, and from two localities in the neighboring Paria Peninsula; presumably, endemic to the Mts of NE Venezuela, E of the Unare Depression.

Descriptive notes. Subspecies adrianae . head—body 65-85 mm (males) and 55-84 mm (females), tailless, ear 12-21 mm (males) and 14-21 mm (females), hindfoot 11-17 mm (males) and 11-17 mm (females), forearm 45-52-1 mm (males) and 43-9-50 mm (females), greatest length of skull 23-2-26-1 mm (males) and 23-25-1 mm (females); weight 19-35 g (males) and 20-33-4 g (females). Subspecies carpana: head-body 67-75 mm (males) and 67-70 mm (females), tailless, ear 16-18 (males) and 17-18 mm (females), hindfoot 13-15 mm (males) and 12-15 mm (females), forearm 44-3-45-6 mm (males) and 43-5— 44-2 mm (females), greatest length of skull 23-1-23-9 mm (males) and 22-8 mm (females); weight 22-5-26-3 g. (males) and 20 g. (females). Both subspecies are sexually dimorphic in cranial and wing size. Adriana’s Yellow-shouldered Bat is medium-sized. Fur overall is pale grayish brown, with 5-8 mm long hairs on upper back and 4-5 mm on chest. Dorsal hairs are tricolored, with blackish brown basal band, pale grayish medial band, and grayish brown terminal band. Ventral hairs are bicolored, with blackish brown basal band and grayish brown to pale grayish brown terminal band. Uropatagium is sparsely furred, with 4-6 mm hairs on nominate adrianae and 2-4 mm hairs on caripana. Shoulder spots (epaulettes) are yellow. Forearm, femur, and tibia are furred with short hair that is denser on dorsal area than on ventral area. Skull is elongated. Sagittal crest and preorbital frontal ridges are well developed in adrianae but less developed in caripana. Zygomatic arches are complete, moderately open, and not bowed outward. Palate is narrower in carpana than in adrianae . Lower molars have continuous lingual cusps, lower incisors are well developed and bilobed, and I' is bilobed, long, and strikingly protruding in lateral view. C! are long, robust, and moderately protruding in frontal view. Upper premolars are broad and long with highly developed labial edges in adrianae , whereas in caripana they are narrower and shorter with less developed labial edges. Both subspecies have no gaps between molars. Molariforms are smaller in caripana than in adrianae .

Habitat. Evergreen, deciduous, and cloudy forests in the western and north-central Venezuela for adrianae and in north-eastern Venezuela for caripana at elevations of 60-2400 m (more frequently 1000-2000 m). Apparently, subspecies adrianae is widely distributed and common in at least six Venezuelan mountain ranges, whereas caripana is restricted to two small mountain ranges that are threatened by deforestation.

Food and Feeding. Adriana’s Yellow-shouldered Batis an obligate frugivore that mainly feeds on pioneer plant species such as Solanum (Solanaceae) and Piper (Piperaceae) , which are main food items. Otherfruits included in its diet are from Araceae ( Anthurium bernardii, A. humboldtianum, A. nymphaeifolium, Anthurium spp., Philodendron spp.), Cyclanthaceae ( Asplundia vagans, Sphaeradenia sp.), Hypericaceae ( Vismia baccifera), Moraceae ( Ficus spp.), Piperaceae ( Piper aduncum, P. barbatum, P. diffamatum, P. longispicum, P. phytolaccifolium), Rubiaceae ( Randia micracantha), and Solanaceae ( Cestrum sp., Cuatresia riparia, Lycianthes spp., Solanum aphyodendron, Solanum spp.). Due to its feeding habits,it is considered an important seed disperser and, as other species of Sturnira such as the Highland Yellow-shouldered Bat ( S. ludovici ), Adriana’s Yellowshouldered Bat could be a main disperser of plants in early successional stages during mountain mesophilic forest regeneration.

Breeding. Reproductive pattern of Adriana’s Yellow-shouldered Bat is bimodal polyestry.

Activity patterns. Adriana’s Yellow-shouldered Bat is nocturnal. A 2017 study on the composition and structure of an assemblage of phyllostomid bats in a cloud forest in Yurubi National Park, Venezuela, reported that Adriana’s Yellow-shouldered Bat had a bimodal activity pattern with two distinct peaks: 21:00-23:59 h and 03:00-05:59 h. It probably roosts in tree cavities, bases of palm fronds, caves, tunnels, undersides of bridges, and other man-made structures.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Adriana’s Yellow-shouldered Bat mainly forages in understories where it finds resources that have been widely documented in their diet such as Solanum and Piper . Detailed movement patterns and home range of Sturnira remain largely unexplored. Habitat features, deforestation, and fragmentation can have particularly strong effects on movement patterns of forestdwelling animals like Sturnira , especially those restricted to small areas.

Status and Conservation. Not yet assessed on The IUCNRed List. Adriana’s Yellow-shouldered Bat was recently described, and additional research is needed to understand its life history and conservation status.

Bibliography. Castano et al. (2018), Herndndez-Montero et al. (2011), Lobova et al. (2009), Molinari et al. (2017), Parolin et al. (2016), Vasquez-Parra et al. (2017).

Figures

119. Bidentate Yellow-shouldered Bat (Sturnira bidens), 120. Lesser Yellow-shouldered Bat (Sturnira nana), 121. Arata-Thomas Yellow-shouldered Bat (Sturnira aratathomasi), 122. Honduran Yellow-shouldered Bat (Sturnira hondurensis), 123. Burton's Yellow-shouldered Bat (Stwrnira burtonlimi), 124. Highland Yellow-shouldered Bat (Sturnira ludovici), 125. Adriana’s Yellow-shouldered Bat (Sturnira adrianae), 126. Tschudi’s Yellow-shouldered Bat (Sturnira oporaphilum), 127. Mistratoan Yellow-shouldered Bat (Sturnira mistratensis), 128. Soriano’s Yellow-shouldered Bat (Sturnira sorianoi), 129. Choco Yellow-shouldered Bat (Sturnira koopmanhilli), 130. Talamancan Yellow-shouldered Bat (Sturnira mordax), 131. Perla Yellow-shouldered Bat (Sturnira perla), 132. Tilda’s Yellow-shouldered Bat (Sturnira tildae), 133. Hairy Yellow-shouldered Bat (Sturnira erythromos), 134. Bogota Yellow-shouldered Bat (Sturnira bogotensis), 135. Greater Yellow-shouldered Bat (Sturnira magna), 136. Northern Yellow-shouldered Bat (Sturnira parvidens), 137. Baker's Yellow-shouldered Bat (Sturnira bakeri), 138. Little Yellow-shouldered Bat (Sturnira Lilium), 139. Gianna’s Yellow-shouldered Bat (Sturnira giannae), 140. Dominica Yellow-shouldered Bat (Sturnira angeli), 141. Paulson’s Yellow-shouldered Bat (Sturnira paulsoni), 142. Luis’s Yellow-shouldered Bat (Sturnira luisi)

Subspecies and Distribution. S.a.adrianaeMolinarietal.,2017—allAndeanandcoastalMtsofVenezuela,except thoseEoftheUnareDepression;maybe,alsothroughoutEAndesRangeinColombia. S. a. caripana Molinari et al., 2017 — known from fourlocalities in the Turimiquire Massif, and from two localities in the neighboring Paria Peninsula; presumably, endemic to the Mts of NE Venezuela , E of the Unare Depression.