Anoura geoffroyi, J. E. Gray, 1838

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Phyllostomidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 444-583 : 521

71.

Geoffroy’s Tailless Bat

Anoura geoffroyi

French: Anoura de Geoffroy / German: Geoffroy-Langnasenfledermaus / Spanish: Anoura de Geoffroy

Taxonomy. Anoura geoffroyi J. E. Gray, 1838 ,

“ Brazil.” Restricted by C. O. C. Vieira in 1942 to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Anoura geoffroyi seems to represent a species complex from which several (sometimes short-lived) species have been split off; e.g. A. g. peruana was recently elevated to a distinct species. Two subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

A. g. geoffroyi J. E. Gray, 1838 — E Colombia, Venezuela to the Guianas (including Trinidad and Grenada Is) and NE Brazil, then from E & SE Brazil (excluding central area) to E Bolivia.

A. g. lasiopyga Peters, 1868 — Mexico (from S Sinaloa and S Tamaulipas) S to W Colombia, W Ecuador, and NW Peru.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 58-73 mm (tailless), ear 13-17, hindfoot 11-13 mm, forearm 40-45 mm; weight 13-18 g. Geoffroy’s Tailless Bat is a medium-sized nectar specialist, with moderately elongated rostrum. Lowerjaw extends well beyond upperlip. Dorsalfur is dark gray-brown, with paler hair bases; venteris slightly paler. Dorsal pelage becomessilvery gray over sides of neck and shoulders. Ears are short and rounded. It is characterized by conspicuous lack of tail, short calcar, and highly reduced and very hairy tail membrane. Legs and toes are hairy, and sides of feet have very short hairs. Zygomatic arches are incomplete, and rostrum is thickened. Premolars are not thickened. Compared with nectar-feeding bats in other genera ( Choeroniscus , Lichonycteris ), Geoffroy’s Tailless Bat has relatively long and narrow wings, suggesting higher flight speeds to quickly cover large distances. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 30, and FN = 56.

Habitat. Variety of habitats from dry forests to evergreen pine forests, deciduous forests, and cloud forests at mid-elevations up to more than 3500 m in the Andes. Geoffroy’s Tailless Bats use pristine, secondary, and occasionally agricultural habitats such as banana plantations. They seem to be largely absent from Amazonian lowlands, perhaps due to general shortage of cave roosts.

Food and Feeding. Geoffroy’s Tailless Bats feed mainly on nectar of chiropterophilous plants but also fruits. They visit flowers of Agave (Asparagaceae) , Ceiba (Malvaceae) , Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) , Luehea (Malvaceae) , Calliandra (Fabaceae) , and various columnar cacti. Among long-tongued nectar specialists ( Glossophaginae and Lonchophyllinae ), species of Anoura probably have the highest proportions of insects (moths and beetles) in their diets and have even been considered to be only facultative nectar and pollen feeders that rely mainly on an insect diet. Nevertheless, morphological adaptations such as elongated tongues clearly point more to specialization on nectar rather than insects.

Breeding. Geoffroy’s Tailless Bat apparently has a monoestrous breeding pattern that varies overits distribution. It gives birth late in rainy season in Trinidad and at end of dry and beginning of rainy season in central Brazil —generally when availability of floral resources increases.

Activity patterns. Geoffroy’s Tailless Bat is strictly nocturnal, leaving roosts well after dark. It mainly roosts in caves, culverts, and tunnels.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Geoffroy’s Tailless Bat roosts in colonies that can be very small and up to 300 individuals. Sexes roost segregated from each other for part of the year, but mixed groups also occur. Roosting habits in non-ubiquitous caves vs. more abundanttree cavities might force Geoffroy’s Tailless Bats to regularly fly large distancesto reach profitable food resources. In tropical dry forest (“selva baja”) in western Mexico, they were captured predominantly during wet season.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Geoffroy’s Tailless Bat is widely distributed, uses very diverse habitats, and is observed often in large numbers throughout its distribution.

Bibliography. Alvarez & Gonzalez (1970), Baumgarten & Vieira (1994), Galindo-Galindo et al. (2000), Gardner (1977b), Maguina (2016), Mantilla-Meluk & Baker (2010), Ortega & Alarcon (2008), Reid (2009), Sanborn (1933), Tschudi (1844), Vieira (1942), Willig et al. (1993), Wilson (1979).

Figures

63. Tailed Tailless Bat (Anoura caudifer), 64. Ecuadorian Tailless Bat (Anowra aequatoris), 65. Cadena’s Tailless Bat (Anowra cadenai), 66. Tube-lipped Tailless Bat (Anoura fistulata), 67. Luis Manuel’s Tailless Bat (Anoura luismanueli), 68. Peruvian Tailless Bat (Anowra javier), 69. Handley’s Tailless Bat (Anoura cultrata), 70. Broad-toothed Tailless Bat (Anowra latidens), 71. Geoffroy’s Tailless Bat (Anoura geoffroy), 72. Tschudi’s Tailless Bat (Anoura peruana), 74. Godman’s Long-tailed Bat (Choeroniscus godmani), 75. Lesser Long-tailed Bat (Choeroniscus minor), 76. Greater Long-tailed Bat (Choeroniscus periosus), 77. Mexican Long-tongued Bat (Choeronycteris mexicana), 78. Capixaba Nectarfeeding Bat (Dryadonycteris capixaba), 79. Banana Bat (Musonycteris harrisoni), 80. Pale Brown Long-tongued Bat (Lichonycteris degener), 81. Dark Long-tongued Bat (Lichonycteris obscura), 82. Ega Long-tongued Bat (Scleronycteris ega)

Subspecies and Distribution. A. g. geoffroyi J. E. Gray, 1838 — E Colombia , Venezuela to the Guianas (including Trinidad and Grenada Is) and NE Brazil , then from E & SE Brazil (excluding central area) to E Bolivia . A. g. lasiopyga Peters, 1868 — Mexico (from S Sinaloa and S Tamaulipas) S to W Colombia , W Ecuador , and NW Peru .