Lophostoma brasiliense, Peters, 1867

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Phyllostomidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 444-583 : 503

30.

Pygmy Round-eared Bat

Lophostoma brasiliense

French: Lophostome des marais / German: Kleine Rundohrblattnase / Spanish: Lofostoma pigmeo

Other common names: Lesser Round-eared Bat, Little Round-eared Bat

Taxonomy. Lophostoma brasiliense Peters, 1867 ,

“Baia” (= Salvador), Bahia, Brazil.

Lophostoma brasiliense was formerly in the genus Tonatia , but T. E. Lee and collaborators in 2002 showed that Tonatia was paraphyletic and recommended restricting it to T. bidens and T. saurophila , while reclassifying remaining taxa to Lophostoma . Other small species of Lophostoma , such as L. nicaraguae, L. minuta , and L. venezuelae, once recognized as valid, are currently treated as synonyms of L. brasiliense . Monotypic.

Distribution. From S Mexico (Veracruz and S Yucatan Peninsula) through Central America to N & E South America, including Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, and an isolated record from Paraguay; also on Trinidad I.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 42-61 mm, tail 8-13 mm, ear 19-2-24-8 mm, hindfoot 9-11-9 mm, forearm 34—40-5 mm; weight 9-9-13-8 g. Greater lengths of skulls are 18-7-21-6 mm. There is no apparently sexual dimorphism, except in genitalia. The Pygmy Round-eared Bat is the smallest species of Lophostoma , characterized by long rounded ears connected by band of skin across forehead. It is easily identified from other species of Lophostoma by its smaller external and cranial measurements. Dorsal pelage is long and smooth but not dense; hairs are brown and slightly darker around face and have white bases. Venteris pale brown and does not contrast sharply with dorsum. Rostrum is sparsely furred, almost naked;tip of chin has rows of small rounded tubercles forming a U-shape. Shorttail is enclosed in uropatagium, exceptfortip that protrudesslightly near middle of dorsal side. In the field, Pygmy Round-eared Bats can be confused with bigeared bats ( Micronycteris ) because they are also small and gray or brown phyllostomines with long, rounded ears. Nevertheless, generic characteristics such as two lower incisors versus four in Micronycteris and pair of large tubercles forming V-shape on tip of chin distinguish the Pygmy Round-eared Bat from species of Micronycteris . Skull is robust, with an undeveloped sagittal crest, and is constricted in postorbital region.

Habitat. Varied habitats often secondary growth in savanna regions below elevations of 500 m, moist areas and riparian habitats, deciduous forests, forest fragments, forest edges near agricultural areas, swampy primary forests, and creek side primary forests.

Food and Feeding. The Pygmy Round-eared Bat is a foliage-gleaning insectivore. It prefers large arthropods such as coleopterans and lepidopterans, and it might eat fruit. In Brazil, pollen has been found in stomach contents.

Breeding. Reproductive patterns of Pygmy Round-eared Bats vary between Central America and South America. In Costa Rica, single peak in pregnancy occurs in late dry season in March, followed by lactation in early wet season in June. Males are reproductive for several months before peak pregnancy in April-May and at end of wet season in September—-October. In South America, bimodal reproductive patterns are more common, with one peak in pregnancy in dry seasons and another peak in wet seasons.

Activity patterns. The Pygmy Round-eared Bat is nocturnal, with activity peaking shortly after dusk. It roosts in large active arboreal termite nests. In Peru, roosts were c.60-70 cm wide, ¢.60-70 cm high, and ¢. 28 cm deep, with entrances of ¢. 6 cm in diameter. In Costa Rica, roosts cavities have been described as lacking any compartments or lateral chambers, being a single cylindrical chamber ¢. 20 cm deep.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. In Costa Rica, adult male and female Pygmy Round-eared Bats roosting together suggest harem-based mating system. They construct and actively maintain roost cavities to prevent disturbance by termites. Pygmy Round-eared Bats have been documented sharing roosts with Fringe-lipped Bats ( Trachops cirrhosus ).

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List.

Bibliography. Bernard & Fenton (2002), Durant et al. (2013), Eisenberg & Redford (1999), Genoways & Williams (1984), Goodwin (1942), Kalko et al. (2006), Lee et al. (2002), Munin et al. (2012), Simmons & Voss (1998), Williams & Genoways (1980a), Willig (1985a), York et al. (2008).

Figures

24. Long-legged Bat (Macrophyllum macrophyllum), 25. Fringe-lipped Bat (Trachops cirrhosus), 26. Striped Hairy-nosed Bat (Gardnerycteris crenulatum), 27. Keenan's Hairy-nosed Bat (Gardnerycteris keenani), 28. Koepcke’s Hairy-nosed Bat (Gardnerycteris koepckeae), 29. Kalko’s Round-eared Bat (Lophostoma kalkoae), 30. Pygmy Round-eared Bat (Lophostoma brasiliense), 31. Carriker’s Round-eared Bat (Lophostoma carrikeri), 32. Schulz’s Round-eared Bat (Lophostoma schulzi), 33. Western Round-eared Bat (Lophostoma occidentale), 34. Davis's Round-eared Bat (Lophostoma evotis), 35. White-throated Round-eared Bat (Lophostoma silvicola), 36. Greater Round-eared Bat (Tonatia bidens), 37. Stripe-headed Round-eared Bat (Tonatia saurophila), 38. Pale-faced Bat (Phylloderma stenops), 39. Pale Spear-nosed Bat (Phyllostomus discolor), 40. Lesser Spear-nosed Bat (Phyllostomus elongatus), 41. Greater Spear-nosed Bat (Phyllostomus hastatus), 42. Guianan Spear-nosed Bat (Phyllostomus latifolius), 43. Woolly False Vampire Bat (Chrotopterus auritus), 44. Southern Golden Bat (Mimon bennettii), 45. Cozumelan Golden Bat (Mimon cozumelae), 46. Spectral Bat (Vampyrum spectrum)

Distribution. From S Mexico (Veracruz and S Yucatan Peninsula) through Central America to N & E South America, including Colombia , Venezuela , the Guianas, Ecuador , Peru , Brazil , Bolivia , and an isolated record from Paraguay ; also on Trinidad I.