Phyllostomus hastatus (Pallas, 1767)

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Phyllostomidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 444-583 : 507

41.

Greater Spear-nosed Bat

Phyllostomus hastatus

French: Grand Phyllostome / German: Grof 3e Lanzennase / Spanish: Filostoma grande

Taxonomy. Vespertilio hastatus Pallas, 1767 ,

“Amérique,” Restricted by J. A. Allen in 1904 to Suriname.

Three subspecies are recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

P.h.hastatusPallas,1767—mostofVenezuela(EofLakeMaracaiboandSofCordilleradeMérida)toEPeru,N&EBolivia,NParaguay,andSEBrazil;alsoonMargaritaandTrinidadIs.

P.h.arumaThomas,1924—reportedonlyfromtypelocalityin“Taguatinga,”Tocantins,ECBrazil.

P. h. panamensisJ. A. Allen, 1904 — from S Belize and E Guatemala S through Central America, on both coasts, to N & W of Lake Maracaibo in NW Venezuela and to W Colombia and W Ecuador.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 90-124 mm, tail 12-31 mm, ear 26-34 mm, hindfoot 18-25 mm, forearm 77-94 mm; weight 55-140 g. Males tend to be larger than females and have well-developed gland on throat, which is rudimentary in females. The Greater Spear-nosed Bat is robust, with short and velvety fur; dorsal and ventral fur is similar, ranging from black to reddish brown. Noseleaf is simple and well developed, and horseshoe 1s not fused to upper lip. Lowerlip has V-shaped groove, edged with wart-like protuberances. Ears are triangular, pointed, and well separated. Ears, noseleaf, and skin on head are dark brown to blackish. Besidesits size, the Great Spear-nosed Batis easily differentiated from congeners by its long calcar (similar or greater in length than foot), its lack of white spots on tips of wings, and position of alar membrane thatis inserted at height of foot in its middle portion. Due to its size, it has a strong bite force. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 32 and FN= 58. X-chromosome is submetacentric, and Ychromosome is acrocentric. It also has two rDNA sites and two telomeric chromosomes.

Habitat. Variety of habitats including primary, secondary, and intervened forests; forest edges; gallery forests; and cultivation areas from sea level to elevations of ¢. 1800 m. The Greater Spear-nosed Bat has been found in humid forests, savannas, and dry deciduous forests of the Chaco.

Food and Feeding. Diets of Greater Spear-nosed Bats include fruits, flower parts, nectar, pollen, and a variety of insects and small vertebrates. Because ofits large size, it is omnivorous, feeding on insects, termites, bats, mice, and birds. It might be the primary dispersal agent of seeds of Gurania spinulosa (Cucurbitaceae) , a Neotropical vine with flagellichorous (dangling at a distance from leaves) fruits.

Breeding. Female Greater Spear-nosed Bats are polyestrous in South America and monoestrous in Central America. Sexual maturity of females is reached at c¢.16 months, and they give birth to one young at a time. In Central America, pregnant and lactating females are found in March—September. In South America, breeding season is in April-October, with pregnant females present in August.

Activity patterns. The Great Spear-nosed Bat is nocturnal, foraging during the darkest parts of nights; full and crescent moonlit nights are avoided. It roosts in hollow trunks, foliage, active termite mounds, caves, thatched roofs, and buildings.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Great Spear-nosed Bats leave roosts when itis dark and are active in hours well after sunset. They tend to fly through forest understories. Individuals forage separately and occasionally in groups around fruiting trees, returning to day roosts c.2 hours later. While foraging, females produce group-specific screech calls to keep in contact with other members of their harems. Nursing females meet in colonies and form nurseries with their young. Males form stable harems with 10-100 females. The Great Spearnosed Bat commonly roosts with the Woolly False Vampire Bat ( Chrotopterus auritus ), the Common Vampire Bat ( Desmodus rotundus ), Pallas’s Longtongued Bat ( Glossophaga soricina ), Seba’s Short-tailed Bat ( Carollia perspicillata ), Davy’s Naked-backed Bat ( Pteronotus davyi ), and the Lesser Dog-like Bat ( Peropteryx macrotis ).

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

Bibliography. Aguirre et al. (2002), Allen (1904), Baker (1979), Barquez & Diaz (2015), Gardner (1977b), Kalko & Condon (1998), McCracken & Bradbury (1981), Rodriguez-Posada & Sanchez-Palomino (2009), Santos et al. (2003), Siles et al. (2007), Taddei (1975), Tirira (2017), Willams & Genoways (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)

Subspecies and Distribution. P.h.hastatusPallas,1767—mostofVenezuela(EofLakeMaracaiboandSofCordilleradeMérida)toEPeru,N&EBolivia,NParaguay,andSEBrazil;alsoonMargaritaandTrinidadIs. P.h.arumaThomas,1924—reportedonlyfromtypelocalityin“Taguatinga,”Tocantins,ECBrazil. P. h. panamensisJ. A. Allen, 1904 — from S Belize and E Guatemala S through Central America, on both coasts, to N & W of Lake Maracaibo in NW Venezuela and to W Colombia and W Ecuador .