Mimon cozumelae, Goldman, 1914

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Phyllostomidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 444-583 : 509

45.

Cozumelan Golden Bat

Mimon cozumelae

French: Mimon de Cozumel / German: Cozumel-Haarnasenfledermaus / Spanish: Mimon de Cozumel

Other common names: Cozumel Spearnosed Bat

Taxonomy. Mimon cozumelae Goldman, 1914 ,

“Cozumel Island,” Quintana Roo, Mexico.

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. S Mexico (from S Veracruz, Oaxaca, and Yucatan Peninsula including Cozumel I) S across E Caribbean slope of Central America to NW Colombia.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 85-95 mm, tail 20-25 mm, ear 36-38 mm, hindfoot 16-18 mm, forearm 53-59 mm; weight 21-23 g. The Cozumelan Golden Bat is medium to large in size compared with other phyllostomids. Dorsum is pale gray to dark reddish brown (glistening golden brown). There is one distinct whitish post-auricular patch behind each ear, but these patches are sometimes undistinguishable. Furis long and woolly, c. 7 mm long on dorsum and paler and shorter on venter. Tail is long and completely embedded in broad uropatagium. Ears are very large and distinctly pointed, clearly separating the Cozumelan Golden Bat from species of Lophostoma , Tonatia , and Chrotopterus . Noseleaf is very broad and large (18 mm), one ofthe broadest proportionally compared with other phyllostomids, and lower horseshoe is free and distinct from upper lip. Lowerlip has V-shaped pad. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 34 and FN = 60.

Habitat. Various habitats from tropical lowland rainforests to tropical subhumid forests and tropical semideciduous forest, commonly at low elevations, never above 600 m.

Food and Feeding. The Cozumelan Golden Bat is a typical gleaning insectivore that, because ofits size, can also eat small vertebrates. It feeds on large scarabeid beetles, grasshoppers, lizards, and birds.

Breeding. Female Cozumelan Golden Bats carry a single embryo. Births seem to peak during onset ofrainy season, suggesting a seasonally monoestrous cycle.

Activity patterns. One radio-tagged Cozumelan Golden Bat in Belize remained mostly stationary for long periods of time, intermixed with short flights, supporting the idea of a sit-and-wait foliage-gleaning hunter. It carried out 28 flights in 651 minutes of radio-telemetry data. Cozumelan Golden Bats roost in caves, culverts, mines, hollow logs, and archaeological remains in groups of fewer than ten individuals.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Cozumelan Golden Bats live in small groups that can be structured as harems. They can share their roosts with other bat species including Lesser Dog-like Bats ( Peropteryx macrotis ), Peters’s Ghost-faced Bats ( Mormoops megalophylla ), Davy’s Naked-backed Bats (Pleronotus davyi), Parnell’s Common Mustached Bats (P. parnellii), Jamaican Fruit-eating Bats ( Artibeus jamaicensis ), Seba’s Short-tailed Bats ( Carollia perspicillata ), Common Vampire Bats ( Desmodus rotundus ), Hairy-legged Vampire Bats ( Diphylla ecaudata ), Pallas’s Long-tongued Bats ( Glossophaga soricina ), Little Big-eared Bats ( Micronycteris megalotis ), Southern Hairy-legged Myotis ( Myotis keaysi ), and Lesser Antillean Funnel-eared Bats ( Natalus stramineus ).

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Given their association with relatively undisturbed tropical forested areas, some countries such as Mexico have listed the Cozumelan Golden Bat as threatened.

Bibliography. Baker et al. (1981), Fenton et al. (2001), Gregorin, Capusso & Furtado (2008), Hoppe & Ditchfield (2016), Ortega & Arita (1997), Reid (2009), Williams & 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)

Distribution. S Mexico (from S Veracruz, Oaxaca, and Yucatan Peninsula including Cozumel I) S across E Caribbean slope of Central America to NW Colombia .