Chiroderma villosum, Peters, 1860

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Phyllostomidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 444-583 : 554

146.

Hairy Big-eyed Bat

Chiroderma villosum

French: Chiroderme velu / German: Haarige GroRaugenfledermaus / Spanish: Quirodermo peludo

Taxonomy. Chiroderma villosum Peters, 1860 ,

“Brasilia.”

Revision using modern techniques might change the status of subspecies. Two subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

C.v.villosumPeters,1860—EofAndesinColombia,Venezuela,TrinidadandTobagoIs,theGuianas,Brazil(SEtoParana),EEcuador,EPeru,andNBolivia.

C. v. jesupiJ. A. Allen, 1900 — from S Mexico (Hidalgo, Veracruz, and Oaxaca) through Central America to W of Andes in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 58-79 mm (tailless), ear 16-20 mm, hindfoot 10-16 mm, forearm 41-51 mm; weight 17-30 g. Dorsal fur of the Hairy Big-eyed Batvaries from medium brown to light brownish. Dorsal hairs are tricolored, with dark brown bases, buff middles, and light or medium brown tips. Thin, inconspicuous, white median dorsal stripe extends from interscapular region to rump but can be absent. Head has tenuous supraocular and subocular stripes that can be imperceptible in some individuals. Rostrum is relatively short. Ears are brownish, with yellowish bases and yellowish anterior margins. Tragusis yellowish and less than 30% of ear length. Noseleaf is brown and notched at tip. Underparts are grayish. Wing membranes are blackish except for translucent area between second and third fingers. Uropatagium is hairy and well developed, with notch near level of knees. Proximal two-thirds of forearm is hairy. Tail is absent. Skull has deep notch on nasal region that reaches anteriormost part of interorbital region. Postorbital processes are prominent. Palate is relatively broad, with median post-palatal process. Sagittal crest is well developed. Mandible has prominent angular and coronoid processes. I' are parallel in most individuals but can converge and even touch at tips. Diastema occurs between P? and P*. M* is triangular in occlusal view. P, is small and peg-like, and crown is less than 30% the height of P» with inconspicuous cusps and not touching P,. M, is massive, and longer than M, and has five well-defined cusps. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 26 and FN = 48, with nine pairs of metacentric or submetacentric and three pairs of subtelocentric autosomes. X-chromosome is subtelocentric, and Y-chromosome is submetacentric.

Habitat. Tropical and subtropical forests in humid and dry formations and xeric caatinga and savannas of the cerrado. Hairy Big-eyed Bats are more common in lowlands. In Venezuela, 99% of captures were at elevations less than 500 m, and in Peru,it was recorded at 340-950 m. The Hairy Big-eyed Bat seems to be less common in altered landscapes and urban areas that the Brazilian Big-eyed Bat ( C. doriae ).

Food and Feeding. The Hairy Big-eyed Bat is granivorous, specialized to eat seeds of fleshy fruits of figs ( Ficus , Moraceae ). On Barro Colorado Island ( Panama), 100% of its diet consisted in figs. Seven species of figs are consumed: FE citrifolia, F insipida, E obtusifolia, FE. paraensis, FE. pertusa, F. popenoei, and F trigonata. To a lesser degree, it eats infructescences of Cecropia (Urticaceae) , such as C. obtusa in French Guiana. It frequently visits minerallicks in western Amazonia to drink the mineral-rich water accumulated in soil depressions.

Breeding. Reproductive data suggest that Hairy Big-eyed Bats are seasonally polyestrous. In Panama, first birth peak coincides with beginning of rainy season when fruits are abundant. Pregnant females were recorded in January-April in Nicaragua and Panama, August-September in western South America, and January-July in Venezuela. One young is born per pregnancy.

Activity patterns. In Panama, Hairy Big-eyed Bats began their flight activity less than one hour after sunset, had a peak in flight activity between 19:00 h and 22:00 h, and ceased flight at ¢.00:30 h. It is a canopy frugivore. In an Atlantic rainforest area in south-eastern Brazil and eastern Brazilian Amazonia, all captures were made in the canopy, but in French Guiana, 93% of the captures were in the canopy. On Barro Colorado Island ( Panama), 85% of the captures were made 3-12 m aboveground, and the remainder was made at 0-3 m. The Hairy Big-eyed Bat roosts in hollow logs and has been found inside buildings. Echolocation calls recorded in Trinidad are characterized by a 1-4 milliseconds FM multiharmonic call, with peak frequency of 91-8 kHz.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Hairy Big-eyed Bat was a wide distribution and occurs in several protected areas. Nevertheless, it is rare in highly degraded areas, such as in the interior Sao Paulo state in Brazil, and is not common in urban areas.

Bibliography. Baker (1967), Bonaccorso (1979), Bravo et al. (2008), Delaval et al. (2005), Gardner (2008b), Gregorin et al. (2017), Kalko & Handley (2001), Nogueira & Peracchi (2003b), Peters (1860), Pio et al. (2010), Simmons & Voss (1998), Suarez-Castro & Montenegro (2015), Taddei (1979), Wendeln et al. (2000).

Figures

143. Guadeloupean Big-eyed Bat (Charoderma tmprovisum), 144. Little Big-eyed Bat (Charoderma trinitatum), 145. Salvin’s Big-eyed Bat (Chiroderma salvini), 146. Hairy Big-eyed Bat (Chiroderma villosum), 147. Brazilian Big-eyed Bat (Chiroderma doriae), 148. Vizotto’s Big-eyed Bat (Chiroderma vizottoi), 149. Bidentate Yellow-eared Bat (Vampyriscus bidens), 150. Brock’s Yellow-eared Bat (Vampyriscus brocki), 151. Striped Yellow-eared Bat (Vampyriscus nymphaea), 152. Baker’s Tent-making Bat (Uroderma bakeri), 153. Common Tent-making Bat (Uroderma bilobatum), 154. Pacific Tent-making Bat (Uroderma convexum), 155. Davis’s Tent-making Bat (Uroderma dauvisi), 156. Brown Tent-making Bat (Uroderma magnirostrum), 157. Kalko’s Yellow-eared Bat (Vampyressa elisabethae), 158. Melissa’s Yellow-eared Bat (Vampyressa melissa), 159. Quechuan Yellow-eared Bat (Vampyressa sinchi), 160. Northern Little Yellow-eared Bat (Vampyressa thyone), 161. Southern Little Yellow-eared Bat (Vampyressa pusilla), 162. MacConnell’s Bat (Mesophylla macconnelli), 163. Caracciolo’s Stripe-faced Bat (Vampyrodes caraccioli), 164. Great Stripe-faced Bat (Vampyrodes major)

Subspecies and Distribution. C.v.villosumPeters,1860—EofAndesinColombia,Venezuela,TrinidadandTobagoIs,theGuianas,Brazil(SEtoParana),EEcuador,EPeru,andNBolivia. C. v. jesupiJ. A. Allen, 1900 — from S Mexico (Hidalgo, Veracruz, and Oaxaca) through Central America to W of Andes in Colombia , Ecuador , and Peru .