Glyphonycteris daviesi (Hill, 1965)

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Phyllostomidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 444-583 : 538-539

112.

Davies’s Big-eared Bat

Glyphonycteris daviesi

French: Glyphonyctere de Davies / German: Davies-GroRohrblattnase / Spanish: Glifonicterio de Davies

Other common names: Davies's Graybeard Bat, Graybeard Bat

Taxonomy. Barticonycteris daviesi Hill, 1965,

Guyana, Cuyuni-Mazaruni, “Forest reserve 24 miles [= 39 km] from Bartica, along the Potaro road [Cuyuni-Mazaruni], British Guiana [= Guyana].”

Glyphonycteris daviesi was originally described as the only species of Barticonycteris and later was included in Micronycteris , subgenus Glyphonycteris . Monotypic.

Distribution. Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, E Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, Brazil, Ecuador, E Peru, and N Bolivia; also on Trinidad I; expected in Nicaragua.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 61-84 mm, tail 5~ 11 mm, ear 24-31 mm, hindfoot 15-20 mm, forearm 51-59 mm; weight 18-30 g. Davies’s Big-eared Bat is a large species of Glyphonycteris . Fur is long, loose, and woolly. Dorsal hair is dark grayish brown to dark brownish gray; hairs are uniformly colored for most of their length but have slightly paler tips and slightly paler bases. Underside of chin and throat has longer hairs, grayish brown for most oftheir length but tipped with grayish white. Fringe of short whitish hairs occurs under lowerlip. Snout is compressed, lips and upper chin are haired, and lowerlip has pair of smooth pads forming V on the chin. Ears are not connected by interauricular band. Fourth metacarpal is shortest, and fifth is longest; caudal membrane is developed;tail is short, reaching middle of the uropatagium; and calcar is shorter than foot. Dental formulais11/2,C1/1,P 2/3, M 3/3 (x2) = 32. Upperincisors (I')are large (as long as canines) and project forward.

Habitat. Mainly lowlands and primary wet tropical forest, secondarily little-disturbed forests, and infrequently cultivated areas (always close to primary forests) at elevations of 180-1030 m. Davies's Big-eared Bat has been captured in terra firma and seasonally inundated forest. Colombian specimens came from the Llanos region, characterized by savannas,riparian forests, and palm swamps.

Food and Feeding. Peculiar dentition of Davies's Big-eared Bat suggests that it might have an unusual diet. It appearsto be a gleaning insectivore.It eats cockroaches, dragonflies, and katydids taken from vegetation or the ground and carried back to a feeding roost before eating. Davies's Big-eared Bat is large enough to capture small vertebrates such as Norops lizards. A small frog was found in one stomach in Panama; other stomach samples from Brazil included parts of a moth larva (family Lasiocampidae , probably a species of Euglyphis ) and remains of other insects. Perhaps its dentition is adapted to gnaw through some materials to secure some ofits prey or to create its roosts.

Breeding. Lactating Daviess Big-eared Bats were reported in March ( Panama) and August ( Brazil and Peru); a pregnant female with a 33mm fetus was found in August ( Peru). An adult male, two adult females (one lactating), a subadult male, and a young female were reported in August (Amazonas Department, Peru). In Bahia, Brazil, two females reported in July were not pregnant or lactating.

Activity patterns. Davies's Big-eared Bat is nocturnal. Recorded flight times are early in evening and 21:15 h to dawn. In Peru, it roosts in hollow trees, in one case 3 m aboveground.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Groups of 3-5 Davies's Big-eared Bats have been reported roosting together in Peru.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. In Bolivia, Davies's Big-eared Bat is assessed as endangered. It is rare, patchily distributed, and poorly known. Deforestation and resulting problems of habitat loss and fragmentation probably affect several populations in Central America, Chocé ecoregion in northwestern Ecuador, and northern Bolivia.

Bibliography. Aguirre & Teran (2007), Gregorin & Rossi (2005), Hill (1965), LaVal & Rodriguez-Herrera (2002), McCarthy & Ochoa (1991), Medina-Fitoria & Saldana (2012), Morales-Martinez & Suérez-Castro (2014), Nogueira, Peracchi & Moratelli (2007), Pine et al. (1996), Solari et al. (1999), Tirira (2017), Tirira et al. (2016), Tuttle (1970), Williams & Genoways (2008).

Figures

103. Ben Keith's Short-tailed Bat (Carollia benkeithi), 104. Chestnut Short-tailed Bat (Carollia castanea), 105. Gray Short-tailed Bat (Carollia subrufa), 106. Manu Short-tailed Bat (Carolia manu), 107. Sowell’s Short-tailed Bat (Carollia sowelli), 108. Silky Short-tailed Bat (Carollia brevicaudum), 109. Hernandez’s Short-tailed Bat (Carollia monohernandez), 110. Seba’s Short-tailed Bat (Carollia perspicillata), 111. Behn' ’ s Big-eared Bat (Glyphonycteris behnii), 112. Davies’s Big-eared Bat (Glyphonycteris daviesi), 113. Tricolored Big-eared Bat (Glyphonycteris sylvestris), 114. Niceforo’s Big-eared Bat (Trinycteris nicefori), 115. Least Big-eared Bat (Neonycteris pusilla), 116. Hairy Little Fruit Bat (Rhinmophylla alethina), 117. Fischer's Little Fruit Bat (Rhinophylla fischerae), 118. Dwarf Little Fruit Bat (Rhinophylla pumilio)

Distribution. Honduras , Costa Rica , Panama , E Colombia , Venezuela , the Guianas, Brazil , Ecuador , E Peru , and N Bolivia ; also on Trinidad I; expected in Nicaragua .