Leptonycteris nivalis (Saussure, 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 : 514

55.

Greater Long-nosed Bat

Leptonycteris nivalis

French: Grand Leptonyctére / German: GroRe Mexiko-Blitenfledermaus / Spanish: Leptonicterio grande

Other common names: Mexican Long-nosed Bat

Taxonomy. Ischnoglossa nivalis Saussure, 1860 ,

“pres de la limite des neiges du pic d’Orizaba, au bord d'une forét de pins [= near snow line of Mount Orizaba, at the edge of a pine forest],” Veracruz, Mexico.”

Leptonycteris nivalis has been confused with the partially sympatric L. yerbabuenae for decades, and it was not clarified until the end of the 20™ century. Therefore, some publications referring to L. nivalis are actually be about L. yerbabuenae . Monotypic.

Distribution. From S New Mexico and SW Texas (SW USA) and through N & C Mexico S to Puebla and Oaxaca.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 76-85 mm (no externaltail), ear 17-19 mm, hindfoot 13-19 mm, forearm 53-59 mm; weight 18-30 g. The Greater Long-nosed Batis a medium-sized phyllostomid but the largest New World nectarfeeding bat and species of Leptonycteris . Fur on back is long, woolly, and gray, with pale grayish venter. Hairs are white at bases and silvery at tips. Eyes are large, and ears small and triangular. Tongue is long, with elongated papillae on its tip. Noseleaf is small and triangular. There is V-shaped groove on lower lip. The Greater Long-nosed Bat has longer (greater than 105 mm) third finger, with sum of lengths of three phalanges ofthis finger averaging longer than third metacarpal, providing longer wingspan. Uropatagium is narrow (4 mm or shorter) and visibly covered with hairs; fringe of hairs extends beyond edge of membrane. Calcaris short. Last phalanx of third finger is longer than 15 mm. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 32 and FN = 60.

Habitat. Primarily dry and montane habitats in the Chihuahuan Desert, pinyon pine— Juniper forests, and mixed forests at elevations from 800 m to more than 3000 m. At mid-elevations, the Greater Long-nosed Bat can co-occur with its smaller, partially sympatric congener, the Lesser Long-nosed Bat ( L. yerbabuenae ). It is absent from the Sonoran Desert but widely distributed at low densities in the Chihuahuan Desert.

Food and Feeding. Diet contains nectar, pollen, and soft fruits. In its southern distribution,it feeds on nectar and pollen of the morning glory tree ( Ipomoea arborescens, Convolvulaceae , and others); many species of Agave (Asparagaceae) ; Ceiba pentandra and Pseudobombax ellipticum (both Malvaceae ); and Calliandra houstoniana ( Fabaceae ), among others. In its northern distribution, diet is heavily dominated by Agave spp. In captivity, Greater Long-nosed Bats increased ingestion of nectar as sugar concentration dropped, ingesting up to five times their body mass (119 g of nectar at low sugar concentrations) in a single night. Their ability to compensate their energy intake when facing sugar concentration as low as 5% is much greater than that of the Lesser Longnosed Bat, which enters a physiological deficit when ingesting nectar concentrations less than 15%. This suggests that the Greater Long-nosed Bat is adapted to colder environments where plants have greater difficulties producing highly concentrated nectar. This also helps to explain differentiation of ecological niches of these two species.

Breeding. Female Greater Long-nosed Bats have one embryo at a time. Lactating females have been found in June-July in southern Texas, suggesting that breeding and births occur during spring. Pregnant females have been recorded in Mexico in March-April; then females migrate north and give birth in north-central Mexico in the Chihuahuan Desert. Mating system is poorly understood but might consist of polygynous arrangements. The Greater Long-nosed Bat is the only species of Leptonycteris that does not form sebaceous patches on backs of males.

Activity patterns. Greater Long-nosed Bats emerge late from their roosts, well after sunset. They seem to remain outside oftheir roosts for long periods and return shortly before sunrise. They roost primarily in caves and mines.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Social organization is unknown, but Greater Long-nosed Bats likely form harems when they mate in winter in their southern distribution. Then all bats disappear from most known caves in the south, and females migrate north, where a few maternity colonies have been reported in the states of Nuevo Leon and Coahuila, Mexico. Greater Long-nosed Bats roost in colonies up to a few thousand individuals. They share roosts with other bat species including the Lesser Long-nosed Bat, the Mexican Long-tongued Bat ( Choeronycteris mexicana ), the Jamaican Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeusjamaicensis), the Common Vampire Bat ( Desmodus rotundus ), Parnell’s Common Mustached Bat ( Pteronotus parnellii), Townsend’s Bigeared Bat ( Corynorhinus townsendii), the Cave Myotis ( Myotis velifer), the Fringed Myotis (M. thysanodes), the Brazilian Free-tailed Bat (Tadarida brasiliensis ), and the Mexican Funnel-eared Bat ( Natalus mexicanus ), among others.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Endangered on The IUCN Red List. The Greater Long-nosed Bat is rarer than its congener, the Lesser L.ong-nosed Bat. It waslisted as endangered in the USA in 1988 and threatened in Mexico in 1993.

Bibliography. Arita (1991), Arita & Humphrey (1988), Ayala-Berdon et al. (2013), Hensley & Wilkins (1988), Nassar etal. (2016), Sanchez & Medellin (2007).

Figures

47. Insular Single-leat Bat (Monophyllus plethodon), 48. Leach’s Single-leat Bat (Monophyllus redmani), 49. Commissaris’s L. ong-tongued Bat (Glossophaga commissaris), 50. Western Long-tongued Bat (Glossophaga morenoi), 51. Gray's Long-tongued Bat (Glossophaga leachii), 52. Miller's Long-tongued Bat (Glossophaga longirostris), 53. Pallas’s Long-tongued Bat (Glossophaga soricina), 54. Southern LLong-nosed Bat (Leptonyctenis curasoae), 55. Greater Long-nosed Bat (Leptonycteris nivalis), 56. Lesser Long-nosed Bat (Leptonycteris yerbabuenae), 57. Antillean Fruit-eating Bat (Brachyphylla cavernarum), 58. Cuban Fruit-eating Bat (Brachyphylla nana), 59. Jamaican Flower Bat (Phyllonycteris aphylla), 60. Cuban Flower Bat (Phyllonycteris poeyi), 61. Brown Flower Bat (Erophylla bombifrons), 62. Buffy Flower Bat (Erophylla sezekorni)

Distribution. From S New Mexico and SW Texas (SW USA ) and through N & C Mexico S to Puebla and Oaxaca.