Phyllonycteris poeyi, Gundlach, 1861

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Phyllostomidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 444-583 : 516-517

60.

Cuban Flower Bat

Phyllonycteris poeyi

French: Phyllonyctere de Cuba / German: Kuba-Blitenfledermaus / Spanish: Filonicterio de Cuba

Taxonomy. Phyllonycteris poey: Gundlach in Peters, 1861,

“Kaffeepflanzung Fundador [= Fundadorcoffee plantation],” Cuba.

In the past, the two subspecies of P. poeyi have been treated as distinct species. Two subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

P.p.poeyiGundlach,1861—Cuba,includingIsladelaJuventud.

P. p. obtusa G. S. Miller, 1929 — Hispaniola.

A record of two individuals captured in the Florida Keys, USA could represent vagrant individuals.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 75-87 mm, tail 6-18 mm, ear 12-16 mm, hindfoot 16— 20 mm, forearm 43-51 mm; weight 15-29 g. On average, males are larger than females. The Cuban Flower Bat has thick short fur. Hairs are bicolored, with white bases and gray brownish tips, and are 3-6 mm long. Dorsum appears grayish, with silvery reflections; venter is beige. Wing membranes are devoid of hair. Uropatagium is greatly reduced, and there is no calcar. Snoutis long and narrow, with rudimentary noseleaf. Cleft lower lip has minute dermic lobules on each side. Ears are well separated above head. Skull is robust, with deep and elongated rostrum. Upper molars are longer than broad, and lower molars are long and narrow; cusps do not have W-pattern. There are four pairs of metacentric and eleven pairs of submetacentric autosomes. X-chromosome is submetacentric, and Y-chromosome is minute acrocentric. Testes are 3-4—6-2 mm.

Habitat. Xeric and mesic habitats from sea level up to elevations of 1110 m in Cuba and 1700 m in southern Haiti. In Cuba, it has been captured at more than 50 locations that include Isla de la Juventud and all provinces and is considered one of the most common species in Cuba. At Sierra del Rosario Biosphere Reserve in western Cuba,it was captured in large numbers in evergreen forest and patches of secondary growth. In Hispaniola, it is known from more than ten locations, including lower dry forests of Sierra Neiba and provinces of Puerto Plata, Independencia, San Cristobal, Sanchez Ramirez, and San Pedro de Macoris in the Dominican Republic.

Food and Feeding. Pollen and nectar appear to be main components of diets of Cuban Flower Bats, although fruits and insects are also consumed. Of 205 stomach samples examined from Cuba, 35% contained only pollen, and almost 90% contained pollen combined with fruit and some with insects. Insect remains were mostly from larval stages, suggesting that they were eaten incidentally with fruits or flowers. Analysis of stable nitrogen isotopes revealed that, in some cases, insects contributed significantly to protein intake of Cuban Flower Bats. When feeding on flowers, they land on them rather than hovering by them. Aerodynamic measurements suggest that they are not capable of prolonged hovering.

Breeding. The Cuban Flower Bat is monoestrous, giving birth to one young at a time. In Cuba, copulation probably peaks in December, and pregnancy occurs in February—June. Pregnant and lactating females have not been reported from Cuba in November—January, but three pregnant females were reported from Haiti in December. In Cuba,lactation occurs in June-September. During the day, young normally cling to their mothers, but they stay in caves when their mothers forage at night.

Activity patterns. Cuban Flower Bats are nocturnal and depart cave roosts after most other bat species have left. Emergence begins 32-71 minutes after sunset. Return activity begins right after midnight and continues until 14-95 minutes before sunrise. Moonlight can significantly reduce activity of Cuban Flower Bats at cave openings and even cause it to stop completely. Capture rates in forest patches are significantly reduced on moonlit nights. It roosts exclusively in hot caves, using tepid (26-27°C) and very warm areas (28-40°C). Cuban Flower Bats use night roosts away from their day roosts.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Cuban Flower Bat forms multispecies assemblages but maintains spatial separation from the other species. Colonies can range from a few thousand individuals to a few hundred thousand. Given the size of the colonies, Cuban Flower Bats probably commute long distances to feeding areas. In Cuba, individuals released 20 km from their roosts returned on the same night and with evidence that they had fed prior to returning.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Cuban Flower Bat is considered common throughout its restricted distribution. It is found in protected areas. It could be vulnerable to severe reduction in numbers due to its ecological specialization to hot caves.

Bibliography. Davalos & Mancina (2008a), Herrera & Mancina (2007), Klingener et al. (1978), Mancina (2010), Mancina, Echenique-Diaz et al. (2007), Mancina, Garcia-Rivera & Capote (2007), Rodriguez-Duran (2009), Rodriguez-Duran & Christenson (2012), Silva-Taboada (1979), Simmons (2005), Speer et al. (2015), Timm & Genoways (2003).

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)

Subspecies and Distribution. P.p.poeyiGundlach,1861—Cuba,includingIsladelaJuventud. P. p. obtusa G. S. Miller, 1929 — Hispaniola. A record of two individuals captured in the Florida Keys, USA could represent vagrant individuals.