Anoura peruana (Tschudi, 1844)

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Phyllostomidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 444-583 : 521-522

72.

Tschudi’s Tailless Bat

Anoura peruana

French: Anoura du Pérou / German: Tschudi-Langnasenfledermaus / Spanish: Anoura de Peru

Taxonomy. Glossophaga (Choeronycteris) peruana Tschudi, 1844 ,

“Hacienda der Cejaregion 5000’ [= 1524 m] i. M. am Ostabhange der Binnencordillera,” Junin, Peru.

Anoura peruana wassplit from A. geoffroyi based on morphological analyses. It includes A. apolinari and A. geoffroyi antricola as junior synonyms. Monotypic.

Distribution. Through Andean zone of W Colombia, W & E Ecuador, W & E Peru, and W & C Bolivia.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 59-81 mm (tailless), ear 12-16 mm, hindfoot 8-13 mm, forearm 43-49 mm; weight 13-18 g. Females are larger than males. Tschudi’s Tailless Bat is a large species of Anoura . Dorsal fur is dark brown or blackish brown to pale grayish brown; venter is paler than dorsum; and fur is short, with bicolored hairs having pale whitish to grayish bases. Head is long and slender; noseleafis triangular; ears are small, rounded, and somewhattriangular; lowerlip is longer than upperlip; snout has short and medium-sized whiskers, prominent on some individuals; and tongue is long, often slightly protruding from mouth. Wing membranes are black or blackish brown; caudal membrane is very narrow, nearly imperceptible; calcaris short,less than one-half the length of foot; and tail is absent. Dense fringe of hairs occurs along free edge of uropatagium. Legs and feet are furred. Upperincisors are very small, occur in pairs and are separated by distinct central gap; P, similar to P, in size and shape.

Habitat. Mainly subtropical, cloudy, and temperate forests on both slopes of the Andes, tropical forests west of the Andes, and high Andean forests at elevations of 10-3800 m (most commonly above 1000 m). Tschudi’s Tailless Bat prefers humid areas but can be found in some dry and semi-humid forests. Specific habitats include primary, secondary, disturbed, and gallery forests; forest edges; gardens; orchards; cultivated areas (e.g. banana plantations); pastures; and open areas, sometimesfar from native forests: it is apparently most common near rivers.

Food and Feeding. Tschudi’s Tailless Bat feeds on nectar and pollen, mainly from plants that bloom at night such as certain species of cactus ( Cactaceae ). Fruit pulp has been reported in stomachs of Ecuadorian specimens. It can be highly insectivorous at certain times of the year. It eats pollen of Bombacopsis squamigera ( Malvaceae ); Pitcairnia brongniartiana ( Bromeliaceae ); Burmeistera sodiroana and B. truncata (both Campanulaceae ); Clusia sp. ( Clusiaceae ) and Marcgravia coriacea (Macgraviaceae); Markea sp. ( Solanaceae ); Meriania pichinchensis ( Melastomataceae ); and Passiflora spp. ( Passifloraceae ).

Breeding. In Ecuador, female Tschudi’s Tailless Bats with single fetuses were captured in August-September and several scrotal males in September. In Peru, pregnant females were captured in May-August. In Bolivia, two females, each with one embryo, were caught in June.

Activity patterns. Tschudi’s Tailless Bat is nocturnal. Nightly activity starts c.1 hour after sunset.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Tschudi’s Tailless Bat often forms colonies of several tens up to hundreds of individuals. It roosts in hollow trees, caves, and tunnels and appears to be common only where there are caves or rock crevices and rare or perhaps absent where there are no such shelters. In Ecuador, colonies of 300-500 individuals have been reported in caves; in Peru, colonies of 20-75 individuals grouped into several small clusters were reported. Occasionally, it has been reported roosting alone. Sexes can be segregated or mixed, depending on season. In Ecuador, it has been found in large caves with Peters’s Ghost-faced Bats ( Mormoops megalophylla) and Brazilian Free-Tailed Bats (Tadarida brasiliensis ).

Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The IUCN Red List. Based on abundance data from field observations, conservation status Tschudi’s Tailless Bat could be considered stable. It is fairly common in altered habitats and inter-Andean valleys and rare in pristine lowland areas.

Bibliography. Albuja (1999), Anderson (1997), Gardner (1977b), Graham (1987), Griffiths & Gardner (2008a), Handley (1976), Lee et al. (2008), Mantilla-Meluk & Baker (2010), Ortega & Alarcén (2008), Pozo & Trujillo (2005), Sanborn (1933), Tirira (2017), Tuttle (1970), Wilson (1979).

Figures

63. Tailed Tailless Bat (Anoura caudifer), 64. Ecuadorian Tailless Bat (Anowra aequatoris), 65. Cadena’s Tailless Bat (Anowra cadenai), 66. Tube-lipped Tailless Bat (Anoura fistulata), 67. Luis Manuel’s Tailless Bat (Anoura luismanueli), 68. Peruvian Tailless Bat (Anowra javier), 69. Handley’s Tailless Bat (Anoura cultrata), 70. Broad-toothed Tailless Bat (Anowra latidens), 71. Geoffroy’s Tailless Bat (Anoura geoffroy), 72. Tschudi’s Tailless Bat (Anoura peruana), 74. Godman’s Long-tailed Bat (Choeroniscus godmani), 75. Lesser Long-tailed Bat (Choeroniscus minor), 76. Greater Long-tailed Bat (Choeroniscus periosus), 77. Mexican Long-tongued Bat (Choeronycteris mexicana), 78. Capixaba Nectarfeeding Bat (Dryadonycteris capixaba), 79. Banana Bat (Musonycteris harrisoni), 80. Pale Brown Long-tongued Bat (Lichonycteris degener), 81. Dark Long-tongued Bat (Lichonycteris obscura), 82. Ega Long-tongued Bat (Scleronycteris ega)

Distribution. Through Andean zone of W Colombia , W & E Ecuador , W & E Peru , and W & C Bolivia .