Hylonycteris underwoodi, Thomas, 1903

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

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6458594

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6803156

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03A687BC-FF97-FF97-1382-F5ADF71BF46C

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Hylonycteris underwoodi
status

 

73 View Plate 38: Phyllostomidae . Underwood’s Long-tongued Bat

Hylonycteris underwoodi View in CoL

French: Hylonyctére d’Underwood / German: Underwood-Blattnase / Spanish: Hilonicterio de Underwood

Taxonomy. Hylonycteris underwood: Thomas, 1903 View in CoL ,

“Rancho Redondo [San José], Costa Rica.”

"Two subspecies are recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

H. uw. underwoodi Thomas, 1903 — disjunct from 8S Mexico (Veracruz) to E Guatemala, S Belize, and N & W Honduras, and from SE Nicaragua to W Panama.

H. u. minor C. J. Phillips &J. K.Jones, 1971 — Pacific slope in Mexico, from Nayarit and Jalisco to S Oaxaca.

A.p. discontinuous distribution with gap in Nicaragua might just reflect lack of data because Underwood's Long-tongued bat always occursat rather low densities and is therefore not very often captured. View Figure

Descriptive notes. Head-body 48-60 mm, tail 3-10 mm, ear 9-13 mm, hindfoot 7-11 mm, forearm 31-5-36 mm; weight 6-5-8-5 g (adult, non-reproductive). Females are notably larger than males. Underwood’s Long-tongued Batis very small and delicate. Dorsal hairs are dark brown or blackish, faintly three-banded with bases dark gray, middles pale gray, and tips dark. Muzzle is greatly elongated and tapering, and lower jaw extends well beyond upper jaw. Noseleaf is short (3-4 mm) and narrow. Tail is present and shorter than naked uropatagium. Wing membranes attach to ankles. Underwood’s Long-tongued Batis characterized by absence of lower incisors and elongated snout that encloses long tongue. Dental formula is I 2 /0, C 1/1, P 2/3, M 3/3 (x2) = 30. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 16 and FN = 24.

Habitat. Almost exclusively in vicinity of primary and older secondary forests, ranging from lowland rainforests at sea level up to cloud forests and higher to elevations of 2640 m. In Mexico, Underwood’s Long-tongued Bats were captured in pine forests while visiting large flowers of a thistle ( Cirsium sp., Asteraceae ).

Food and Feeding. Underwood's Long-tongued Batis a nectar specialist and uses its long tongue to harvest nectar from a wide variety of flowers. It depends on year-round flower supply and visits flowers that occur in rather low densities scattered throughout forests. All individuals captured in north-eastern Costa Rica throughoutthe year carried pollen and more than 80% of pollen from the hemi-epiphyte Merinthopodium neuranthum ( Solanaceae ) and ¢.70% from canopy liana ( Marcgravia , Macgraviaceae); both flower over rather long periods. Underwood’s Long-tongued Bat very rarely feeds on small and particularly soft fruits, such as those of Conostegia xalapensis ( Melastomataceae ) or Coussapoa oligocephala (Urticaceae) .

Breeding. In north-eastern Costa Rica, Underwood’s Long-tongued batis bimodally polyestrous, with pregnant females found in January-April and August—-October. A female in Guatemala had an enlarged uterus from a recent pregnancy in early March.

Activity patterns. Underwood’s Long-tongued Batis nocturnal. It often roosts under rotting fallen logs or among buttresses of fallen trees that offer more than one exit. It also roosts in caves or anthropogenic tunnels or culverts.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Underwood’s Long-tongued Bat never occurs at high densities. It roosts alone or in very small groups of 1-4 individuals.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCNRed List. Underwood’s Long-tongued Bat probably depends on forests that provide year-round sufficient supplies of flowers for nectar, so habitat loss could become a conservation concern.

Bibliography. Castro-Luna & Sosa (2009), Jones & Homan (1974), McCarthy et al. (1993), Reid (2009), Simmons (2005), Tschapka (1998, 2004), Turcios-Casco & Medina-Fitoria (2019).

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Mammalia

Order

Chiroptera

Family

Phyllostomidae

Genus

Hylonycteris

Loc

Hylonycteris underwoodi

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier 2019
2019
Loc

Hylonycteris underwood:

Thomas 1903
1903
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