Centurio senex, J. E. Gray, 1842

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Phyllostomidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 444-583 : 581-582

213.

Wrinkle-faced Bat

Centurio senex

French: Sténoderme ridé / German: Greisengesicht / Spanish: Centurio de cara arrugada

Other common names: Lattice-winged Bat

Taxonomy. Centurio senex J. E. Gray, 1842 ,

“Amboyna.” Restricted by G. G. Goodwin in 1946 to “Realejo, Nicaragua.”

Despite other names used for C. senex , its taxonomy has remained remarkably stable with very few name changes or revisions. This stability might be associated with its unique morphology. Centurio is currently monotypic. Two subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

C.s.senex].E.Gray,1842—tropicalMexicofromNSinaloaandSTamaulipastoYucatanPeninsula,SthroughCentralAmerica,andontoNSouthAmericainNColombiaandVenezuela.

C. s. greenhalli Paradiso, 1968 — known only from Trinidad and Tobago Is.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 58-65 mm (tailless), ear 14-17 mm, hindfoot 9-14 mm, forearm 41-45 mm; weight 17-23 g. The Wrinkle-faced Bat is medium-sized compared with otherfruit-eating bats. Dorsum is light brown to straw-colored, and venteris paler. There is one white spot on each shoulder where wing attaches to body. Top of head is covered with hair, and there are emerging hairs extending several millimeters beyond the rest of fur. Face is naked and characteristically wrinkled with folds and furrows that make it completely unmistakable; there is no plausible explanation as to function of wrinkles. There are two flaps of skin that start at bases of ears and curve over the head. There is important sexual dimorphism in which males have a flap of skin in their necks covered by white fur with two naked patches. This skin flap can be extended over part of the face; females lack this skin flap. There is no discernible noseleaf. Eyes are golden olive-green. Wings have striking banded pattern oftissue between fourth and fifth digits that extends slightly onto plagiopatagium. Dorsal area of forearmsis furry. Uropatagium is relatively large and especially hairy on dorsal surface. Dental formula is12/2,C1/1,P 2/2, M 2/2 (x2) = 28. Skull is distinctive, with extremelyshort and broad rostrum, so that incisors are almost at level of eyes; semicircular maxillary tooth row as seen from an occlusal view; and high and narrow braincase. Nares open at level of anterior root of zygomatic arches. Throat, where food passes when swallowed,is extraordinarily narrow, only 1-3-1-4 mm in diameter. Sperm is another extraordinary trait of the Wrinkle-faced Bat because it has a rounded nucleus and extremely pointed acrosome. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 28 and FN = 52. X-chromosomeis subtelocentric, and Y-chromosome is submetacentric.

Habitat. Variety of tropical habitats including tropical lowland rainforests, dry tropical forests, and tropical deciduous forests from sea level up to elevations of ¢. 1500 m. The Wrinkle-faced Bat is rarely abundant, regardless of the condition of the forest whereit is found. It tends to occupy undisturbed forests and disappears or is rare in disturbed forests.

Food and Feeding. Diet of the Wrinkle-faced Bat is composed of plant material, primarily juices of soft sweet fruits from, for example, Solanum erianthum ( Solanaceae ), Sideroxylon capiri ( Sapotaceae ), and Maclura tinctoria ( Moraceae ). Relative to head size, the Wrinkle-faced Bat has the strongest bite known for any fruit-eating phyllostomid, although it has a limited ability to generate high bite forces at wide gapes. It uses unilateral bites more often than most other frugivorous bats. It has recently been documented consuming the very hard seed of S. capiri, clearly requiring strong bite force. Very few bats are known to consume seeds.

Breeding. The Wrinkle-faced Bat reportedly has a biased sex ratio, with at least twice as many females than males in a given area, which is curious given its unusual sexual dimorphism and extreme morphology. Nevertheless, nothing is known yet aboutits breeding behavior. Mating system might be polygynous. In some areas, it has been documented to have asynchronous polyestry, and in other more seasonal ecosystems such as dry forests in Mexico, it has a bimodal distribution of births with first peak at onset of rainy season and second toward end of rainy season.

Activity patterns. The Wrinkle-faced Bat roosts in dense vine tangles, branches, and leaves.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Wrinkle-faced Bats roost in groups of about a dozen individuals.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red Lust.

Bibliography. Dumont et al. (2009), Gardner (2008f), Goodwin (1946), Madrid-Lopez et al. (2013), Santos-Moreno et al. (2010), Snow et al. (1980), Villalobos-Chaves et al. (2016).

Figures

187. Brown Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus concolor), 188. Honduran Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus inopinatus), 189. Fraternal Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus fraterculus), 190. Hairy Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus hirsutus), 192. Ecuadorian Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus aequatorialis), 193. Jamaican Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus jamaicenss), 194. Dark Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus obscurus), 195. Schwartz’s Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus schwartzi), 196. Great Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus lLituratus), 197. Large Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus amplus), 198. Flat-faced Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus planirostris), 199. Rosenberg’s Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus rosenberg), 200. Thomas's Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus watsoni), 201. Toltec Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus toltecus), 202. Pygmy Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus phaeotis), 203. Gervais’s Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus cinereus), 204. Andersen’s Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus anderseni), 205. Little Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus ravus), 206. Aztec Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus aztecus), 207. Bogota Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus bogotensis), 208. Silvery Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus glaucus), 209. Dwarf Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus gnomus), 210. Jamaican Fig-eating Bat (Ariteus flavescens), 211. Tree Bat (Ardops nichollsi), 212. Red Fruit Bat (Stenoderma rufum), 213. Wrinkle-faced Bat (Centurio senex), 214. Ipanema Broad-nosed Bat (Pygoderma bilabiatum), 215. Visored Bat (Sphaeronycteris toxophyllum), 216. Little White-shouldered Bat (Ametrida centurio), 217. Cuban Fig-eating Bat (Phyllops falcatus)

Subspecies and Distribution. C.s.senex].E.Gray,1842—tropicalMexicofromNSinaloaandSTamaulipastoYucatanPeninsula,SthroughCentralAmerica,andontoNSouthAmericainNColombiaandVenezuela. C. s. greenhalli Paradiso, 1968 — known only from Trinidad and Tobago Is.