Enchisthenes hartii (Thomas, 1892)

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Phyllostomidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 444-583 : 569

185.

Velvety Fruit-eating Bat

Enchisthenes hartii

French: Sténoderme de Hart / German: Hart-Speernase / Spanish: Platirrino de Hart

Other common names: Hart's Little Fruit Bat

Taxonomy. Artibeus hartii Thomas, 1892 ,

“ Trinidad,” Trinidad and Tobago. Restricted by O. Thomas in 1893 to Botanic Gardens, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad.

Similar to other small fruit-eating bats, E. hart was associated with Artibeus and Dermanura . Monotypic.

Distribution. WC & NE Mexico from C Jalisco on Pacific slope and S Tamaulipas on Gulf slope S through Central America (absent from Yucatan Peninsula, N Guatemala, and Belize), to Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago Is, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia; there is an extralimital record from S Arizona, USA, but this specimen might have been unintentionally imported.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 55-68 mm (tailless), ear 14-18 mm, hindfoot 11-14 mm, forearm 38-42 mm; weight 14-18 g. The Velvety Fruit-eating Bat is small, similar to species in the subgenus Dermanura . Dorsal pelage, chin, and throat are chocolate-brown to almost blackish (especially head); dorsal fur is short (4-5 mm), dense, and velvety, with two color bands. Venteris gray-brown, and tips of hairs are not frosted. Two pairs of narrow but distinct buffy stripes run over and below eyes. Noseleaf and pinnae are blackish, horseshoe of noseleafis fused below nostrils, and spear is short and broad. Distal margins of pinnae are lighter (pale brownish). Proximal one-half of forearm, dorsal side of legs and feet, and uropatagium are densely haired. Plagiopatagium attaches to ankles. Uropatagium is very narrow, 3-4 mm width, with deep V-shaped groove and noticeable fringe on its margin. Dental formula is I 2 /2, C 1/1, P 2/2, M 3/3 (x2) = 32. Cutting edge of I' is simple and pointed (no indication of a notch). M?® and M, are well developed and aligned with tooth rows. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 30-31 and FN = 56. X-chromosome is subtelocentric, Y-chromosomeis submetacentric, and Y,chromosomeis acrocentric.

Habitat. Tropical and subtropical evergreen highland forests, forest fragments, and also deciduous and open dry forests (rare) and croplands from lowlands up to elevations of 3540 m (usually above 1000 m). The Velvety Fruit-eating Bat prefers moist habitats and stratified tropical evergreen forests.

Food and Feeding. Velvety Fruit-eating Bats in south-western Colombia fed almost exclusively on small figs ( Ficus spp., Moraceae ) in April-August, probably associated with local peak fruit production. Diet is predominantly fruits, mostly those c. 1 cm in diameter. At least nine species of five genera and five families are known in its diet.

Breeding. Reproductive activity of Velvety Fruit-eating Bats occurred in January-September, with a probable period of inactivity late in the year. This reproductive quiescence was corroborated for individuals in south-western Colombia (no pregnant females in December). A female from Ecuador was pregnant in December, and others were pregnant or lactating when caught in January. Pregnant or lactating females have been found in January-February in Central America; March-May and July-August in Venezuela; and April-May, July, and September in Colombia. Lactating females were found in May—August in southern Mexico and Costa Rica.

Activity patterns. The Velvety Fruit-eating Bat probably flies high in upper levels of forests, but most mist-nets captures are over streams through the forest or over water in clearings. It can be common near areas with a large surplus of resources (e.g. fruit groves).

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Velvety Fruit-eating Bat has a wide distribution and occurs in protected areas. It is considered uncommon to rare but can be locally common.

Bibliography. Albuja (1999), Arroyo-Cabrales & Owen (1996, 1997), Irwin & Baker (1967), Koopman (1978), Marques-Aguiar (2008b), Owen (1987), Reid (2009), Thomas, M.E. (1972), Thomas, O. (1892, 1893a).

Figures

165. White-lined Broad-nosed Bat (Platyrrhinus lineatus), 166. Short-headed Broad-nosed Bat (Platyrrhainus brachycephalus), 167. Heller's Broad-nosed Bat (Platyrrhinus helleri), 168. Matapalo Broad-nosed Bat (Platyrrhinus matapalensis), 169. Recife Broad-nosed Bat (Platyrrhinus recifinus), 170. Guianan Broad-nosed Bat (Platyrrhinus guianensis), 171. Incan Broad-nosed Bat (Platyrrhinus incarum), 172. Slender Broad-nosed Bat (Platyrrhinus angustirostris), 173. Brown-bellied Broad-nosed Bat (Platyrriunus fuscrventris), 174. Alberico’s Broad-nosed Bat (Platyrrhinus albericoi), 175. Greater Broad-nosed Bat (Platyrrhinus vittatus), 176. Choco Broad-nosed Bat (Platyrrhinus chocoensis), 177. Thomas’s Broad-nosed Bat (Platyrrhinus dorsalis), 178. Bufty Broad-nosed Bat (Platyrrhinus infuscus), 179. Darien Broad-nosed Bat (Platyriunus aquilus), 180. Eldorado Broad-nosed Bat (Platyrrhinus aurarius), 181. Ismael’s Broad-nosed Bat (Platyrrhinus ismaeli), 182. Quechuan Broad-nosed Bat (Platyrrhinus masu), 183. Shadowy Broad-nosed Bat (Platyrrhinus umbratus), 184. Western Broad-nosed Bat (Platyrrhinus nitelinea), 185. Velvety Fruit-eating Bat (Enchisthenes hart), 186. Honduran White Bat (Ectophylla alba)

Distribution. WC & NE Mexico from C Jalisco on Pacific slope and S Tamaulipas on Gulf slope S through Central America (absent from Yucatan Peninsula, N Guatemala , and Belize ), to Colombia , Venezuela , Trinidad and Tobago Is, Ecuador , Peru , and Bolivia ; there is an extralimital record from S Arizona, USA , but this specimen might have been unintentionally imported.