Vampyressa melissa, Thomas, 1926

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Phyllostomidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 444-583 : 558-559

158.

Melissa’s Yellow-eared Bat

Vampyressa melissa

French: Vampyresse mélissa / German: Melissa-Gelbohrfledermaus / Spanish: Vampiresa de Melissa

Other common names: Peruvian Yellow-eared Bat

Taxonomy. Vampyressa melissa Thomas, 1926 ,

“Puca Tambo, Peru, altitude 7100’ [= 2164 m],” San Martin, Peru .

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. E Andes Range in Colombia and E slopes of Andes in Ecuador and Peru.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 58-66 mm (tailless), ear 13-22 mm, hindfoot 8:9-11 mm, forearm 34:5-37-7 mm; weight 14-16 g. Greatest lengths of skulls are 21-2-22-6 mm. Melissa’s Yellow-eared Bat is small, but it is one of the largest species of Vampyressa . Dorsal pelage is brownish and homogeneous, and venter is paler. There are two pairs of white facial stripes on face, median stripes are located above eyes, and lateral stripes extend from below bases of ears to commissures of mouth. Noseleaf is bicolored, with most of lateral lancet and horseshoe cream or pale yellow. About one-half of ear pinna is furred; proximal forearm and uropatagium are densely furred. Conspicuous pale, whitish fringe occurs along posterior border of uropatagium, and reddish brown fur covers hindlimbs. Fourth metacarpal is shorter than third and fifth. Ventral narial opening has median pit in midline, and mesethmoid plate has thin anterior edge. Dental formula is I 2 /2, C1/1,P 2/2, M 2/3 (x2) = 30. I' are large and roughly evenly bilobate, converging medially but with roots well separated from adjacent teeth. I? is also bilobed, much smaller, and looks like a small I'. C' is large and has small cusp at its midlateral ridge. Longitudinal sulcus occurs on posterior face of C!. P* is one-half or less the size of P*, and the latter is triangular, bearing well-developed cingulum with cuspules. P, resembles shape of C but is much smaller. M' has well-developed protocone and paracone, and M* has rudimentary cusps, except for paracone. M, is quadrate shaped, with large protoconid and small hypoconid; M, has large metaconid and blade-like entoconid of about the same length as metaconid. M,is small. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 14 and FN = 24, with four pairs of large and two pairs of medium-sized metacentric and submetacentric autosomes and one pair of subtelocentric X-chromosomes.

Habitat. Mostly well-preserved Andean forests at elevations above 1180 m and as high as 2763 m. Melissa’s Yellow-eared Bat has been recorded in disturbed humid secondary forests and at lower elevations.

Food and Feeding. There is no specific information available for Melissa’s Yellow-eared Bat, but skull and dentition suggest that it is frugivorous.

Breeding. A pregnant Melissa’s Yellow-eared Bat had an embryo with crown—rump length of 27 mm, and was captured in February in Ecuador. A lactating female was captured in April in Colombia.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List. Because of habitat destruction and degradation, populations of Melissa's Yellow-eared Bat have presumably declined significantly in recent generations. It is known from only eleven localities, and distribution appears to be limited to well-preserved, high-elevation forests.

Bibliography. Albuja (1991), Arroyo-Cabrales (2008b), Gardner (1976, 1977a), Patton et al. (1982), Rodriguez-Posada et al. (2018), Solari et al. (2006), Tavares (2008), Tavares et al. (2014).

Figures

143. Guadeloupean Big-eyed Bat (Charoderma tmprovisum), 144. Little Big-eyed Bat (Charoderma trinitatum), 145. Salvin’s Big-eyed Bat (Chiroderma salvini), 146. Hairy Big-eyed Bat (Chiroderma villosum), 147. Brazilian Big-eyed Bat (Chiroderma doriae), 148. Vizotto’s Big-eyed Bat (Chiroderma vizottoi), 149. Bidentate Yellow-eared Bat (Vampyriscus bidens), 150. Brock’s Yellow-eared Bat (Vampyriscus brocki), 151. Striped Yellow-eared Bat (Vampyriscus nymphaea), 152. Baker’s Tent-making Bat (Uroderma bakeri), 153. Common Tent-making Bat (Uroderma bilobatum), 154. Pacific Tent-making Bat (Uroderma convexum), 155. Davis’s Tent-making Bat (Uroderma dauvisi), 156. Brown Tent-making Bat (Uroderma magnirostrum), 157. Kalko’s Yellow-eared Bat (Vampyressa elisabethae), 158. Melissa’s Yellow-eared Bat (Vampyressa melissa), 159. Quechuan Yellow-eared Bat (Vampyressa sinchi), 160. Northern Little Yellow-eared Bat (Vampyressa thyone), 161. Southern Little Yellow-eared Bat (Vampyressa pusilla), 162. MacConnell’s Bat (Mesophylla macconnelli), 163. Caracciolo’s Stripe-faced Bat (Vampyrodes caraccioli), 164. Great Stripe-faced Bat (Vampyrodes major)

Distribution. E Andes Range in Colombia and E slopes of Andes in Ecuador and Peru .