Peropteryx kappleri, Peters, 1867

Bonaccorso, Frank, 2019, Emballonuridae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 350-373 : 369

43 . Greater Dog-like Bat

Peropteryx kappleri

French: Grand Péroptère / German: Grosse Hundskopffledermaus / Spanish: Peróptero mayor

Taxonomy. Peropteryx kappleri Peters, 1867 ,

“ Surinam [= Suriname ].”

Peropteryx kappleri is in the subgenus Peropteryx . Two subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

P. k. kappleri Peters, 1867 — from S Mexico (S Veracruz State) throughout Central America to Colombia and W Ecuador and E to the Adantic Forest of E Brazil.

P. k. intermedia Sanborn, 1951 - Peru and N Bolivia.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 63-75 mm, tail 11-20 mm, ear 13-20 mm, hindfoot 9-13 mm, forearm 45-53-6 mm; weight 7-13 g. Female Greater Dog-like Bats are slighdy larger than males. Long dorsal fur (8-10 mm hair length) ranges from dark brown to reddish brown; venter is slighdy paler. Muzzle is largely hairless. Exposed skin on face, ears, arms, and wings is dark brown to black. Ears are long (13-16 mm) and triangular and rise above crown. Tragus is lanceolated. Eyes are large and conspicuous, with brown irises. Wing sacs are present near anterior edge of propatagium.

Habitat. Deciduous and evergreen forests, woodland savanna, and open fields from sea level to elevations of c.850 m.

Food and Feeding. The Greater Dog-like Bat feeds on aerial insects but also gleans insects from leaf substrates. It forages high in open spaces above and within closed forest canopies and subcanopies, within woodland savannas, and over open fields. Foraging activity is often associated with streams and rivers.

Breeding. Female Greater Dog-like Bats have one young each year. Parturition occurs in June-July.

Activity patterns. The Greater Dog-like Bat is crepuscular and roosts in cave entrances and boulder crevices of shaded rocky areas and karst cliffs, under palm fronds and bridges, within living and dead tree hollows, undersides of fallen and elevated logs, between plank buttresses, and occasionally in buildings. Echolocation search pulses have maximum energies of 20-40 kHz.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Roosting colonies have 1-7 individuals. Mating system is based on monogamous pairs, and a male defends his female against intruding males. Greater Dog-like Bats often roost in contact, stacked dorsum to ventrum, with up to four individuals that probably represent a family group.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on TheIUCNRedList. Conservation of caves and karst regions and retention of forests should be priorities for the Greater Dog-like Bat. In Mexico, it is a listed species with special legal protection.

Bibliography. Bradbury & Vehrencamp (1976a, 1976b, 1977a, 1977 b), Eisenberg (1989), Handley (1976), LaVal & Rodriguez-Herrera (2002), Sanborn (1951), Villa (1967).

Figures

On following pages: 40. Lesser Ghost Bat (Diclidurus scutatus); 41. Isabelline Ghost Bat (Diclidurus isabella); 42. Lesser Dog-like Bat (Peropteryx macrotis); 43. Greater Dog-like Bat (Peropteryx kappleri); 44. Trinidad Dog-like Bat (Peropteryx trinitatis); 45. White-winged Dog-like Bat (Peropteryx leucoptera); 46. Pale-winged Dog-like Bat (Peropteryx pallidoptera); 47. Thomas's Shaggy Bat (Centronycteris centrali); 48. Common Shaggy Bat (Centronycteris maximiliani); 49. Proboscis Bat (Rhynchonycteris naso); 50. Greater Sac-winged Bat (Saccopteryx bilineata}; 51. Lesser Sac-winged Bat (Saccopteryx leptura); 52. rosted Sac-winged Bat (Saccopteryx canescens); 53. Antioquian Sac-winged Bat (Saccopteryx antioquensis); 54. Amazonian Sac-winged Bat (Saccopteryx gymnura).

Subspecies and Distribution. P. k. kappleri Peters, 1867 — from S Mexico (S Veracruz State) throughout Central America to Colombia and W Ecuador and E to the Adantic Forest of E Brazil. P. k. intermedia Sanborn, 1951 - Peru and N Bolivia.