Molossops temminckii, Burmeister, 1854

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Molossidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 598-672 : 639

49.

Dwarf Dog-faced Bat

Molossops temminckii

French: Molossope nain / German: Temminck-Bulldogfledermaus / Spanish: Molosops de Temminck

Taxonomy. Dysopes temminckii Burmeister, 1854 ,

“Lagoa Santa,” Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Taxonomic revision is needed. Monotypic.

Distribution. Colombia, Venezuela, SW Guyana, Brazil, NE Ecuador, E Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, N Argentina, and W Uruguay.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 48-60 mm, tail 19-27 mm, car 7-14 mm, hindloot 4-8 mm, forearm 29-33 mm; weight 4-9 g. Pelage of the Dwarf Dog-faced Bat is relatively long, with hairs extending beyond claws of toes; dorsal pelage is dark brown with white bases; ventral pelage is paler, with whitish throat. Ear and wing membranes are pale brown. Ears are triangular, usually short and erect, and separated. Tragus is at least one-half the size of antitragus, which is wider than high, and posteriorly notched. Skull has elliptical-shaped basisphenoid pits. M” has well-developed third commissure. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 42 and FN = 56 in Colombia, and 2n = 48 and FN = 64 in Brazil.

Habitat. Tropical and subtropical moist forest, dry forest, secondary forest, and savanna, from sea level up to 1000 m in elevation.

Food and Feeding. Stomach contents included remains of crickets ( Gryllidae ), true bugs ( Hemiptera and Homoptera), beetles ( Coleoptera ), moths ( Lepidoptera ), and flies (Nematocera).

Breeding. Pregnant females have been documented in February, June, September, and October. A lactating female was recorded in October.

Activity patterns. The Dwarf Dog-faced Batis crepuscular, and has been found roosting at a variety of places, including caves, under tree bark, tree hollows, rocky outcrops, buildings, and holes in fence posts. Roosting usually occurs near food sources to reduce foraging costs. Unlike other molossid species, the Dwarf Dog-faced Bat can alter its echolocation calls to navigate in more cluttered environments near trees. The search-phase call has an upward modulation of frequency from 40 kHz to 50 kHz.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Dwarf Dog-faced Bats are social, and commonly forage in large groups. Colony size numbers up to six individuals. In Argentina, this species has been recorded in the same tree hollow as the Southern Dog-faced Bat ( Cynomops planirostris ), but in different parts of the hollow. It has also been found to share roosts in roofs with the Common Dwarf Bonneted Bat ( Eumops bonariensis ), the Silver-tipped Myotis ( Myotis albescens ), and the Common Black Myotis ( M. nigricans ).

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

Bibliography. Anderson (1997), Breviglieri & Uieda (2014), Eger (2008), Faria et al. (2009), Gardner (1977c), Guillén-Servent & Ibanez (2007), Nunes et al. (2013), Oliveira et al. (2018), Tirira (2017), Vizotto & Taddei (1976).

Figures

42. Mato Grosso Dog-faced Bat (Neoplatymops mattogrossensis), 43. Peale’s Free-tailed Bat (Nyctinomops aurispinosus), 44. Pocketed Free-tailed Bat (Nyctinomops femorosaccus), 45. Broad-eared Free-tailed Bat (Nyctinomops laticaudatus), 46. Big Free-tailed Bat (Nyctinomops macrotis), 47. Equatorial Dog-faced Bat (Cabreramops aequatorianus), 48. Rufous Dog-faced Bat (Molossops neglectus), 49. Dwarf Dog-faced Bat (Molossops temmancku), 50. Freeman's Dog-faced Bat (Cynomops freemani), 51. Mexican Dog-faced Bat (Cynomops mexicanus), 52. Southern Dog-faced Bat (Cynomops planirostris), 53. Cinnamon Dog-faced Bat (Cynomops abrasus), 54. Greenhall’s Dog-faced Bat (Cynomops greenhalli), 55. Thomas's Dog-faced Bat (Cynomops mastivus), 56. Miller's Dog-faced Bat (Cynomops milleri), 57. Waorani Dog-faced Bat (Cynomops tonkigui)

Distribution. Colombia , Venezuela , SW Guyana , Brazil , NE Ecuador , E Peru , Bolivia , Paraguay , N Argentina , and W Uruguay .