Lasiurus castaneus, Handley, 1960

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Vespertilionidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 716-981 : 880

262.

Tacarcunan Bat

Lasiurus castaneus

French: Lasiure de Tacarcuna / German: Panama-Haarschwanzfledermaus / Spanish: Lasiuro de Tacarcuna

Other common names: Red-faced Red Bat, Tacarcuna Bat

Taxonomy. Lasiurus castaneus Handley, 1960 ,

“Tacarcuna Village, 3,200 ft. [= 975 m], Rio Pucro, Darién, Panama.”

See L. egregius . Lasiurus castaneus and L. atratus might be conspecific. Lasiurus castaneus is in the Red Bats group. Monotypic.

Distribution. Known from scattered localifies in NW Costa Rica, E Panama, and N Brazil (Amazonas State).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 52-755- 6 mm, tail 47-50 mm, ear 11-417- 7 mm, hindfoot 7-5—- 11 mm, forearm 41-3-45- 5 mm; weight 11- 5-17 g. Females are larger than males. Dorsum is deep chestnut, and rump and feet are mahogany. Dorsal hairs are tricolored, with black bases, amber middles, and chestnut tips. Ventral hairs are blackish brown, with scattered buff tips on collar. Ears are wide, short, and rounded, with basal two-thirds of outer part furred. Distal end of tragusis triangular. Auricle and antitragus are relatively large. Ears, membranes, and lips are blackish. Face and muzzle vary from black to reddish. Uropatagium is densely furred with mahogany hair that reaches three-quarters ofits length. Skull is short and broad; rostrum is broad and deep. Braincase is narrow, deep, and inclined upward away from plane of palate; lacrimal ridge is not developed; and palatal emargination is wider than depth. P* is double rooted; hypocone on M' and M? are much reduced; and M? is much reduced, with second commissure shorter than first. Dental formulas 11/3, C1/1,P 2/2, M 3/3 (x2) = 32,

Habitat. Elfin forests, tall lowland evergreen forests, cloud forests, mixed secondary forests, pastures, and over streams and ponds in primary forests from sea level up to elevations of ¢. 1500 m.

Food and Feeding. The Tacarcunan Bat probably forages over watercourses and streams, capturing insects in flight. Specimens were captured c. 1 m over the water surface.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Tacarcunan Bats were captured in the first hour after sunset. Echolocation calls are c.6-3 milliseconds, with narrowband and single harmonic, and sweep from ¢.53 kHz to ¢.30 kHz.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. The Tacarcunan Bat is rarely captured and occurs in protected areas in Panama.

Bibliography. Baird et al. (2015), Collen (2012), Dinerstein (1985), Gardner & Handley (2008), Handley (1960), Morales-Martinez & Ramirez-Chaves (2015), Novaes, Garbino et al. (2018), Pineda et al. (2016), Sampaio et al. (2003), Simmons (2005), Villalobos-Chaves & Dick (2014).

Figures

249. Spotted Bat (Euderma maculatum), 250. Big Red Bat (Lasiurus egregius), 251. Southern Hoary Bat (Lasiurus villosissimus), 252. Northern Hoary Bat (Lasiurus cinereus), 253. Hawaiian Hoary Bat (Lasiurus semotus), 254. Eastern Red Bat (Lasiurus borealis), 255. Pleiffer's Red Bat (Lasiurus pfeifferi), 256. Seminole Bat (Lasiurus seminolus), 257. Greater Red Bat (Lasiurus atratus), 258. Southern Red Bat (Lasiurus blossevilii), 259. Desert Red Bat (Lasiurus frantzii), 260. Cinnamon Red Bat (Lasiurus varius), 261. Minor Red Bat (Lasiurus minor), 262. Tacarcunan Bat (Lasiurus castaneus), 263. Hairy-tailed Bat (Lasiurus ebenus), 264. Jamaican Red Bat (Lasiurus degelidus), 265. Western Yellow Bat (Lasiurus xanthinus), 266. Northern Yellow Bat (Lasiurus intermedius), 267. Cuban Yellow Bat (Lasiurus insularis), 268. Southern Yellow Bat (Lasiurus ega)

Distribution. Known from scattered localifies in NW Costa Rica , E Panama , and N Brazil (Amazonas State).