Eptesicus pachyotis, Dobson, 1871

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Vespertilionidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 716-981 : 853

201.

Thick-eared Serotine

Eptesicus pachyotis

French: Sérotine a oreilles épaisses / German: DickohrBreitfligelfledermaus / Spanish: Eptesicus de orejas gruesas

Other common names: Thick-eared Bat

Taxonomy. Vesperugo (Vesperus) pachyotis Dobson, 1871 ,

“Khasi Hills [Meghalaya State], Bengal,” India.

Relationship of E. pachyotis to other species of Eptesicus is uncertain. It was thought to be related to E. dimissus , but that species has recently been moved to a new and unrelated genus, Cassistrellus . Monotypic.

Distribution. NC, C & SW China (Tibet [= Xizang], Qinghai, Gansu, Ningxia, and Sichuan), Bangladesh (Sylhet Division), NE India (Meghalaya and Mizoram), and NW Thailand; possibly N Myanmar (although this record has been mapped dubiously).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 55-57 mm, tail 40-41 mm, ear 13-14-1 mm, hindfoot 6-9-9 mm, forearm 38-45-3 mm. Dorsal pelage of the Thick-eared Serotine is dark brown; ventral pelage is paler. Head is flat, and muzzle is very short and broad, with well-developed glands. Ears are triangular, with rounded tips, lower part being very thick and fleshy compared with other species of Eptesicus ; tragus is short and broadly rounded above and curved inward, similar to that of species of Nyctalus . Wings attach to base of toes unlike in the Surat Helmeted Bat ( Cassustrellus dimissus ). Skull profile in dorsal view rises smoothly to lambdoidal crests; zygomatic arches are robust, with small dorsal projections from jugal; and tympanic bullae are small. I? is bicuspid; I’ is much shorter than I?; C' lacks secondary cusplets; P* is large; P, is one-half the size of P, and compressed in tooth row; and lower molars are myotodont.

Habitat. Tropical moist deciduous forests.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. The Thick-eared Serotine apparently roosts in tree hollows and fissures in rocks.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Thick-eared Serotine is widespread but does not appear to be exceptionally common and virtually nothing is known aboutits ecology or threats. Additional studies are needed.

Bibliography. Bates & Harrison (1997), Corbet & Hill (1992), Csorba, Bumrungsri, Francis, Bates, Gumal, Kingston, Molur & Srinivasulu (2008b), Francis (2008a), Mandal et al. (2000), Myers, P. et al. (2000), Ruedi, Eger et al. (2017), Smith & Xie Yan (2008), Srinivasulu, C. & Srinivasulu (2012), Srinivasulu, C. et al. (2010).

Figures

170. Humboldt’s Big-eared Brown Bat (Hustiotus humboldti), 171. Tropical Big-eared Brown Bat (Histiotus velatus), 172. Transparent-winged Big-eared Brown Bat (Histiotus diaphanopterus), 173. Strange Big-eared Brown Bat (Histiotus alienus), 174. Small Big-eared Brown Bat (Histiotus montanus), 175. Thomas’s Big-eared Brown Bat (Histiotus laephotis), 176. Common Big-eared Brown Bat (Histiotus macrotus), 177. Southern Big-eared Brown Bat (Histiotus magellanicus), 178. Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus fuscus), 179. Guadeloupe Serotine (Eptesicus guadeloupensis), 180. Diminutive Serotine (Eptesicus diminutus), 181. Little Black Serotine (Eptesicus andinus), 182. Chiriquinan Serotine (Eptesicus chiriquinus), 183. Argentine Serotine (Eptesicus furinalis), 184. Harmless Serotine (Eptesicus innoxius), 185. Brazilian Serotine (Eplesicus brasiliensis), 186. Taddei’s Serotine (Eptesicus taddeii), 187. Ulapes Serotine (Eptesicus ulapesensis), 188. Horn-skinned Serotine (Eptesicus floweri), 189. Lagos Serotine (Eptesicus platyops), 190. Long-tailed Serotine (Eptesicus hottentotus), 191. Ognev’s Serotine (Eptesicus ognevi), 192. Anatolian Serotine (Eptesicus anatolicus), 193. Botta’s Serotine (Eptesicus bottae), 194. Meridional Serotine (Eptesicus isabellinus), 195. Oriental Serotine (Eptesicus pachyomus), 196. Eurasian Serotine (Eplesicus serotinus), 197. Northern Serotine (Eptesicus nilssonii), 198. Sombre Serotine (Eptesicus tatei), 199. Gobi Serotine (Eptesicus gobiensis), 200. Japanese Serotine (Eptesicus japonensis), 201. Thick-eared Serotine (Eplesicus pachyotis)

Distribution. NC, C & SW China (Tibet [= Xizang], Qinghai, Gansu, Ningxia, and Sichuan), Bangladesh (Sylhet Division), NE India (Meghalaya and Mizoram), and NW Thailand ; possibly N Myanmar (although this record has been mapped dubiously).