Vespertilionidae
Author
Don E. Wilson
Author
Russell A. Mittermeier
text
2019
2019-10-31
Lynx Edicions
Barcelona
Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats
716
981
book chapter
56755
10.5281/zenodo.6397752
45351c32-25dd-422c-bdb2-00e73deb4943
978-84-16728-19-0
6397752
176.
Common Big-eared Brown Bat
Histiotus macrotus
French:
Sérotine a grandes oreilles
/
German:
Gewohnliche GroRohrfledermaus
/
Spanish:
Histiotus orejudo
Taxonomy.
Nycticeius macrotus Poeppig, 1835
,
Antuco, Bio Bio,
Chile
.
Histiotus laephotis
has been previously considered a subspecies of
H. macrotus
.
It is frequently mistaken with
H. laephotis
and
H. montanus
, therefore, accurate data from literature are scarce. Monotypic.
Distribution.
C
Chile
and NW, C & W
Argentina
. Records from
Peru
should be reviewed.
Descriptive notes.
Head-body ¢.59-65 mm, tail 48-62 mm, ear 28-34 mm, hindfoot 9-11 mm, forearm 45-9-50-9 mm; weight 10-3-20 g. Dorsal hairs of the Common Big-eared Brown Bat are strongly bicolored, with black or dark brown bases and yellowish tips; ventral hairs have dark brown bases and yellowish white tips. Ears are extremely large; tragusis well developed. Membrane connecting ears is poorly developed. Membranes, face, and ears are brown to dark brown, notably darker than body. Skull is robust; rostrum is wide; sagittal and lambdoidalcrests are practically absent; zygomatic arches have strongly developed postorbital process ofjugal; palate is slightly concave centrally; caudal spine is well developed; and tympanic bullae are large and rounded.
Habitat.
Great variety of habitats ranging from deserts to montane rainforests, including Dry
Chaco
, Espinal, Yungas, Patagonian forests and steppes, temperate forests, moist montane Chacoan forests, desert and rocky canyons, and mature forests at elevations of 240-3600 m. Common Big-eared Brown Bats have been captured over streams, ponds, and irrigation canals.
Food and Feeding.
Common Big-eared Brown Bats are insectivorous. Feces contained fragments of
Lepidoptera
(36-6% by frequency),
Coleoptera
(30-6%), Trichoptera (13.6%),
Diptera
(9-8%), and Acari (1-7 %).
Breeding.
In Rio Negro,
Argentina
, pregnant and lactating Common Big-eared Brown Bats were captured in December; pregnant females carried only one embryo.
Activity patterns.
Common Big-eared Brown Bats usually roost in mines, natural caves, buildings, and rocky crevices.
Movements, Home range and Social organization.
The Common Big-eared Brown Bat is usually solitary in central
Chile
, but in other parts ofits distribution, colonies from 20 to hundreds of individuals were found. It will share roosts with Brazilian Free-tailed Bats (
Tadarida brasiliensis
) and
Myotis spp.
Status and Conservation.
Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Common Big-eared Brown Batis widely distributed, presumably with large populations. It is relatively common in northern
Chile
but seems uncommon in
Argentina
.
Bibliography.
Aragon
& Aguirre (2014), Barquez & Diaz (2016a), Barquez et al. (1999), Giménez (2010), Giménez et al. (2015), Handley & Gardner (2008), Lopez-Gonzélez et al. (1998), Mann (1978), Mares et al. (1995), Simmons (2005).