Phyllostomidae
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
444
583
book chapter
http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6458594
adeeb71f-7f8d-4e00-bc9f-35089363f76e
978-84-16728-19-0
6458594
126.
Tschudi’s Yellow-shouldered Bat
Sturnira oporaphilum
French:
Sturnire de Tschudi
/
German:
Tschudi-Gelbschulterfledermaus
/
Spanish:
Sturniro de Tschudi
Other common names:
Eastern Yellow-shouldered Bat
Taxonomy.
Phyllostoma oporaphilum Tschudi, 1844
,
Peru
.
Taxonomic definition of S.
oporaphilum
has been obscured by its use as a senior synonym of S.
ludovici
or as a junior synonym of S.
Lilium
, orjust confused with S.
bogotensis
. Monotypic.
Distribution.
E
Ecuador
, E
Peru
,
Bolivia
, and NW
Argentina
.
Descriptive notes.
Head—body 66-75 mm (tailless), ear 12-19 mm, hindfoot 13-17 mm, forearm 44-48 mm; weight 17-23 g. Tschudi’s Yellow-shouldered Bat is medium-sized, similar to the
Bogota
Yellow-shouldered Bat (S.
bogotensis
) and the Highland Yellow-shouldered Bat (S.
ludovici
). Dorsal fur is grayish brown, and shoulder spots are less visible, more similar to the
Bogota
Yellow-shouldered Bat. I' project forward, and their tips are not in contact; I, are bilobate; and lower molars have ill-defined cusps toward tongue, giving each molar a flat, plain aspect.
Habitat.
Tropical, subtropical, and temperate forests, mainly montane and cloudy evergreen forests; primary, secondary, disturbed, and gallery forests; forest edges; and gardens and cultivated areas, such as banana, coffee, and citrus plantations, at elevations of 300-2950 m (usually 1000-2000 m). Tschudi’s Yellow-shouldered Bat prefers humid and cloudy forests.
Food and Feeding.
Tschudi’s Yellow-shouldered Bat is known to be frugivorous. In
Bolivia
and
Argentina
, it was observed eating fruits of
Piper
(
Piperaceae
),
Vismia
(
Hypericaceae
), and
Solanum
(
Solanaceae
). In
Peru
, it depended mostly on
Cecropia
(
Urticaceae
).
Breeding.
In
Ecuador
, eight female Tschudi’s Yellow-shouldered Bats were lactating in August, and three had embryos. In
Bolivia
, pregnant females were captured in July— November, lactating females in June-November, and scrotal males in May-June. In
Bolivia
, a high number of pregnant females were observed when a high number of
Solanum
fruits were available.
Activity patterns.
Tschudi’s Yellow-shouldered Bat is nocturnal. It mostly flies in interior forest or over small rivers.
Movements, Home range and Social organization.
No information.
Status and Conservation.
Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Tschudi’s Yellow-shouldered Bat is common in some places (e.g.
Peru
) but rare in others (e.g.
Argentina
). Its conservation status is considered stable, butit could be locally threatened because of low density and high impact in some Andean habitats throughoutits distribution.
Bibliography.
Anderson et al. (1982), Gardner (
2008g
), Lee, Alvarado et al. (2006), Maguina et al. (2012), Moya & Arteaga (2007), Pacheco & Patterson (1991), Sanchez et al. (2012), Tirira (2017).