Molossops temminckii Burmeister 1854
Creators: name: Wilson, Don E.
name: Mittermeier, Russell A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Chiroptera
Molossidae
Molossops
Molossops temminckii

description: 49. Dwarf Dog-faced Bat <i>Molossops temminckii</i> <b>French:</b> Molossope nain / <b>German:</b> Temminck-Bulldogfledermaus / Spanish: Molosops de Temminck <b>Taxonomy.</b> Dysopes temminckii Burmeister, 1854, “Lagoa Santa,” Minas Gerais, Brazil. Taxonomic revision is needed. Monotypic. <b>Distribution.</b> Colombia, Venezuela, SW Guyana, Brazil, NE Ecuador, E Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, N Argentina, and W Uruguay. <b>Descriptive notes.</b> 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. <b>Habitat.</b> Tropical and subtropical moist forest, dry forest, secondary forest, and savanna, from sea level up to 1000 m in elevation. <b>Food and Feeding.</b> Stomach contents included remains of crickets (Gryllidae), true bugs (Hemiptera and Homoptera), beetles (Coleoptera), moths (Lepidoptera), and flies (Nematocera). <b>Breeding.</b> Pregnant females have been documented in February, June, September, and October. A lactating female was recorded in October. <b>Activity patterns.</b> 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. <b>Movements, Home range and Social organization.</b> 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). <b>Status and Conservation.</b> Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. <b>Bibliography.</b> Anderson (1997), Breviglieri &amp; Uieda (2014), Eger (2008), Faria et al. (2009), Gardner (1977c), Guillén-Servent &amp; Ibanez (2007), Nunes et al. (2013), Oliveira et al. (2018), Tirira (2017), Vizotto &amp; Taddei (1976).
description: Published as part of <i>Don E. Wilson &amp; Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Molossidae, pp. 598-672 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions</i> on page 639, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6418279