Vampyrum spectrum
Creators: name: Wilson, Don E.
name: Mittermeier, Russell A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Chiroptera
Phyllostomidae
Vampyrum
Vampyrum spectrum

description: 46. Spectral Bat <i>Vampyrum spectrum</i> <b>French:</b> Faux-vampire / <b>German:</b> GroRe Spiefl3blattnase / <b>Spanish:</b> Vampiro falso <b>Other common names:</b> Great False Vampire Bat, Great Spectral Bat, Linnaeus’s False Vampire Bat <b>Taxonomy.</b> Vespertilio spectrum Linnaeus, 1758, “America australi.” Restricted by QO. Thomas in 1911 tw “ Surinam [= Suriname].” A subspecies nelsoni was proposed by E. A. Goldman in 1917, but its distinction was challenged by several studies. Monotypic. <b>Distribution.</b> S Mexico (from S Veracruz, Oaxaca, Chiapas, and S Yucatan Peninsula) S through Central America into Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad I, the Guianas, Ecuador, E Peru, N Bolivia, the Brazilian Amazon Basin, and SC Brazil as far as S Pantanal in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. Although there is one record from Jamaica, it does not form part of the bat fauna ofthat island,so it might be an error. <b>Descriptive notes.</b> Head-body 125-158 mm (tailless), ear 39-49 mm, hindfoot 32-38 mm, forearm 98-110 mm; weight 126-190 g. The Spectral Batis the largest phyllostomid and the largest bat in the New World (wingspan 70-100 cm). Fur is reddish brown to dark brown, with faint pale strip from shoulders to rump. Venteris slightly paler than back, almost gray-brown. Fur is medium long, fine, and dense but not woolly. Ears are large, rounded, and black. Muzzle is long, giving head a characteristic shape. Noseleaf is well developed, and horseshoe is cup-shaped, with nostrils in its center. Lancet is broad and medium height, with thick midrib that runsits length. Lower lip has distinct Vshaped groove. Proximal one-half of forearm is furred. Wings are relatively short and broad, with third digit metacarpal being the shortest, fourth intermediate in length, and fifth the longest. There is no tail, but uropatagium is greatly expanded and has large calcars that support or contain mostof its posterior border. Calcaris about the same length as foot. Feet and claws are long and powerful. Dental formula is I 2 /2, C 1/1, P 2/3 M 3/3 (x2) = 34. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 30, and FN = 56. X-chromosome is submetacentric, and Y-chromosome is acrocentric. <b>Habitat.</b> Primarily tropical rainforests at elevations below 700 m and exceptionally as high as 1650 m. The Spectral Bat can also be found in swamps, hilly forests, tropical dry forests, and partially open areas but always close to primary forests. <b>Food and Feeding.</b> The Spectral Bat is carnivorous and eats mostly birds, from small to as large as 150 g, and mammals including bats of almost any size (from small short-tailed bats to large fruiteating bats) and rodents as large as the Desmarest’s Spiny Pocket Mouse (Heteromys desmarestianus, 50-70 g). It also eats insects. Spectral Bats are very powerful and strong and can be too much for one unexperienced researcher to handle. They can fly holding big prey in their mouths, but not much is known about their mode of hunting, although it has been speculated that they use smell to locate birds with strong body odors. Well-developed vision and hearing could be important for to locating and catching prey. Their ability to take bats caught in nets has been discussed in several studies. <b>Breeding.</b> Spectral Bats live in small groups, and females always have one young. Reproductive cycle seems to be seasonally monoestrous, with young being born at end of dry season (onset of rainy season). Both parents tend their single young. <b>Activity patterns.</b> Spectral Bats seem to leave roosts relatively early at 18:30 h, and in at least one study in Costa Rica, they returned typically fairly early at 19:00-19:40 h. Minimum durations of typical foraging bouts were estimated at 30-70 minutes, although they sometimes lasted longer. Spectral Bats most often roost inside hollowtrees (e.g. Ceiba pentandra, Malvaceae; Mora excelsa, Fabaceae; and Spondias mombin, Anacardiaceae), although they have been found in caves. Contrary to the Woolly False Vampire Bat (Chrotopterus auritus), the Spectral Bat has never been found in archaeologicalsites. <b>Movements, Home range and Social organization.</b> Radio-tracking of one adult male suggest that Spectral Bats have small home ranges of ¢.3 ha. He used a variety of habitats (roost was on edge of tropical rainforest), including deciduous woodlands, secondary forests, and pastures. He seemed to use riversas flight paths. Colonies usually have 1-5 individuals. Based on very limited observations, social organization seems to be a monogamous pair with their offspring. <b>Status and Conservation.</b> Classified as Near Threatened on The IUCN Red List. Mexico, Bolivia, and Brazil have listed the Spectral Bat as endangered and Ecuador as vulnerable. It is sensitive to deforestation, forest fragmentation, and disturbance. Given relatively low population levels throughoutits distribution, habitat destruction could have serious deleterious effects on Spectral Bats. <b>Bibliography.</b> Acosta &amp; Azurduy (2006), Bonato et al. (2004), Dinets (2017a), Discher et al. (2009), Goldman (1917), Greenhall (1968), Navarro &amp; Wilson (1982), Peterson &amp; Kirmse (1969), Rafinesque (1815), Reid (2009), Silveira et al. (2011), Thomas (1911), Vehrencamp et al. (1977).
description: Published as part of <i>Don E. Wilson &amp; Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Phyllostomidae, pp. 444-583 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions</i> on page 509, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6458594