Natalus macrourus
Creators: name: Don E. Wilson
name: Russell A. Mittermeier
Publisher: name: Lynx Edicions
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Chiroptera
Natalidae
Natalus
Natalus macrourus

description: 12.
Brazilian Funnel-eared Bat
Natalus macrourus
French: Natalide du Brésil / German: Brasilien-Trichterohr / Spanish: Natalido de Brasil
Taxonomy. Spectrellum macrourum P. Gervais in Castelnau, 1856,
no type locality given. Identified by P. Gervais in 1856 as Bahia, Brazil.
Natalus espiritosantensis, named by A. Ruschi in 1951, was briefly considered to be the valid name until illustrations of Spectrellum macrourum revealed it to represent a species of Natalus and therefore the oldest name available for the Brazilian population of the genus. Monotypic.
Distribution. South America S of Amazon River, including C & E Brazil (from Para S to Sao Paulo states), E Bolivia, and Paraguay.
Descriptive notes. Far 12-159 mm, forearm 37-421 mm (males) and 37-2— 40-4 mm (females); weight 6 g. Pelage is usually darker dorsally than ventrally; pelage is pale buff ventrally and light brown dorsally to bright yellowish brown both ventrally and dorsally; dorsal hairs are bicolored, with tips darker than bases; ventral pelage is unicolored. There are dense mustache-like hair tufts along lateral margins of upper lip and on dorsum of muzzle. Medial and lateral ear margins are deeply concave; there are 5-6 ear pleats; pinna is funnel-shaped but with markedly pointed tip. Natalid organ of malesis relatively flat, elliptical to wedge-shaped, and extends onto crown. Wings attach to tibia above ankle; free margin of uropatagium has sparse fringe of thin hairs; ungual tufts are absent. Braincase is inflated, rising abruptly from rostrum; premaxilla is not inflated; maxilla dorsal to molars is convex and not inflated; postorbital region of skull in dorsal view has sides widely diverging rostrally; palate is present between pterygoids; caudal margins of maxilla in ventral view form acute angle with longitudinal axis of skull; basisphenoid pits are shallow; mesostylar crest on third molar is absent.
Habitat. From xeric (caatinga) through dry (cerrado) to moist (Amazonian and Atlantic forests) habitats at elevations of 0—1000 m. The Brazilian Funnel-eared Bat has been found roosting in humid (relative humidity ¢.95%) but not particularly hot (22-25°C) caves, opening in sandstone or limestone, and that usually contain open water bodies.
Food and Feeding. There is no specific information available for this species, but the Brazilian Funnel-eared Batis certainly insectivorous.
Breeding. Pregnant Brazilian Funnel-eared Bats have been found in Mato Grosso do Sul and Sergipe states, Brazil, in January and February, and post-lactating females and juveniles have been found in April, indicating a similar synchronicity of parturition with peak of summeras has been found in congeners from the Northern Hemisphere.
Activity patterns. Brazilian Funnel-eared Bats are nocturnal.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Single sex groups of Brazilian Funnel-eared Bats are encountered in spring (November) and suggest a pattern of sexual segregation around the time of parturition similar to that of other funnel-eared bats. Changes in cave populations from 20-100 individuals to more than 1000 individuals were observed in Sergipe State, Brazil, coinciding with beginning of rainy season, suggesting immigration or local switching of roost caves as has been described for funneleared bats elsewhere. The Brazilian Funnel-eared Bat can share roosting caves with 22 other bat species.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Near Threatened on The IUCN Red List (as N. espiritosantensis). The Brazilian Funnel-eared Bat has the widest distribution of any natalid, but it seems to be rare over much of that area. Colonies are comparatively small, ranging from 5-10 individuals to ¢.50 individuals. Its habitat is threatened by agriculture and deliberate extermination of cave colonies, and it is estimated that 54% of its habitat has already been lost. Protection of any cave containing the Brazilian Funnel-eared Bat is imperative.
Bibliography. Delgado-Jaramillo et al. (2018), Garbino & Tejedor (2013), Gervais (1856b), Gregorin & Mendes (1999), Lopez-Gonzélez et al. (1998), Pine & Ruschi (1976), Rocha, Mikalauskas et al. (2013), Ruschi (1951, 1970), Taddei & Uieda (2001), Tavares, Aguiar et al. (2010), Tavares, Nobre et al. (2017), Tejedor (2006, 2011), Trajano & Gimenez (1998), Trajano & Moreira (1991).
description: Published as part of Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Natalidae, pp. 589-596 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on page 596, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6811090