Eumops floridanus
Creators: name: Wilson, Don E.
name: Mittermeier, Russell A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Chiroptera
Molossidae
Eumops
Eumops floridanus

description: 32. Florida Bonneted Bat <i>Eumops floridanus</i> <b>French:</b> Eumope de Floride / <b>German:</b> Florida-Bulldogfledermaus / Spanish: Eumops de Florida <b>Taxonomy.</b> Molossides floridanus G. M. Allen, 1932, “no. 2 Bed, at Melbourne, Brevard County, Florida.” Eumops floridanus was previously considered a subspecies of E. glaucinus but separated based on morphological and molecular differences. Monotypic. <b>Distribution.</b> S Florida in Charlotte, Collier, Lee, Mmami-Dade, Monroe, Okeechobee, and Polk counties. <b>Descriptive notes.</b> Head-body 77-101 mm, tail 40-64 mm, ear 20-31 mm, forearm 61-66 mm; weight 25-60 g. See general characteristics of the genus under the Black Bonneted Bat (E. auripendulus). Dorsal fur of the Florida Bonneted Bat is grayish to darkish brown; venter is paler, with whitish hairs at bases. Tragus is square-shaped and broad. Gular gland is well developed on adult males. <b>Habitat.</b> Pine forests, agricultural lands, and urban areas. Florida Bonneted Bats roost in cavities excavated by woodpeckers in longleaf pine (Pinus palustris, Pinaceae) and royal palm (Roystonea regia, Arecaceae). They have been found roosting in limestone fissures, chimneys, and human-made bat houses and under shingles of buildings. <b>Food and Feeding.</b> Beetles (Coleoptera) made up the majority (55% by volume) offecal samples of Florida Bonneted Bats collected at the bottom ofa tree roost, with flies (Diptera) and bugs (Hemiptera) representing 15% and 10%, respectively. <b>Breeding.</b> Florida Bonneted Bats were pregnant in April and July-September, but females probably only give birth once a year. Post-lactating females were reported in September. Young have been documented in January, April, June-July, and November. <b>Activity patterns.</b> Florida Bonneted Bats leave roosts after dark and forage at heights above 10 m. They can fly from the ground without dropping from perch/roost. <b>Movements, Home range and Social organization.</b> Colonies of Florida Bonneted Bats range from one to 29 individuals (average ten) and have a harem social structure. They have been found roosting in houses in winter, suggesting seasonal shifts in roost behavior. Apparent survival of the Florida Bonneted Bat was lower than estimates for most other bat species, but the majority of species studied hibernated. Bonneted bats do not hibernate and might be at higher risk of mortality throughout the year from predation and potential food shortages in more temperate areas. Remains of Florida Bonneted Bat have been found in pellets of an unidentified owl species. <b>Status and Conservation.</b> Classified as Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List. The US Fish and Wildlife Service listed the Florida Bonneted Bat as endangered in 2013 because of low population estimates of a few thousand individuals restricted to a few counties in Florida and habitat loss and alteration. <b>Bibliography.</b> Angell &amp; Thompson (2015), Bailey et al. (2017), Belwood (1981), Eger (1977), Gore et al. (2015), Koopman (1971b), Ober et al. (2016), Reid (1997), Timm &amp; Genoways (2004).
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 pages 631-632, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6418279