Molossus sinaloae J. A. Allen 1906
Creators: name: Wilson, Don E.
name: Mittermeier, Russell A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Chiroptera
Molossidae
Molossus
Molossus sinaloae

description: 20. Sinaloan Mastiff Bat <i>Molossus sinaloae</i> <b>French:</b> Molosse du Sinaloa / <b>German:</b> Sinaloa-Samtfledermaus / Spanish: Moloso de Sinaloa <b>Other common names:</b> Allen's Mastiff Bat, Sinaloan Free-tailed Bat, Trinidadian Free-tailed Bat <b>Taxonomy.</b> Molossus sinaloae J. A. Allen, 1906, “Escuinapa, Sinaloa,” Mexico. Specimens of M. sinaloae from Yucatan were described as M. alvarezi based on morphology. Based on genetic data, individuals of M. sinaloae from Central and South America cluster with M. alvarexi and not with individuals from Pacific slope of Mexico where the type locality of M. sinaloae is located. Therefore, distribution of M. alvarezi was expanded to South America, and distribution of M. sinaloae was restricted to western part of Mexico. Monotypic. <b>Distribution.</b> Pacific slope of Mexico in the states of S Sinaloa, Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima, Michoacan, Guerrero, Morelos, Puebla, and Chiapas. <b>Descriptive notes.</b> Head-body 70-85 mm, tail 40-52 mm, ear 13-17 mm, hindfoot 9-14 mm, forearm 45-49 mm; weight 14-28 g. The Sinaloan Mastiff Bat overlaps in size with Alvarez’s Mastiff Bat (M. alvarezi) and is smaller than the Black Mastiff Bat (M. rufus) and Miller’s Mastiff Bat (M. pretiosus). Dorsal pelage of the Sinaloan Mastiff Bat is dull, varying from medium to dark brown; dorsal hairs have large basal pale band covering from one-quarter to one-half the hair length and are long, reaching up to 6: 5 mm on shoulders. Ventral pelage is lighter than dorsal pelage. Ears are rounded and arise from same point on forehead. Tragusis small, and antitragus is constricted at its base. Upperlip and snout are smooth and lack any medial ridge. Face, wings, and uropatagium are medium to dark brown. Skull has elongated braincase, triangular occipital region, and infraorbital foramen opening laterally in frontal view. Basioccipital pits are moderately deep. I? is elongated, with parallel tips. <b>Habitat.</b> Evergreen forests, lowland rainforests, dry deciduous forests, savannas, pastures, urban areas, dry and wet forest regions, and pre-montane moist tropical forests from lowlands up to elevations of ¢. 2400 m. <b>Food and Feeding.</b> The Sinaloan Mastiff Batis an aerial insectivore. Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, and even seeds have been found in its feces. <b>Breeding.</b> Female Sinaloan Mastiff Bats can start to reproduce in their first year. On the Pacific side of Mexico, pregnant females were found in July; reproductively active males in February, May, September, and November; and young in November. No reproductively active females were found in February or September—October. <b>Activity patterns.</b> The Sinaloan Mastiff Bat starts foraging minutes before sunset to benefit from peaks in insect densities at dusk. It roosts in caves, buildings, and cracks in stonewalls; between rafters; and under fronds of coconut palms. Search calls are alternate high and low frequency pulses, with durations of 6-12 milliseconds. First call has final frequency of ¢.30 kHz, and second call has final frequency of ¢.40 kHz. Both pulses have a FM component at the start and in the end of the call with a CF component in between. <b>Movements, Home range and Social organization.</b> Small colonies of Sinaloan Mastiff Bats with three individuals and medium colonies with ¢.70 individuals have been reported, but structure of groups varies in the same geographical region. The Sinaloan Mastiff Bat roosts with the Southern Yellow Bat (Lasiurus ega) and Pallas’s Longtongued Bat (Glossophaga soricina). <b>Status and Conservation.</b> Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Sinaloan Mastiff Bat has a wide distribution and presumably large population, occurs in protected areas, and tolerates some habitat modification. <b>Bibliography.</b> Alvarez (1968), Freeman (1979, 1981), Gonzalez-Ruiz et al. (2011), Goodwin (1959a), Hall (1981), Ingles (1958), Jung et al. (2014), Lukens &amp; Davis (1957), Orozco-Lugo et al. (2014), Reid (2009), Sanchez et al. (1985), Simmons (2005), de la Torre (1955), Warner et al. (1974), Watkins et al. (1972).
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 627, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6418279