185.

Brazilian Serotine

Eptesicus brasiliensis

French: Sérotine du Brésil / German: Brasilien-Breitfligelfledermaus / Spanish: Eptesicus de Brasil

Other common names: Brazilian Brown Bat

Taxonomy. Vespertilio brasiliensis Desmarest, 1819,

“le Brésil.” Restricted by A. Cabrera in 1958 to Goias, Brazil.

Type series of Vespertilio hilarii by 1. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire in 1824, synonym of E. brasiliensis and used to restrict its type locality, includes the holotype and three paratypes; the former differs from the latter in being much larger and possibly a representative of E. fuscus . Paratypes might represent two specimens of E. diminutus and one specimen of E. furinalis . Eptesicus brasiliensis might represent a species complex, and taxonomic review is necessary. Four subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

E.b.brasiliensisDesmarest,1819—EBrazil(MaranhaoSthroughGoias,DistritoFederal,andMinasGeraistoSaoPaulostates).

E.b.argeCope,1889—SBrazil(Parana,SantaCatarina,RioGrandedoSul,andSMatoGrossodoSul)andRiodelaPlataBasininParaguay,Uruguay,andNArgentina.

E.b.melanopterusJentink,1904—middleelevationsofSierraMadreOccidental,SierraMadreOriental,andChiapas(Mexico)SthroughCentralAmericaintolowlandsofColombia,Venezuela,Guyana,Suriname,andAmazonBasinofBrazil;alsoonTobagoI.

E. b. thomasi W. B. Davis, 1966 — W Amazon Basin of E Ecuador, E Peru, and adjacent W Brazil; it may occur in NE Bolivia.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 55-62 mm, tail 33-49 mm, ear 12-18 mm, hindfoot 8-12 mm, forearm 39-48 mm; weight 8-18 g. Females are larger than males. Dorsal hairs of the Brazilian Serotine are relatively long (c. 8 mm) and bicolored, with dark brown bases and reddish to yellowish-brown tips; ventral hairs have dark brown bases and yellowish to whitish tips. Faceis pinkish and almost hairless, with only sparse hairs near nose. Ears are short, elongated, and triangular, with rounded tips. Tragus is relatively short and broad. Membranes are blackish. Skull is robust; sagittal and lambdoidal crests are well developed; nasal opening is U-shaped; and zygomatic arches have robust postorbital process on medial part ofjugal. Upper inner incisors are separated, bilobed, and spatulated; I’ is reduced, conical, and separated from C' by small gap; P* is well developed, reaching one-third of C'; M' and M* are almost square, with W-pattern; M? is reduced and triangular; lower incisors are trilobed and in contact,filling all space between canines; and lower molars have well-developed cusps, decreasing in size from M, to M,. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 50 and FN = 48, with acrocentric autosomes and Y-chromosome and submetacentric X-chromosome.

Habitat. Wide variety of habitats from open areas to rainforests in montane forests, lowland forests, gallery forests, temperate forests, savannas, swamps, open areas, orchards, and plantations from sea level up to elevations of ¢. 3000 m.

Food and Feeding. Brazilian Serotines are insectivorous. Foraging individuals have been caught from ground level up to heights of 30 m. They frequently forage over streams and near water and on edge habitats,trails, clearings, and around lampposts; some individuals seem to establish circular hunting routes. Fecal samples contained fragments of Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, and unidentified insects.

Breeding. In Brazil, pregnant Brazilian Serotines were caught in September—February, each carrying 1-4 embryos. Lactating females were captured in November—January in Peru and Brazil. Non-flying young were caught in June in Peru. Reproductive cycle shows polyestry, with two pregnancies/year that each last ¢.90 days. Estimated reproductive season in south-eastern Brazil is from mid-Septemberto late February.

Activity patterns. Brazilian Serotines are crepuscular and nocturnal. Individuals were caught from shortly before sunset to dawn. Most activity occurs within the first hour after sunset, but second small peak of activity occurs a couple of hours before dawn. Roosts have been found in hollow trees, under loose bark, and in caves, buildings, and dead trees standing in lagoons. Echolocation calls have FM and QCF components that sweep down from 45-75 kHz to 25-36 kHz. Calls have durations of 2-7-10 milliseconds, interpulse intervals of 74-101 milliseconds, and frequencies of maximum energy of 35-49-6 kHz.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Brazilian Serotine is commonly found in small colonies with up to 14 individuals. It has been found roosting with Pallas’s Mastiff Bat (Molossus molossus) and Common Black Myotis ( Myotis nigricans).

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Brazilian Serotine is widespread, with presumably large populations, and occurs in protected areas. It is a locally common species in most ofits distribution.

Bibliography. Arias-Aguilar et al. (2018), Baker & Patton (1967), Barquez, Mares & Braun (1999), Barquez, Perez et al. (2016a), Bianconi & Pedro (2017), Cabrera (1958), Davis, W.B. (1966), Davis, W.B. & Gardner (2008), Desmarest (1819), Esbérard (2012), Espinal & Mora (2016), Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire (1824), Gregorin, Goncalves et al. (2011), Loépez-Baucells, Rocha, Bobrowiec et al. (2018), Medellin (2014b), Medina-Fitoria & Saldana (2012), Percequillo et al. (2007), Simmons (2005), Simmons & Voss (1998), Vizotto & Taddei (1973).