261.

Minor Red Bat

Lasiurus minor

French: Lasiure d'Haiti / German: Kleine Haarschwanzfledermaus / Spanish: Lasiuro de Haiti

Taxonomy. Lasiurus minor G. S. Miller, 1931 .

* Voute IEglise,’ a cave situated near the Jacmel Road a few kilometers north of Trouin, Haiti. Alatude 1350 feet [= 411 m].”

See L. egregius . Lasiurus minor was previously considered a subspecies of L. borealis based on morphology. Later, it was considered a distinct species based on elec trophoretic data. Nevertheless, status of L. minor 1s still uncertain, and additional studies could show it as conspecific with L. seminolus, L. borealis, or L. blossevilii . Lasiurus minors in the Red Bat group. Monotypic.

Distribution. Bahamas, Caicos Is, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico.

Descriptive notes. Head—body ¢. 49-70 mm, tail 30-46 mm, ear 7-14 mm, hindfoot 3-8 mm, forearm 37-43 mm; weight 611 g. Dorsal hairs are quadricolored, with black bases and white centers followed by yellow bands and red tips; frosting is not always present on longer hairs. Ventral fur is dark mahogany, with whitish wash. Ears are short and rounded. Skin on face, ears, propatagium, and plagiopatagium near forearm region is light reddish. Hindfoot and remaining membranes are black, with scattered small light punctuations. Uropatagium is completely furred dorsally. Hairs on face, head, neck, and throat are orange-red, becoming abruptly dark chestnut on posterior rump and hindlegs. Skull is small, short, and broad. Braincase is high, rounded, and flat-topped; palatal emargination is wider than deep; floor of braincase and palate are not parallel; and lacrimal ridge and tubercle are poorly developed. Dental formula is 11/3,C1/1,P2/2,M 3/3 (x2) = 32. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 28 and FN = 48, with submetacentric X-chromosome and minute Y-chromosome.

Habitat. Woodland areas near water sources at elevations of 100-450 m.

Food and Feeding. Flight of the Minor Red Batis swift and direct but not highly maneuverable. Foraging occurs in open aréas, including treetops, woodland open areas, and along forest edges. Feces contained moths, winged termites, and flying ants.

Breeding. In Puerto Rico, a lactating Minor Red Bat was caught in June. Litters have three young.

Activity patterns. The Minor Red Bat emerges from roosts in the first two hours of night. It roosts among leaves; there are no records of roosts in tree hollows, buildings, or caves. Echolocation calls are c.6-4 milliseconds, with narrowband and single harmonic, and sweep from c.51 kHz to ¢.29 kHz. Predators include red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis).

Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Minor Red Bat is solitary.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List. The Minor Red Bat has a small distribution and is considered rare. Population size has probably decreased by more than 30% in the last 18 years. Major threats include deforestation and decline in habitat quality associated with human population growth and severe weather (e.g. hurricanes). It is found in protected areas.

Bibliography. Allen & Sanborn (1937), Baird et al. (2015), Bickham (1987), Collen (2012), Koopman et al. (1957), Mikula et al. (2016), Miller (1931), Morales & Bickham (1995), Novaes, Garbino et al. (2018), Nunez-Novas et al. (2019), Rodriguez-Duran (2016b), Shump & Shump (1982a), Simmons (2005), Speer et al. (2015), Starrett & Rolle (1963).