267.

Cuban Yellow Bat

Lasiurus insularis

French: Lasiure de Cuba / German: Kuba-Haarschwanzfledermaus / Spanish: Lasiuro de Cuba

Taxonomy. Lasiurus intermedius insularis Hall & J. K. Jones, 1961,

“ Cienfuegos, Las Villas Province, Cuba.”

See L. egregius . Lasiurus insularis was first described as a subspecies of L. intermedius, and its taxonomic status has been debated over the years. Restriction-enzyme analysis of mtDNA and recent molecular studies based on mtDNA and nDNA showed that L. insularis differs enough from L. intermedius, and it was elevated to a distinct species. Lasiurus insularis is in the Yellow Bat group. Monotypic.

Distribution. Endemic to Cuba including Isla de la Juventud.

Descriptive notes. Head—-body ¢. 83-85 mm, tail 65-81 mm, ear 13-15 mm, hindfoot 12-13 mm, forearm 57-64 mm; weight 20-30 g. Wingspans are 420-468 mm. Dorsal hairs are bicolored, with dark bases and golden yellowish to reddish brown tips. Ventral hairs are bicolored, with dark bases and golden-yellow tips. Ventral hairs reach membranes next to body, extending along forearm to fifth finger. Muzzle is short and broad. Ears are short, not surpassing anterior part of muzzle when folded forward; tragus reaches one-half the ear length. Uropatagium is well developed and densely furred, with hairs reaching its proximal one-half; calcar reaches at least one-half free margin of uropatagium. Skull is medium and short. Rostrum is short, sloping in front, and almost aligned to braincase. Braincase is slightly wider than high; sagittal crestis well developed and prominent on supraoccipital region; and basisphenoid pits are flat. I? is short, pointed, convergent, and in contact with C'; M? is reduced; lower incisors fill gap between canines; I is trilobed;I, and I, are bilobed; and P, is three times larger than P,: Dental formulais11/3, C1/1,P 1/2, M 3/3 (x2) = 30.

Habitat. Palm (7%rinax, Arecaceae) groves.

Food and Feeding. The Cuban Yellow Bat seems to capture insects in flight, and its diet mainly contains Coleoptera, Homoptera, and Diptera .

Breeding. Pregnant Cuban Yellow Bats were caught in May.

Activity patterns. The Cuban Yellow Bat roosts mostly in palm leaves. Echolocation calls are c.5-9 milliseconds, with narrowband and single harmonic, and sweep from c.54 kHz to ¢.29 kHz.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Cuban Yellow Bat seems to be solitary.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List. The Cuban Yellow Bat is known only from ten localities, with small populations and restricted distribution (area of occupancy less than 700 km?). Major threats include habitat loss and tropical storms. It occurs in protected areas.

Bibliography. Baird et al. (2015), Collen (2012), Garcia & Mancina (2011), Hall & Jones (1961), Mancina (2016), Morales & Bickham (1995), Novaes, Garbino et al. (2018), Silva-Taboada (1979), Simmons (2005).