209.

Menchu’s Yellow Bat

Rhogeessa menchuae

French: Rhogeessa de Menchu / German: Menchu-Gelbfledermaus / Spanish: Rogesa de Menchu

Other common names: Menchu's Little Yellow Bat

Taxonomy. Rhogeessa menchuae A. B. Baird et al., 2012,

“Lancetilla, Department of Atlantida, Honduras.”

See R. tumida . Monotypic.

Distribution. Known only from two localities on Atlantic coast of Guatemala and Honduras; may extend S to N Nicaragua.

Descriptive notes. Head-body ¢.40 44 mm, tail 29-32 mm, ear 10-12 mm, hindfoot 5-7 mm, forearm 29-30 mm. Dorsal fur is bicolored, with buff-yellow bases and light to dark brown tips; ventral fur light to dark brown. Ears short and dark. Uropatagium is furred only at base. Skull small (greatest skull length 12-12- 3 mm), with globular braincase which is broader than rostrum; helmet present; postorbital process greatly reduced and posterior sagittal crest elevated. M* has a wide hypocone and is about same length as M’. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 34 and FN = 50, with a subtelocentric X-chromosome and a metacentric Y-chromosome.

Habitat. Humid Atlantic coastal regions of northern Central America, characterized by tall tropical rainforests that can reach 30 m. Occurs at altitudes up to 299 m.

Food and Feeding. Insectivorous. No details known.

Breeding. Pregnant females were captured from mid-February to late April.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. Generally rare, but occurs in some protected areas within its restricted range. It seems to be restricted to very humid forests.

Bibliography. Baird, Hillis et al. (2008, 2009), Baird, Marchan-Rivadeneira et al. (2012), Bickham & Baker (1977), LaVal (1973a), Solari (2017e).