258.

Southern Red Bat

Lasiurus blossevilii

French: Lasiure de Blosseville / German: Blosseville-Haarschwanzfledermaus / Spanish: Lasiuro de Blosseville

Other common names: Red Bat

Taxonomy. Vespertilio blossevilii Lesson & Garnot, 1826,

“Monte-Video [= Montevideo],” Uruguay.

See L. egregius . Lasiurus blossevilii was previously considered a subspecies of L. borealis . Based on allozymes studies, western North American, Central American, and South American forms of Lasiurus were considered full species. Using molecular analyses based on mtDNA and nDNA, North American and Central American subspecies of L. blossevilii were later considered full species, L. frantzii . Lasiurus blosseviliiis in the Red Bat group. Three subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution. L.b.blosseviliiLesson&Garnot,1826—SouthAmerica,fromColombiaandVenezuelaStoCEArgentina;alsoTrinidadI.

L.b.brachyotisJ.A.Allen,1892—endemictoGalapagosIs(SantaCruz,SanCristobal,andFloreana).

L. b. salinae Thomas, 1902 — SE Brazil, Uruguay, and NE Argentina.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 44-62 mm, tail 38- 5-58 mm, ear 6-11- 6 mm, hindfoot 6-9 mm, forearm 36—48- 3 mm; weight 6-13- 5 g. The Southern Red Bat is reddish brown, washed with white; males are usually brighter than females. Fur is long and dense. Dorsal hairs are quadricolored, with blackish bases, followed by whitish to light brown bands, brown to orangish bands, and black to dark brown distal bands washed with white. Venter hairs are tricolored, with blackish bases,light to dark brown middles, and blackish distal band washed with white. Brazilian north-eastern populations are more reddish, and southern populations are washed with black. Ears and face are reddish brown. Ears are wide, short, and rounded, with basal two-thirds of outer part furred. Tragusis short and curved, with slightly triangular distal end. Uropatagium is densely furred in its proximal region, with hair extending through more than one-half ofits length. Skull is short and broad. Rostrum slopes in front and is almost aligned to braincase. Braincase is rounded. P* is extremely reduced and sometimes lacking, and lowerincisorsare tricuspid. Dental formulais11/3,C1/1,P2/2,M 3/3 (x2) = 32. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 28 and FN = 46, with seven pairs of large metacentric and submetacentric autosomes, three pairs of medium metacentric autosomes, three pairs of small acrocentric autosomes, medium submetacentric X-chromosome, and small acrocentric Y-chromosome.

Habitat. Wide variety of habitats including savannas, rainforests, deciduous forests, xeric shrublands, pastures, and urban areas at elevations of 200-2400 m.

Food and Feeding. Southern Red Bats are fast fliers that usually forage far from ground. Some individuals were captured over streams and ponds, which is probably common. Stomach of one individual in Brazil contained fragments of Lepidoptera .

Breeding. In northern Brazil, pregnant Southern Red Bats were caught in October. On the Galapagos Islands, mating was observed in February, and pregnant females with two embryos were captured in January and April. In central Argentina, lactating females were caught in November and January. In southern Brazil and central Argentina, flying young were caught in January-February and August. In Uruguay, females carrying young were caught in November-December.

Activity patterns. Southern Red Bats start to forage 1-2 hours after sunset. They roost primarily in foliage oftrees but also branches, palms, banana trees, and human buildings. Individuals seem to have some fidelity to particular areas but rarely use the same roost in consecutive days. Echolocation pulses are mainly FM, with final frequencies at 40-45 kHz and irregular and alternating sequences. Predators include common barnowls (Tyto alba) and stygian owls (Aso stygius).

Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Southern Red Batis solitary, but groups of 4-9 individuals including females and young have been observed. It is considered migratory in southern Argentina, and large groups can be observed in March, disappearing in April, in Uruguay. In southern Brazil,itis present in spring and summer.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Southern Red Bat is widespread, presumably has a large population, and occurs in several protected areas.

Bibliography. Acosta (1950), Alvarez-Castafieda & Gonzalez-Ruiz (2018), Baird et al. (2015), Baker & Patton (1967), Baker, Patton et al. (1988), Bianconi & Pedro (2017), Costa et al. (2016), Gardner & Handley (2008), Gonzalez, Barquez & Miller (2016), Lopez-Baucells, Rocha, Bobrowiec et al. (2018), Novaes, Garbino et al. (2018), Shump & Shump (1982a), Simmons (2005), Vizotto & Taddei (1973).