251.

Southern Hoary Bat

Lasiurus villosissimus

French: Lasiure du Paraguay / German: Siidamerika-Haarschwanzfledermaus / Spanish: Lasiuro de Paraguay

Taxonomy. Vespertilio villosissimus E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1806,

“ Paraguay.” Restrict ed by A. Cabrera in 1958 to Asuncion, Paraguay .

See L. egregius . Lasiurus villosissimus was previously considered a subspecies of L. cinereus but was elevated to a distinct species based on mtDNA and nDNA analyses. Lasiurus villosissimus 1s in the Hoary Bat group. Four subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

L.v.villosissimusE.GeoffroySaint-Hilaire,1806—PeruSthroughBolivia,Paraguay,SBrazil,andUruguaytoCArgentina.

L.v.brasiliensisPira,1904—SEBrazil(Mi-nasGeraisandSaoPaulostates).

L.v.gray:Tomes,1857—Chile.

L. v. pallescens Peters, 1870 — Colombia and Venezuela.

Also present on Galapagos Is, but subspecies involved not known.

Descriptive notes. Head-body ¢. 80 mm, tail 39-59 mm, ear 6-19 mm, hindfoot 8-15 mm, forearm 50-57 mm; weight 18-22 g. Fur is frosted. Dorsal hairsare tricolored, with dark chestnut bases, yellowish middles, and dark chestnut distal bands with white tips. Ventral hairs are bicolored, with dark chestnut bases and light tips. Ears are small and rounded, with yellow hairs along internal margins and basal one-half of external surface; tragus is short and broad. Yellow hairs are also found on throat region, thumbs, and dorsal wing membranes. Fur on wing membranes extends from fifth metacarpal to elbow. Uropatagium is densely furred, with reddish brown hairs. Skull is large, with short rostrum and poorly developed lacrimal ridge. P? is present and reduced, sometimes absent. Dental formula is11/3, C1/1,P 2/2. M 3/3 (x2) = 32. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 28 and FN = 48, with medium-sized submetacentric X-chromosome and small acrocentric Y-chromosome.

Habitat. Rainforests, savannas, natural pasturelands, and urban areas at elevations of 600-3300 m.

Food and Feeding. The Southern Hoary Bat has fast and straight flight, being observed mostly in open areas. Diet probably includes a great variety of insects. Analysis of stomach content of an individual from Paraguay contained Hymenoptera .

Breeding. Litter size is 1-4 young, most frequently two. Neonates are covered with thin gray hairs. In Argentina, pregnant Southern Hoary Bats were captured in August, November, andJanuary and lactating females in earlyJanuary. In Brazil, neonates were observed in late November. In Brazil and Argentina, flying young were observed in December and earlyJanuary.

Activity patterns. Roosts of Southern Hoary Bats include banana trees, palm tree leaves, hollow trees, and foliage. Predators include common barn-owls (7yto alba) and stygian owls (Asio stygius).

Movements, Home range and Social organization. In extreme southern Brazil, Southern Hoary Bats probably migrate northward and reach plateaus, central depression, and natural pasturelands of Rio Grande do Sul State. They are solitary.

Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The IUCN Red List. The Southern Hoary Bat is included under the Northern Hoary Bat ( L. cinereus), which is classified as Least Concern.

Bibliography. Acosta (1950), Baird et al. (2015), Barquez et al. (1999), Bianconi & Pedro (2017), Cabrera (1958), Costa et al. (2016), Gardner & Handley (2008), Gonzalez (1989), Graham & Barkley (1984), Marchesin & Morielle-Versute (2004), Morales-Martinez & Ramirez-Chaves (2015), Novaes, Garbino et al. (2018), Sanborn & Crespo (1957), Shump & Shump (1982b), Silva (1985), Simmons (2005), Tiranti & Torres (1998), Vizotto & Taddei (1973).