278.

Robust Yellow Bat

Scotophilus robustus

French: Scotophile robuste / German: Robuste Hausfledermaus / Spanish: Scotofilo robusto

Taxonomy. Scotophilus robustus Milne-Edwards, 1881,

Madagascar .

Based on multivariate analyses of forearm and cranial measurements, S. robustus is distinct from dinganii and borbonicus . Monotypic.

Distribution. Endemic to Madagascar.

Descriptive notes. Head-body ¢.93 98 mm, tail 55-70 mm, ear 17-20 mm, hindfoot 10-13 mm, forearm 62-65 mm; weight ¢.40- 5—49 g. Dorsum and venter are medium brown. Baculum is flat and triangular, with distinct indentation to proximal margin. Skull is large (greatest skull lengths 24-2-25- 6 mm) for Scotophilus, but rostrum is comparatively short; sagittal crest is well developed; occipital helmet is present; and profile of skull mostly slopes from front to back, with very shallow concavity in forehead region. I? is unicuspid; M' and M? have concave surfaces and indistinct ridges and appear worn; and M” is very short and has two ridges.

Habitat. All distinct biomes of Madagascar, except spiny bush and apparently humanoccupied habitats, from sea levelto elevations up to c¢. 1400 m.

Food and Feeding. Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, Homoptera, and Blattodea were found in feces of two individuals. Coleoptera comprised ¢.68% of diet by volume, but sampling in the feeding area showed that only 3% of available prey was Coleoptera, suggesting that the Robust Yellow Bat is a coleopteran specialist. Feces of three bats contained Araneae, Coleoptera, Diptera, Homoptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, and Orthoptera .

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Calls of Robust Yellow Bats were characterized by broadband steep FM,followed by QCF at LDC. Fundamental call was always most intense, with peak energy of 38-1 kHz.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Ectoparasites of Robust Yellow Bats included Basilia nov. sp. ( Diptera, Nycteribiidae) and Basilia (Paracyclopodia) sp., the latter infected by Bartonella and Enterobacteriales.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List.

Bibliography. Duron et al. (2014), Hayman & Hill (1971), Kofoky et al. (2009), Rakotondramanana etal. (2015), Rasoanoro et al. (2015), Robbins et al. (1985), Wilkinson et al. (2016).