76.

Greater Long-tailed Bat

Choeroniscus periosus

French: Grande Oxyrhine / German: GroRe Langschwanz-Blumenfledermaus / Spanish: Coeronisco grande

Other common names: Handley's Long-tailed Bat

Taxonomy. Choeroniscus periosus Handley, 1966,

“Rio Raposo, near sea level, 27 km south of Buenaventura, Departamento de Valle [del Cauca], Colombia.” This species is monotypic.

Distribution. Pacific lowlands of W Colombia (Choco S to Narino departments) and NW Ecuador (Esmeraldas Province).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 70 mm, tail 8= 10 mm, ear 13-17 mm, hindfoot 7-11 mm, 40-1-41-2 mm; weight 14 g.

Dorsal fur of Greater Long-tailed Bat is dark brown, with bicolored hairs having orange-brown bases and dark brown tips. Underparts are slightly lighter than dorsum. Rostrum is long, with conspicuous vibrissae on muzzle and chin. Lower lip is notched. Ears are round and short, and antitragus is well defined. Noseleaf is blackish and relatively small, with no central rib. Wing membranes and uropatagium are blackish. Uropatagium is naked and long, reaching distal part oftibia. Calcar is smaller than foot. Tail is short and completely inserted in uropatagium. Rostrum is longer than braincase. Postorbital processes are absent. Basisphenoid pits are moderately deep, separated by wide septum. Zygomatic arches are incomplete. Posterolateral margin of palate is unnotched. Hamular process of pterygoid is inflated and touches auditory bulla. Upperincisors are small and separated as pairs in each side of maxillae. P, contacts C,.

Habitat. Humid forests of the Chocé ecoregion from near sea level to elevations of ¢. 400 m. In Ecuador, a Greater Long-tailed Bat was captured in a marshy landscape dominated by Heliconia (Heliconiaceae) .

Food and Feeding. Skull morphology and dentition of the Greater Long-tailed Bat suggest it is a nectarivore, similar to congeners.

Breeding. A lactating Greater Long-tailed Bat was captured in September in Ecuador. Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List. The Greater Long-tailed Bat is confined to a small area and its habitat, the Chocoan humid forests, suffers intense and large-scale deforestation.

Bibliography. Albuja & Mena (1999), Griffiths & Gardner (2008a), Handley (1966a), Saavedra-Rodriguez & Rojas-Diaz (2011).