9.

Brosset’s Big-eared Bat

Micronycteris brosseti

French: Micronyctere de Brosset / German: Brosset-GroRohrblattnase / Spanish: Micronicterio de Brosset

Taxonomy. Micronycteris brosseti Simmons & Voss, 1998,

“Paracou,” French Guiana.

Micronycteris brosseti was eventually associated with the gray-bellied group (M. giovanniae, M. matses, M. megalotis, M. macrotis, and M. buriri). Monotypic.

Distribution. Known only from NE Peru (Loreto Department), Guyana, French Guiana; one possible record in SE Brazil (Sao Paulo). It is expected to occur throughout Amazonia and Brazilian Atlantic Forest.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 51-61 mm, tail 10-14 mm, ear 18-20 mm, hindfoot 10-11 mm, forearm 31-5-34 mm; weight 4-3-5 g. Brosset’s Big-eared Bat is one ofthe smaller species of Micronycteris . Venter is pale gray to pale buff, being paler than dark brown dorsum. Dorsal hair is bicolored, with white bases (one-third to one-half of each hair). Short dense fur occurs on lower one-third of medial side of pinna (less than or equal to 4 mm). First phalanx of fourth digit is longer than second. Calcar is longer than foot, and tibia shorter than 14-5 mm.

Habitat. Well-drained primary forests.

Food and Feeding. Brosset’s Big-eared Bat presumably is mainly insectivorous and occasionally eats fruits.

Breeding. Adult male Brosset’s Big-eared Bats and non-pregnant females have been caught in French Guiana in August and March.

Activity patterns. Brosset’s Big-eared Bats are crepuscular. Individuals were captured when they emerged from a hollow tree between 18:45 h and 19:15 h. They occur in hollow trees and have been caught in ground-level mist nets.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. There is a record of a colony ofat least four male and three female Brosset’s Big-eared Bats in a single roost in a hollow tree with only one entrance 1 m aboveground.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. Brosset’s Big-eared Bat is rare, known only from ten specimens. Natural history and current population trends are unknown. Deforestation could be a conservation threat.

Bibliography. Charles-Dominique et al. (2001), Garbino (2016), Lim, B.K. et al. (1999), Nogueira, Peracchi & Moratelli (2007), Paglia et al. (2012), Reis et al. (2017), Simmons & Voss (1998), Williams & Genoways (2008).