192.

Ecuadorian Fruit-eating Bat

Artibeus aequatorialis

French: Artibée d'Equateur / German: Ecuador-Fruchtvampir / Spanish: Artibeo de Ecuador

Other common names: Ecuatorial Fruit-eating Bat

Taxonomy. Artibeus jamaicensis aequatorialis K. Andersen, 1906,

“Zaruma, Loja [Loja Province], S. Ecuador, 1000 m.”

Artibeus aequatorialis is in subgenus Artibeus . Although described and considered a subspecies of A. jamaicensis, at some point it was also associated with A. lituratus . Monotypic.

Distribution. W Colombia, W Ecuador, and extreme NW Peru, W of Andes.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 73-94 mm (tailless), ear 20-24 mm, hindfoot 16— 19 mm, forearm 65-75 mm; weight 42-65 g. The Ecuadorian Fruit-eating Batis large, with brown to dark brown dorsal hairs having paler bases; venteris paler. Dorsal furis short and dense. Whitish stripes are not well defined on face. Dorsal fur extends onto areas of wings between forearm and legs. Rim of noseleaf gradually disappearsatits base and is continuous with upperlip with no flap ofskin. Patagium and uropatagium are black. Wingtips are whitish, which seems variable among populations. Uropatagium is short, with deep V-shaped notch and wide margin, and is sparsely haired. Dorsal surface of feet is covered with short hairs. Dental formula is 12/2, C1/1, P 2/2, M 2/2-3 (x2) = 28-30. Preand postorbital ridges and processes are poorly developed. M,is reduced in size (when present) and does not have well-developed cusps.

Habitat. Various habitats ranging from tropical humid forests of the Choc 6 in western Colombia to dry forests of south-western Ecuador and north-western Peru and near banana plantations from lowlands to elevations of ¢. 1100 m (EI Oro, Ecuador). The Ecuadorian Fruiteating Bat occurs sympatrically with the Fraternal Fruit-eating Bat (A. fraterculus) and the Great Fruit-eating Bat (A. lituratus) throughout most ofits distribution.

Food and Feeding. The Ecuadorian Fruit-eating Bat is primarily frugivorous but reportedly eats insects and leaves.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. The Ecuadorian Fruit-eating Bat most probably roosts in caves and trees, as do many ofits congeners.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Ecuadorian Fruit-eating Bats are gregarious.

Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The IUCN Red List. The Ecuadorian Fruiteating Bat was recently recognized as a distinct species, and information on its population status and life history is lacking.

Bibliography. Andersen (1906b, 1908c), Carrera et al. (2010), Handley (1987), Larsen, Hoofer et al. (2007), Larsen, Marchan-Rivadeneira & Baker (2010b), Marques-Aguiar (2008a), Redondo et al. (2008).