Saccolaimus peli

15. Pel’s Pouched Bat

Saccolaimus peli

French: Taphien de Pel / German: Pel-Glattnasenfreischwanz / Spanish: Tafozo de Pel

Other common names: Black-hawk Bat, Giant Pouched Bat

Taxonomy. Taphozous peli Temminck, 1853,

“ la riviere de Boutry, côte de Guiné [= Boutry River, coastal Guinea].”

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. Equatorial forest belt of W & C Africa, from S Guinea and Liberia to DR Congo and W Uganda, with isolated records from W Kenya and E Angola.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 110 — 135 mm, tail 27-36 mm, ear 22-27 mm, hindfoot 21-27 mm, forearm 84-95 mm; weight 80-101 g (males) and 77—114 g (females). Pel’s Pouched Bat is sexually dimorphic; females are slightly larger than males. It is the largest species of emballonurid and yangochiropteran in Africa, with wingspan ofup to 685 mm and body mass ofup to 114 g. Dense and silky dorsal fur is dark chocolate-brown to black, with isolated white hairs; venter is slightly paler. Males can be slightly paler than females. Band of naked skin is on rump. Head is relatively flat and subtriangular when viewed from above. Muzzle tapers, and nostrils project beyondjaws. Ears are long and pointed. Eyes are strikingly large, even compared with other species of emballonurids. Males and females have well-developed, U-shaped gular pouches that open anteriorly. Radio-metacarpal sacs are absent. Tragus is broad, short, and spatulated, with pronounced constriction on posterior margin. Antitragus is large. Wing and interfemoral membranes are black. Thumb is long and thick and has weak claw. Skull is robust and somewhat flattened. Postorbital processes are thick and strongly curve downward. Sagittal crest is well developed, and occipital helmet is present Tympanic bullae are complete. Dental formula ofall species of Saccolaimusis 11/2, C1/1, P 2/2, M 3/3 (x2) = 30. Karyotype for all species of this genus is 2n = 44.

Habitat. Primarily rainforest. Most records of Pel’s Pouched Bat come from lowland, coastal, or swamp forests, but it does occur in montane forests, savannas, miombo, and Isoberlinia (Fabaceae) woodlands on edges of its distribution.

Food and Feeding. Pel’s Pouched Bat preys on insects, including beetles and alate termites. It extensively uses clearings including village clearings in which to forage but also forages high above forest canopies and even within forest interiors below canopies. Usually 2-4 individuals forage in a group, but foraging aggregations of up to 30 individuals have been observed. Foraging flights are often a hundred or more meters aboveground, but individuals feed at lower levels.

Breeding. Although no year-round observations have been conducted in one locality, pregnant Pel’s Pouched Bats have been observed inJune-July and December in equatorial regions, and males have been observed with epididymis filled with spermatozoids in August (presumably preceding pregnancies in December). Females in Uganda have been observed with uteri distended with semen in March. Adult males with enlarged testes transfer a yellow secretion from their gular pouches with hindclaws and groom their body fur with the substance.

Activity patterns. Pel’s Pouched Bats use tree hollows for roosting and emerge after dark to forage. They have been observed to be very active on moonlit nights in village clearings. Echolocation search calls are multiharmonic, with shallow linear EM sweeps. Low-frequency components in calls are audible to humans.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Very little is known about group size and composition of Pel’s Pouched Bats, but adults space themselves while roosting. Ectoparasites of Pel’s Pouched Bat include the bat flies Brachytarsina alluaudi and Basilia aequisetosa and the mites Carios vespertilionis, Ugandobia taphozous (Myobiidae), Olabidocarpus taphozous (Chirodiscidae), and Rodhainyssus taphozous (Gastronyssidae).

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Pel’s Pouched Bat has a large distribution and presumably large and stable overall population, and it occurs in several protected areas. Research is needed to determine effects of habitat fragmentation. Threats include habitat fragmentation from agriculture and selective logging of old trees with cavities, thus decreasing preferred roosting sites that further limit access to foraging areas.

Bibliography. ACR (2017), Anciaux de Faveaux (1984), Brosset (1966b), Coe (1975), Happold (1987), Kingdon (1974), Lang & Chapin (1917 a, 1917 b), Monadjem,Taylor eta/. (2010), Rosevear (1965).