Lasiurus degelidus G. S. Miller 1931

264.

Jamaican Red Bat

Lasiurus degelidus

French: Lasiure de Jamaique / German: Jamaika-Haarschwanzfledermaus / Spanish: Laisuro de Jamaica

Taxonomy. Lasiurus degelidus G. S. Miller, 1931,

“Sutton’s District of Vere, Jamaica.”

See L. egregius. Based on allozyme studies, L. degelidus is closely related to L. seminolus, but cladistic analyses ofalleles suggest they differ enough to be considered distinct species. Lasiurus degelidus is in the Red Bat group. Monotypic.

Distribution. Endemic to Jamaica.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 53-57 mm, tail 52-53 mm, ear c.13- 2 mm, hindfoot 7- 6-8 mm, forearm 41-3-46- 9 mm. Females are larger than males. The Jamaican Red Bat is bright reddish, without grayish frosting on upperparts. Dorsal fur is reddish, with white spots on shoulders where wing membranes reach body. Ventral fur is darker, with whitish hair tips sometimes present. Ears are short, and eyes small. Uropatagium is densely furred with reddish hairs. Skull is large; lacrimal ridge is well developed. Two upper premolars are present; cheekteeth are large. Dental formula is I 1/3, C 1/1, P 2/2, M 3/3 (x2) = 32. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 28 and FN = 48, with submetacentric X-chromosome and minute Y-chromosome.

Habitat. Open grassy areas with low trees and areas with coconuts and disturbed vegetation in dry lowlands at elevations below 400 m.

Food and Feeding. The Jamaican Red Bat forages over watercourses and streams, capturing insects in flight.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Jamaican Red Bats are crepuscular/nocturnal. Some specimens were captured a little before sunset. There are no records of roosts in caves; it probably roosts in trees. Echolocation calls are ¢.7-2 milliseconds, with narrowband and single harmonic, and sweep from ¢.52-5 kHz to c.34-5 kHz.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List. The Jamaican Red Bat is rare, restricted to less than six known locations; its extent of occurrence is 13,500 km?. Major threats include habitat loss from forest clearing for human developments, agriculture, charcoal burning, and timber collection and natural factors (e.g. hurricanes) that disturb populations.

Bibliography. Aguiar & Bernard (2016), Baird et al. (2015), Baker, Patton et al. (1988), Collen (2012), Genoways et al. (2005), Gosse (1851), Miller (1931), Novaes, Garbino et al. (2018), Simmons (2005).