Pteronotus mexicanus

13.

Mexican Common Mustached Bat

Pteronotus mexicanus

French: Ptéronote du Mexique / German: Mexiko-Schnurrbartfledermaus / Spanish: Pteronotus mexicano

Other common names: Mexican Mustached Bat

Taxonomy. Chilonycteris mexicana G. S. Miller, 1902,

“San Blas,” Nayarit, Mexico.

Pteronotus mexicanus was formerly classified as a subspecies of P. parnelliz, but here it is considered a distinct species. Monotypic.

Distribution. L.owlands along Pacific coast and C Mexico, from Sonora to Guerrero and Puebla.

Descriptive notes. Head-body c. 64— 70 mm, tail 19-24 mm, ear 21-23 mm, hindfoot 13-14 mm, forearm 53-58 mm; weight c¢.13-5 g. Dorsal pelage is cinnamon to brownish; it becomes paler or grayish ventrally. Skull is robust, with broad braincase and proportionally shorter rostrum. Condylo-basal lengths are 18:5-20 mm. The Mexican Common Mustached Bat is slightly larger than Antillean species in the subgenus Phyllodia but is smaller in size, on average, externally and cranially, compared with other species on the mainland. Pelage color is also noticeably paler. Additional external and cranial features shared with other species in the subgenus Phyllodia are listed in descriptive notes for Parnell’s Common Mustached Bat (P. parnellii).

Habitat. Dense vegetation in coastal lowlands, scrublands, or tropical dry forest at elevations up to 1600 m.

Food and Feeding. The Mexican Common Mustached Bat has a diverse diet that mainly includes lepidopterans, small beetles, and dipterans.

Breeding. The Mexican Common Mustached Bat is seasonally monoestrous. Mating occurs in December-February, and gestation lasts c.4 months. Most young are born in the first one-half ofJune when rainy season begins, and lactation takes c.1 month. Males are reproductively active throughout the year, but they only produce mature spermatozoa in December—February.

Activity patterns. Mexican Common Mustached Bats appear to emerge earlyafter sunset. After individuals leave roosts, they travel along well-established routes to foraging areas, which can be located more than 3-5 km from roost sites. They can actively forage all night, returning to the roost 5-7 hours after they emerge. Long CF-FM pulses of c.25 milliseconds characterize echolocation calls during search phase. The CF component of second harmonic is ¢.64 kHz.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Mexican Common Mustached Bats usually roost in caves; groups with up to 4000 individuals have been reported. Colony sizes change markedly throughout the year. Highest densities have been reported during the mating season when males and females share the same roosts. There is sexual segregation in roosts during gestation and lactation when males occupy bachelor roosts.

Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The IUCN Red List. The Mexican Common Mustached Bat is included under Parnell’s Common Mustached Bat, which is classified as Least Concern.

Bibliography. Aimazan-Catalan et al. (2015), Bateman & Vaughan (1974), Garrido et al. (1984), Lépez-Wilchis et al. (2016), Novick (1963), Pavan & Marroig (2016), Ruiz (2014), Smith (1972), Torres-Flores et al. (2012).