The cinnamon dog-faced bat (''Cynomops abrasus''), is a

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

bat Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most bi ...

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of the family Molossidae. It is found in northern and central South America.

Taxonomy

The bat belongs to the genus ''

Cynomops ''Cynomops'' is a genus of Central and South American dog-faced bats in the family Molossidae. It has sometimes been considered a subgenus of '' Molossops''. It contains the following species: * Cinnamon dog-faced bat (''C. abrasus'') * Free ...

'', which was recently split from the genus '' Molossops''. There are four recognised subspecies: * ''Cynomops abrasus abrasus'' (Temminck, 1827) * ''C. a. brachymeles'' ( Peters, 1866) * ''C. a. cerastes'' (

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the Ap ...

, 1901) * ''C. a. mastivus'' (Thomas, 1911)

Description

The dorsal fur is brown, dark brown or chestnut. The ventral fur is similar in color to the dorsal fur. A dense patch of fur is present on the wing, located on the top back third of the forearm and propatagial membrane. There is also a second patch of fur on the bottom, back three-quarters of the forearm that extends across the

patagium The patagium (plural: patagia) is a membranous body part that assists an animal in obtaining lift when gliding or flight. The structure is found in extant and extinct groups of flying and gliding animals including bats, birds, some dromaeosaurs ...

near the wrist to the base of the fourth metacarpal. These patches are darker in color than the membrane. The bats have a broad face with widely separated ears. There are no wrinkles on the lips. There is also no nose leaf present. The bats display sexual dimorphism. The average total length is and the average tail length is . The forearm length in males is and in females it is . The greatest skull length is in males and in females.

Biology

The bat is insectivorous. They typically feed on hard-shelled insects.

Habitat and distribution

The species is found on the eastern side of the Andes in northern

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

French Guiana French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic ...

Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...

and

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

. The bat is an open-air hunter and is limited to forests. It is found in high and dense forests in Argentina and near floodable lands in Paraguay. The bat roosts in colonies of up to 75 individuals. The bat roosts in decayed logs and hollow trees, and tends to pick relatively warm area to roost.

Conservation

The bat is listed as data-deficient by the IUCN because of a paucity of records of the bat and the lack of knowledge about its habitat and status. The species could be threatened by deforestation occurring in its range.

References

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q1832650 Cynomops Mammals described in 1827 Bats of South America Mammals of Colombia Taxa named by Coenraad Jacob Temminck