The black bonneted bat, also known as Shaw's mastiff bat, (''Eumops auripendulus''), is a

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 ...

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 ...

from the Americas.

Description

The black-bonneted bat is a medium-sized bat, with adults weighing between . The head and back are covered in dark brown fur that varies from reddish to almost black, while the sides and underparts are a paler, grey, colour. The ears are large and rounded, with a small, pointed tragus and dark, hairless skin. The wing membranes are also dark, and have narrow tips; the fur extends across the upper surface of the wing up to a line between the knees and the midpoint of the

humerus The humerus (; ) is a long bone in the arm that runs from the shoulder to the elbow. It connects the scapula and the two bones of the lower arm, the radius and ulna, and consists of three sections. The humeral upper extremity consists of a roun ...

. The face is almost entirely hairless, and ends in a blunt muzzle. Adult males possess a sacular organ on the throat, the function of which is unknown, but which is only vestigial in females. The bat most closely resembles the related

Wagner's bonneted bat Wagner's bonneted bat or Wagner's mastiff batBest, T. L., et al. (1997)''Eumops glaucinus''. ''Mammalian Species'' 551, 1-6. (''Eumops glaucinus''), is a species of bat in the family Molossidae. It is found in the Americas from Argentina and Peru ...

, but the latter usually has a paler colour and has a different shape to the tragus.

Distribution and habitat

The black bonneted bat is found in southern

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, on the island of

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

, and through much of Central and South America, as far south as 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 ...

. It is, however, absent from western

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 ...

and

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 ...

, and from

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

. It inhabits a range of forested habitats throughout this region, from coastal lowlands to the slopes of the

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

at least in elevation. In Brazil, for example, it is said to inhabit every major

biome A biome () is a biogeographical unit consisting of a biological community that has formed in response to the physical environment in which they are found and a shared regional climate. Biomes may span more than one continent. Biome is a broader ...

. Two subspecies are recognised: * ''E. auripendulus auripendulus'' - majority of range * ''E. auripendulus major'' - eastern and southern Brazil, eastern

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 ...

, northeastern Argentina

Behaviour and biology

Black bonneted bats are

insectivorous A robber fly eating a hoverfly An insectivore is a carnivorous animal or plant that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which can also refer to the human practice of eating insects. The first vertebrate insectivores were ...

and nocturnal. They spend the day sleeping inside narrow cracks and crevices, often having crawled inside, rather than hanging head-down. In larger spaces, such as inside lofts or belfries, they may hang grouped together in clusters of at least fifteen. Females come into

oestrus The estrous cycle (, originally ) is the set of recurring physiological changes that are induced by reproductive hormones in most mammalian therian females. Estrous cycles start after sexual maturity in females and are interrupted by anestrous ...

several times a year, and give birth to a single young.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q302070 Eumops Mammals of Colombia Bats of Central America