6. Schmidts’ Big-eared Bat Micronycteris schmidtorum French: Micronyctére des Schmidts / German: Schmidts-GroRohrblattnase / Spanish: Micronicterio de Schmidts Taxonomy. Micronycteris schmidtorum Sanborn, 1935, “Bobos, Izabal, Guatemala.” This species is monotypic. Distribution. From SE Mexico (Yucatan Peninsula and Chiapas) S through Central America to Colombia, Venezuela, French Guiana, E Peru, and Brazil. A record from CozumelI is doubtful. Descriptive notes. Head-body 53-3— 67 mm, tail 10-17 mm, ear 16-25 mm, hindfoot 8-11 mm, forearm 31:6-35-3 g; weight 5-10 g. Schmidts’ Big-eared Bat is medium-sized, with a delicate body. Venter is light yellow, light gray, light brown, and sometimes almost white and paler than dorsum that has long and soft brown hairs, with white bases. Noseleaf is well developed, thin, and pointed. Ears are long and rounded, and fur on lower one-third of medial edge of pinna is 5 mm or more. High membrane on head joins ears; it has notable notch on central part. Tail does not reach edge of uropatagium, which is more than twice tail length. Calcar is longer than foot. Tibia is generally longer than 14-5 mm. Upper premolars are about equalin height, and P, is about three-fourthsthe size of P,. Habitat. Tropical areas including evergreen, deciduous, and thorn primary forests; swamps; pastures; orchards; and agricultural areas at elevations of 10-160 m. Food and Feeding. Schmidts’ Big-eared Bat is a gleaning insectivore, feeding on moths (Lepidoptera) and probably some fruits. Breeding. A male Schmidts’ Big-eared Bat with non-scrotal testes was caught in February in Costa Rica. Specimens collected in August and November (males and females) in south-eastern Mexico were not reproductive, but four females were recorded in the same study area with probable reproductive activity and at least one was lactating. This suggests at least one birthing period per year. Activity patterns. Schmidts’ Big-eared Bat is nocturnal and roosts in tree holes and sometimes in archaeological sites. Specimens have been collected in ground-level mist nets. Movements, Home range and Social organization. Groups of 5-8 Schmidts’ Big-eared Bats have been found roosting in hollow trees (e.g. Bursera simaruba, Burseraceae) in Guatemala. Two species of streblid bat flies, Aspidoptera phyllostomatis and Strebla machadoi, are known from Schmidts’ Big-eared Bat. Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Schmidts’ Big-eared Batis apparently rare and has a scattered distribution. In Mexico,it has been listed as threatened given that populations of Chiapas and on Yucatan Peninsula face problems associated with habitat destruction. Bibliography. Ascorra, Wilson & Gardner (1991), Escobedo-Cabrera et al. (2006), Gardner (1977b), Guerrero (1997), Howell & Burch (1974), Mares & Wilson (1971), Medellin (2014a), Reid (2009), Reis et al. (2017), Sanborn (1935), Santos-Moreno & Gallardo (2014), SEMARNAT (2010), Simmons (1996), Simmons & Voss (1998), Solari et al. (2006), Williams & Genoways (2008), Wilson (1979).

Published as part of Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Phyllostomidae, pp. 444-583 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on page 491, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6458594