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Family: Phyllostomidae
Fringe-lipped Bat, more...Fringed-lipped Bat
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Trachops cirrhosus has long, woolly pelage, with fur extending along forearm for half its length; upper parts are cinnamon to dark brown, whereas under parts are dull brownish, tinged with grayish brown. Ears are large and erect; tragus is pointed. Chin and lips are studded with conical or cylindrical wartlike protuberances, and noseleaf has a serrated edge. Tail is short and protrudes through dorsum of in-terfemoral membrane. DISTRIBUTION: Trachops cirrhosus occurs from southern Mexico (Oaxaca), to the Guianas, as well as in parts of Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Trinidad. T. c. cirrhosus occurs in Costa Rica and southward through most of the outh American range of the species; T. c. coffini occurs from Mexico to Nicaragua; and T. c. ehrhardti occurs in southern Brazil and Bolivia. Trachops cirrhosus generally occurs at lower elevations (,500m). In Venezuela, it occurred below 500 m and was found from sea level to 330 m in Belize. In Chiapas, Mexico, T. cirrhosus was found at sites with an average elevation of 300 m. No fossils are known for the fringe-lipped bat. DIAGNOSIS: Trachops externally is similar to Phyllostomus, except ear is longer than head, and numerous cylindrical wartlike protuberances occur on lips and chin. A dichotomous key for skull characteristics of Phyllostominae can be found in Miller (1907). Trachops has 2 pairs of lower incisors, whereas Tonatia, Mimon, and Chrotopterus have 1. Trachops has 3 pairs of lower premolars, whereas Phyllostomus has 2. Skull of Trachops can be distinguished from that of Vampyrus by having a rostrum shorter than braincase and molars narrower than palate. Trachops has a p2 that is much smaller than p3, whereas p2 in Micronycteris is nearly the same size as p3. Skull of Trachops can be distinguished from that of Lonchorhina and Phylloderma by position of p2 (displaced inward from toothrow in Trachops). Length of rostrum is ca. equal to breadth of braincase in Trachops, whereas length of rostrum is much smaller than breadth of braincase in Macrophyllum. Bocas Species Database Habitat: Humid lowland forests, up to 1400 m. in Costa Rica. Distribution: Southern Mexico through Central America, Brazil and Bolivia, also on Trinidad Natural History Notes: Guild 4: Highly Cluttered Space/Gleaning Insectivores (Kalko, et al., 1996). Feeds on insects, lizards, and frogs. Small colonies roosts in hollow trees, caves, culverts and buildings. Extended breeding season, from February  July, depending on geographic location. Characteristics: Lips studded with warts and papillae, noseleaf present. Fur on dorsum grayish or brownish, venter paler. Ears large and rounded. Tail shorter than femur and projects above upper surface of interfemoral membrane. Wings broad. Forearm 57-64mm, Mb 32-35 gms. |