Perception Channels: tactile ; chemical
(www.cites.org)
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
None known at this time.
This species is insectivorous and may therefore be beneficial to farmers and other agriculturalists who have insect pest problems.
Lonchorhina aurita is an insectivorous species. In one instance, a member of this species was found with fruit in its digestive system (Fleming, et al 1972). L. aurita has teeth that are chisel shaped which is indicative of an insectivorous diet.
Lonchorhina aurita, also known as Tome's Long Eared Bat, is found from southern Mexico through Central America and into South America, south to Peru and Southern Brazil (Lassieur and Wilson 1989).
Biogeographic Regions: neotropical (Native )
Lonchorhina aurita is found primarily in forested habitats, but may also sometimes be found in agricultural areas (Lassieur and Wilson 1989).
Terrestrial Biomes: forest ; rainforest ; scrub forest
Lonchorhina aurita varies from 53-67mm in length. It has a skull no longer than 22.7mm in length. This bat's pelage is a shade of brown. Its fur covers the dorsal sides of the forearms, and the ears and noseleaf ventrally (Lassieur and Wilson 1989). The dental formula of L. aurita is 2/2 1/1 2/3 3/3 =34 (Lassieur and Wilson 1989).
Range mass: 10 to 16 g.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; bilateral symmetry
Lonchorhina aurita mates either at the end of the rainy season or at the begining of the dry season (Fleming, et al. 1972). They then gestate through part of the dry season, usually through February and March, and give birth at the onset of the rainy season (Lassieur and Wilson 1989).
Key Reproductive Features: gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual
Tomes's sword-nosed bat (Lonchorhina aurita), also known as the common sword-nosed bat is a bat species from South and Central America. It is also found in the Bahamas, but is known from only one specimen collected on the island of New Providence.
In 2006, the bat was rediscovered in the Santa Cruz Department of Bolivia by scientists Aideé Vargas and Kathrin Barboza Marquez. Prior to their find, it was believed that the bat had been extinct in Bolivia for 72 years. There has since been an Ecological Sanctuary established at the town of San Juan de Corralito located in the Ángel Sandoval Province to protect the species.[2]
Its ears are long with sharply-pointed tips. It has a large nose-leaf of up to 20 mm (0.79 in). Its fur is dark brown or black in color, while the patagia are black. The forearm is 47–57 mm (1.9–2.2 in). Individuals weigh 10–22 g (0.35–0.78 oz). Its dental formula is 2.1.2.32.1.3.3 for a total of 34 teeth.[3]
It is insectivorous, though a record exists of one individual eating fruit. It is nocturnal, roosting in sheltered places during the day such as caves or culverts. These roosts contain 10-500 individuals in associations called colonies. Roosts are shared with bats of other species.[3]
It is found in several countries in Central and South America including: Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela. It has been documented in lowlands and at elevations up to 1,500 m (4,900 ft) above sea level.[1]
As of 2015, it is evaluated as a least-concern species by the IUCN.[1]
Tomes's sword-nosed bat (Lonchorhina aurita), also known as the common sword-nosed bat is a bat species from South and Central America. It is also found in the Bahamas, but is known from only one specimen collected on the island of New Providence.
In 2006, the bat was rediscovered in the Santa Cruz Department of Bolivia by scientists Aideé Vargas and Kathrin Barboza Marquez. Prior to their find, it was believed that the bat had been extinct in Bolivia for 72 years. There has since been an Ecological Sanctuary established at the town of San Juan de Corralito located in the Ángel Sandoval Province to protect the species.
