Family Phyllostomidae
Artibeus jamaicensis Leach, 1821
Figure 5D
Materials Examined. PUERTO RICO – Arecibo • Mata de Plátano Field Station and Nature Reserve; 18.414, -66.729; 151 m above sea level; Justin Matthew Bernstein, Camilo Andrés Calderón-Acevedo, Pedro Ivo Mônico, Lázaro Willian Viñola-Lopez, J. Angel Soto-Centeno; captured in six-meter mist net in open field 75 m south of field station between 6:45 PM and 8:30 PM; 1 ♂, ASC 1487; 1 ♀, ASC 1493.
Identification. Jamaican fruit-eating bats (A. jamaicensis ) were identified by their ashy-gray coloration and faint but noticeable lighter color stripes on the rostrum. These bats have a broad nose leaf, a large central chin papillae surrounded by smaller ones, and a tail membrane that forms a V shape with no tail. Jamaican fruit bats are medium sized, one of the stockier bats on the island, have broad dark brown wings, and are commonly captured on understory mist nets. We identified a small colony of Jamaican fruit bats present in Cueva Larvas.
Brachyphylla cavernarum Gray, 1834
Figure 5E
Materials Examined. PUERTO RICO – Arecibo • Mata de Plátano Field Station and Nature Reserve; 18.414, -66.729; 151 m above sea level; Justin Matthew Bernstein, Camilo Andrés Calderón-Acevedo, Pedro Ivo Mônico, Lázaro Willian Viñola-Lopez, J. Angel Soto-Centeno; captured in six-meter mist net in open field 75 m south of field station between 6:45 PM and 8:30 PM; 1 ♂, ASC 1487; 1 ♀, ASC 1493.
Identification. Antillean fruit-eating bats (B. cavernarum ) are medium sized and identified by their light brown to grayish pelage that is lighter color at the base. These bats have a small and rudimentary nose-leaf that almost give it a pig-like appearance. Small papillae on the chin of Antillean fruit-eating bats form a distinctive V shape. The wings are broad and grayish in color. This species is a year-round resident of Cueva de los Culebrones.
Erophylla bombifrons Miller, 1899
Figure 5F
Materials Examined. PUERTO RICO – Arecibo • Mata de Plátano Field Station and Nature Reserve; 18.414, -66.729; 151 m above sea level; Justin Matthew Bernstein, Camilo Andrés Calderón-Acevedo, Pedro Ivo Mônico, Lázaro Willian Viñola-Lopez, J. Angel Soto-Centeno; observed roosting and flying in first open room of Cueva de los Culebrones.
Identification. Brown flower bats (E. bombifrons ) have light brown to yellowish colored fur that is very short. We identified roosting and flying brown flower bats at Cueva de los Culebrones by their characteristic hair color, which easily reflects light. In the hand, brown flower bats are small bats with a slightly elongated and semi-naked rostrum. Their nose leaf is small and pointy. They have a V shaped tail membrane and a tail shorter than the femur extends beyond the membrane. These bats are abundant at Cueva de los Culebrones and often are hunted by the Puerto Rican boa. Although no individuals were captured in mist nets, brown flower bats can be captured in understory mist nets set close to fruiting Panama berry trees (Mutingia calabura ), piper plants (Piper aduncum ), or turkey berry plants (Solanum torvum ). This species is a year-round resident of Cueva de los Culebrones.
Monophyllus redmani Leach, 1821
Figure 5G
Materials Examined. PUERTO RICO – Arecibo • Mata de Plátano Field Station and Nature Reserve; 18.414, -66.729; 151 m above sea level; Justin Matthew Bernstein, Camilo Andrés Calderón-Acevedo, Pedro Ivo Mônico, Lázaro Willian Viñola-Lopez, J. Angel Soto-Centeno; captured in six-meter mist net in open field 75 m south of field station between 6:45 PM and 8:30 PM; 1 ♂, ASC 1488.
Identification. The Greater Antillean long-tongued bat (M. redmani ) is easily identified by being the smallest leaf-nosed bat on the island. This primarily nectarivorous species has grayish brown pelage, sometimes with patches of white hairs present on the dorsal side. The ventral side is lighter grayish brown in color. This bat has an elongated rostrum culminating in a distinctive arrow shaped nose leaf. The tail membrane is V shaped and a short tail extends beyond the tip of the membrane. Greater Antillean long-tongued bats are captured in understory mist nets near fruiting Panama berry trees (M. calabura ) and flowering endemic Maga trees (Thespesia grandiflora ). This species is a year-round resident of Cueva de los Culebrones.
Stenoderma rufum Desmarest, 1820
Figure 5H
Materials Examined. PUERTO RICO – Arecibo • Mata de Plátano Field Station and Nature Reserve; 18.414, -66.729; 151 m above sea level; Justin Matthew Bernstein, Camilo Andrés Calderón-Acevedo, Pedro Ivo Mônico, Lázaro Willian Viñola-Lopez, J. Angel Soto-Centeno; captured in six-meter mist net in open field 75 m south of field station between 6:45 PM and 8:30 PM; 1 ♂, ASC 1494.
Identification. The red fig-eating bat (S. rufum ) is the only other member of the subfamily Stenodermatinae inhabiting Puerto Rico. Nose leaf present and broad, as in A. jamaicensis , its fur is tan to dark chocolate-brown (its conspecifics inhabiting St. Croix and St. John having a reddish hue in their fur), the venter is lighter than the back, and it is the only bat in Puerto Rico with distinctive white epaulettes. Although it is similar to A. jamaicensis , it can be diagnosed by its smaller size, total length = 60–73 mm and forearm length = 46–52 mm. Additionally it lacks any facial stripes (Gannon et al., 2005; Genoways, 2023). The connectivity and abundance of its populations is affected by seasonal climatic disturbances like hurricanes (Calderón-Acevedo et al., 2021; Gannon & Willig, 1994).