Wildlife Conservation Society's Neotropical Bat Information System

Taxonomy

Species ID	050170
Name	Least Sac-winged Bat
Other Common Names	Thomas' Sac-winged Bat
Category	05 Mammals
Phylum
Subphylum
Class	Mammalia
Subclass	Theria
Suborder	Microchiroptera
Family	Emballonuridae
Genus	Balantiopteryx
Species	io
Subspecies
References	1, 2, 3, 11, 14

Comments

*14 No subspecies

Status

Status Code	Status Translation	References
85	IUCN-1994 Near Threatened	22
39	Middle America endemic	1

Distribution

COUNTRY	References
Belize	1, 2, 3, 11

DISTRICT	References
Belize	7, 15, 16
Cayo	8, 10, 15, 16, 20
Orange Walk	2
Stann Creek	2, 16
Toledo	9, 13, 15, 18, 19, 21

Administrative Unit	Occurrence	Abundance	Temporal	References
Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve	Collected as voucher.	Common	February	10
Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve	Collected as voucher.	Unknown, insufficient data	December	15
Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve	Collected as voucher.	Unknown, insufficient data	Dry season (Jan-May)	7
Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve	Collected as voucher.	Unknown, insufficient data	February	10
Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve	Collected as voucher.	Unknown, insufficient data		8
Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve	Captured or Mist netted and released	Common	January	15
Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve	Captured or Mist netted and released	Common	July	15
Chiquibul Forest Reserve	Collected as voucher.	Unknown, insufficient data		16
Chiquibul Forest Reserve	Recorded vocalization.	Rare	June	20
Bladen Nature Reserve	Collected as voucher.	Unknown, insufficient data	May	16
Bladen Nature Reserve	Collected as voucher.	Unknown, insufficient data	Permanent Resident (Year-round)	5
Bladen Nature Reserve	Captured or Mist netted and released	Unknown, insufficient data	May	4
Private land, see comments	Collected as voucher.	Common	Dry season (Jan-May)	7
Town or Village, see comments.	Collected as voucher.	Unknown, insufficient data	July	9

Hydrologic Unit Distribution	References
Macal River	20
Mussel Creek	6

ELEVATION Association	References
0-100 m	7
1-200 m	13, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21, 24, 26
101-200 m	4, 15
201-400 m	4, 9, 15, 16, 18, 20
401-500 m	7
401-600 m	10, 18, 20

QUAD Distribution	References
17 45' to 18 00'; 88 15' to 88 30'	16
17 30' to 17 45'; 88 15' to 88 30'	16
17 15' to 17 30'; 88 45' to 89 00'	16
17 15' to 17 30'; 88 30' to 88 45'	7, 15, 16
17 15' to 17 30'; 88 15' to 88 30'	16
17 00' to 17 15'; 89 00' to 89 15'	16, 20
17 00' to 17 15'; 88 45' to 89 00'	15, 16
16 45' to 17 00'; 89 00' to 89 15'	10, 15
16 45' to 17 00'; 88 45' to 89 00'	8
16 45' to 17 00'; 88 15' to 88 30'	16
16 30' to 16 45'; 88 45' to 89 00'	4, 15, 18, 20
16 00' to 16 15'; 89 00' to 89 15'	9
16 00' to 16 15'; 88 45' to 89 00'	13, 16, 19, 21

Holdridge Life Zone Distribution	References
Subtropical Lower Montane moist	8, 20
Subtropical moist	10, 15
Subtropical wet	4, 9, 16, 19, 21
Tropical moist-transition to Subtropical	15, 16

Comments on Distribution

15* Skeleton Cave, Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve. Harp trapped and; released.; 10* ROM Augustine.; 8* UMMZ, 1 male, 1 female Bailey 1957 collection. Augustine MPR.; 9* U. of Kansas Nat. Hist. Museum. 1 male, July 20, 1980. J. C. Unruh.; 4* Quebrado de Oro.

Graphics

Distribution map for Belize
Vocal signature
Vocal signature with call parameters

 

Vocal Signature Files for Download

Balio.01#

 

HABITAT	References
TERRESTRIAL	11

Forest Type Associations	Seral Stage	Canopy Closure	References
Lowland broadleaf rain forest over poor or sandy soils.	Canopy unknown	Canopy unknown	21
Marsh and Swamp Communities	Canopy unknown	Canopy unknown	21
Broadleaf Forest Rich in Lime-loving Species	Disturbed	0-40%	20
Broadleaf hill forests over limestone in rolling or flat terrain.	stage unknown	41-70%	20
Lowland broadleaf moist evergreen seasonal forests over poor soils.	stage unknown	41-70%	20
This serves to update Wright et al. for urban or agricultural areas devoid of native vegetation.	not applicable	not applicable	20
Agriculture, no native vegetation.	not applicable	not applicable	20
Broadleaf hill forests over limestone in steep terrain.	Disturbed	41-70%	15, 20
Broadleaf Forest Rich in Lime-loving Species; Chiquebul-Bullhoof Forest	Disturbed	41-70%	15, 20
Broadleaf hill forests over limestone in rolling or flat terrain.			16
Broadleaf Forest Rich in Lime-loving Species: Sapote-Silion forest.			16
Seasonally waterlogged fire-induced shrubland of the plains.			16
Transitional Broadleaf Forest Poor in Lime-loving Species			16
Agriculture, no native vegetation.			16
Broadleaf Forest Rich in Lime-loving Species; Chiquebul-Bullhoof Forest			15, 16, 20
Lowland needle-leaf moist open forests over poor soils.			16
Transitional Low Broadleaf Forest and Shrubland			16
URBAN, human settlement.			8
Pine Forest and Orchard Savanna			8
Lowland broadleaf rain forest over poor or sandy soils.			13, 19, 21
Marsh and Swamp Communities			13, 19, 21
Transitional Broadleaf Forest Poor in Lime-loving Species			20
Lowland broadleaf rain forests over moderately lime-rich alluvium.			18
Lowland broadleaf moist evergreen seasonal forests over limestone, central eastern variant.			20
Broadleaf Forest w/Occasional Lime-loving Species; Cohune-Banak forest.			16, 20
Broadleaf hill forests over limestone in steep terrain.			9, 10, 20
Broadleaf Forest Rich in Lime-loving Species			9, 10, 18
Transitional Broadleaf Forest Poor in Lime-loving Species	stage unknown		4
Broadleaf Forest Rich in Lime-loving Species	stage unknown		16
Broadleaf Forest Rich in Lime-loving Species; Chiquebul-Bullhoof Forest	stage unknown		15
Broadleaf Forest with Few Lime-loving Species	stage unknown		13
Lowland broadleaf rain forests over moderately lime-rich alluvium.	stage unknown		4
Broadleaf hill forests over limestone in steep terrain.	stage unknown		15
Broadleaf hill forests over limestone in steep terrain.	stage unknown		10
Freshwater swamp forest (permanently waterlogged), typical variant.	stage unknown		16
Lowland broadleaf moist evergreen seasonal forests over poor soils.	stage unknown		7

Food Habits

Trophic

Insectivore-aerial

References on Trophic Level

11

Lifestage	Food Item Consumed	Part of Food Item
Adult	Insects	Adult stage
Immature	Mother's milk	Not Applicable

Comments on General Food Habits

11* Aerial insectivore on tiny insects. Natural history only well known for related species B. plicata.

Environmental Associations

Lifestage	Environmental Association	References
All stages	Terrestrial Features: Caves, dry

Life History

Life History Narrative

11* Published information on natural history of B. io is anecdotal. The species roosts predominantly in caves, selecting dimly lit areas near the cave entrance, but Hall and Dalquest (1963) found individuals as deep as 300 m in one cave and Baker and Greer (1060) also observed these bats in a dark cave chamber. Hall and Dalquest (1963:215) reported that 500 to 1,000 individuals in a cave in Veracruz all "hang singly, and usually more than nine inches from another. They preferred to hang from the tops of pits and crevices but some hung from the open, flat ceiling." These authors (1963:216) also reported B. io as roosting in "deep, dark crevices and masses of stalactites" that hung from faces of cliffs. Sanborn (1936:95) reported these sac-winged bats as being shot from a crevice in a limestone cliff in Guatemala - the crevice forming a "cave 100 feet high, and from two to four feet wide." Only two females were found among 89 specimens collected by Hall and Dalquest (1963) at one locality in Veracruz, although essentially equal sex ratios also have been reported. Thomas' sac-winged bat is found primarily in areas of lowland tropical forest, but it has been reported also from "upland broadleaf seasonal forest" in Guatemala (McCarthy, 1982.683).

Life History References

11

References

1 McCarthy, T. J. 1993. Checklist: Mammals of Belize. BAS Newsletter 25 (2-3).

2 Hall, E. R. 1981. Mammals of North America. Second ed. John Wiley & Sons. New York. 1:84

3 Koopman, Karl F. 1993. Chiroptera. in Wilson, D. E., and D. M. Reeder, eds, Mammalian species of the world, 2nd ed, Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C., pp. 137-241.

4 McCarthy, T. J., M. Blake. 1987. Noteworthy bat records from the Maya Mountains Forest Reserve, Belize. Mammalia v. 51, No. 1, pp.161-164

5 Iremonger, S., R. Sayre. (Eds.). 1994. Rapid Ecological Assessment, Bladen Nature Reserve, Belize. Belize Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy. 77 pp.

6 Weyer, D. 1994. Proposal to Establish the Mussel Creek Drainage as a Wildlife Sanctuary. p.18

7 Cartwright, Anne McKnight Furnish. 1977. Patterns of Neotropical Chiroptera Reproduction Including Histological and Ecological Aspects of Bats Collected In Belize. Dissertation for Doctor of Education. Ball State University. Muncie, Indiana.

8 University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. 1995. Unpublished listing of catalog with holdings of mammal specimens from Belize.

9 University of Kansas Natural History Museum. 1995. Belize Mammal holdings. Unpublished listing of catalog.

10 ROM. 1995. Collections data from mammal department, Royal Ontario Museum.

11 Arroyo-Cabrales, Jones, J. Knox. 1988. Balantiopteryx io and Balantiopteryx infusca. Mammalian Species No. 313, pp. 1-3. American Society of Mammalogists.

12 Emmons, Louise H. 1990. Neotropical rainforest Mammals. University of Chicago Press. pp 48-49.

13 AMNH. 1996. Bat holdings provided by Nancy Simmons, unpublished listing of catalog.

14 Koopman, Karl F. 1994. Chiroptera: Systematics in Handbook of Zoology. W de Gruyter. Berlin. p.47.

15 Miller, B.W. 2001. Community Ecology of the Non-phyllostomid bats of Northwestern Belize, with a landscape level assessment of the bats of Belize. PhD. Dissertation. University of Kent, Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology.

16 FMNH. 1997. Mammal holdings in the Field Museum of Natural History, unpublished listing.

17 O'Farrell, M.J. and B.W. Miller. Use of Vocal Signatures for the Inventory of Free-flying Neotropical Bats. Biotropica 31(3):507-516.

18 USNM. 1995. Collections data from mammal department, United States National Museum. Imported on date: 06/13/00

19 MSU. 2000. Collections data from mammal museum, Michigan State University. Imported records 9/15/2000.

20 Miller, B.W. 2001. Preliminary survey of the bats of Las Cuevas BM Field Station, and Ek Tun lodge property on Macal River. June 16-20, 2001. WCS Tropical Forest and Reserve Planning Project Technical Report.

21 CM. 1997. Carnegie Museum, Division of mammals. Data imported on date: 06/13/00.

22 Hutson, A. M., S.P. Mickleburgh and P.A. Racey. 2001. Microchiropteran bats: global status survey and conservation action plan. IUCN/SSC Chiroptera Specialist Group. IUCN, Galnd, Switzerland and Cambridge, U.K. 258 pp.