Belize Biodiversity Information System

Taxonomy

Species ID	050880
Name	Southern Yellow Bat
Other Common Names
Category	05 Mammals
Phylum
Subphylum
Class	Mammalia
Subclass	Theria
Suborder	Microchiroptera
Family	Vespertilionidae
Genus	Lasiurus
Species	ega
Subspecies
References	1, 2, 3, 9

Comments

8* L. e. xanthinus (THOMAS, 1897:544) 3* inc. xanthina but see Baker et al. (1988a). 9* Five subspecies. L.e. xanthinus (southwestern United states to Costa Rica), L.e.panamensis (Costa Rica and panama), L.e. fuscatus (northern South America west of the Andes), L.e. ega (northern South America east of the Andes, including Trinidad), L.e. caudatus (eastern Brazil to northern Argenitna). It is possible that more than one species is represented in this complex.

Status

Status Code	Status Translation	References
273	Fairly common, likely to be detected in suitable habitat	13
272	Uncommon: occur at low density in proper habitat.	4

Comments on Status

4* widespread

Distribution

DISTRICT	References
Toledo	13
Orange Walk	7
Belize	13
Cayo	13
Corozal	2
Orange Walk	2
Stann Creek	13
Toledo	17

Administrative Unit	Occurrence	Abundance	Temporal	References
Chiquibul Forest Reserve	Recorded vocalization.	Uncommon	June	15
Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary	Recorded vocalization.	Unknown, insuffient data	May	13
Gallon Jug	Recorded vocalization.	Common	December	13
Gallon Jug	Recorded vocalization.	Common	August	13
Gallon Jug	Recorded vocalization.	Common	September	13
Gallon Jug	Recorded vocalization.	Common	January	13
Gallon Jug	Recorded vocalization.	Common	May	13
Gallon Jug	Recorded vocalization.	Common	April	13
Gallon Jug	Recorded vocalization.	Common	June	13
Gallon Jug	Recorded vocalization.	Common	March	13
Gallon Jug	Recorded vocalization.	Common	July	13
Gallon Jug	Recorded vocalization.	Common	November	13
Gallon Jug	Recorded vocalization.	Common	October	13
Rio Bravo Conservation Area	Recorded vocalization.	Unknown, insuffient data	November	13
Town or Village, see comments.	Recorded vocalization.	Unknown, insuffient data	June	13
BFREE - Private Reserve	Recorded vocalization.	Fairly common	November	13
Temash-Sarstoon National Park	Recorded vocalization.	Fairly common	January	13
Town or Village, see comments.	Recorded vocalization.	Unknown, insuffient data	December	13
Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary	Recorded vocalization.	Fairly common	July	12
Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary	Recorded vocalization.	Fairly common	June	12
Temash-Sarstoon National Park	Captured or Mist netted and released	Fairly common	January	11
Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary	Collected as voucher.	Unknown, insuffient data	April	7
Government land	Recorded vocalization.	Unknown, insuffient data	January	10
Gallon Jug	Captured or Mist netted and released	Common		12
Private land, see comments				6
Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary			Permanent Resident (Year-round)	5
Columbia River Forest Reserve	Recorded vocalization.	Unknown, insuffient data	February	14

Hydrologic Unit Distribution	References
Macal River	13
Sarstoon River	13
Sibun River	13
Blue Creek	13
New River	13
Bladen Branch	13
North Stann Creek	12
Temash River	13, 11

ELEVATION Association	References
601-800 m	14
401-600 m	13,15
0-100 m	11
1-200 m	13,12,10

QUAD Distribution	References
16 30' to 16 45'; 88 45' to 89 00'	15
16 15' to 16 30'; 89 00' to 89 15'	14
17 30' to 17 45'; 88 45' to 89 00'	13
17 45' to 18 00'; 89 00' to 89 15'	13
16 30' to 16 45'; 88 15' to 88 30'	13
17 30' to 17 45'; 88 30' to 88 45'	13
17 15' to 17 30'; 88 30' to 88 45'	13
16 00' to 16 15'; 89 00' to 89 15'	13
17 00' to 17 15'; 88 45' to 89 00'	13
15 50' to 16 00'; 88 50' to 89 15'	13, 11
16 45' to 17 00'; 88 30' to 88 45'	7
16 15' to 16 30'; 88 45' to 89 00'	7
16 30' to 16 45'; 88 30' to 88 45'	13, 10
17 30' to 17 45'; 89 00' to 89 15'	13, 7
17 15' to 17 30'; 88 15' to 88 30'	16, 6
16 45' to 17 00'; 88 15' to 88 30'	13, 12, 6
16 30' to 16 45'; 88 30' to 88 45'	6
18 00' to 18 15'; 88 30' to 88 45'	13, 6
16 00' to 16 15'; 88 45' to 89 00'	17, 6

Holdridge Life Zone Distribution	References
Subtropical Lower Montane wet	14
Subtropical Lower Montane moist	15
Subtropical Lower Montane moist	13
Subtropical Lower Montane wet	13
Tropical moist-transition to Subtropical	13, 12
Tropical wet-transition to Subtropical	13,11
Subtropical moist	13
Subtropical wet	13,10

Comments on Distribution

10* Las Sierritas, Toledo District.
7* Voucher collected at Gallon Jug, vocal recordings made.
6* Tropical Park; BSI Tower Hill;

Graphics

Distribution map
Vocal signature
Vocal signature
Vocal signature with call parameters

Habitat Associations

Forest Type Associations	Seral Stage	Canopy Closure	References
Transitional Broadleaf Forest Poor in Lime-loving Species	all stages	71-100%	13
Transitional Broadleaf Forest Poor in Lime-loving Species	all stages	71-100%	14
Broadleaf hill forests over limestone in rolling or flat terrain.	all stages	71-100%	14
Seasonal swamp forests (marsh forests) of Northern Belize, variant 1.	all stages	71-100%	13
Lowland broadleaf moist evergreen seasonal forests over poor soils.	all stages	71-100%	13
Marsh and Swamp Communities	all stages	71-100%	13
Broadleaf Forest Rich in Lime-loving Species: Sapote-Silion forest.	all stages	71-100%	13
Lowland broadleaf moist evergreen seasonal forest over limestone, northwestern variant.	all stages	71-100%	13
Broadleaf Forest Rich in Lime-loving Species: Sapote-ramon-spice forest.	all stages	71-100%	13
Agriculture, no native vegetation.	all stages	71-100%	13
This serves to update Wright et al. for urban or agricultural areas devoid of native vegetation.	all stages	71-100%	13
Lowland broadleaf moist evergreen seasonal forest over limestone, northwestern variant.	all stages	71-100%	13
Broadleaf Forest Rich in Lime-loving Species: Sapote-ramon-spice forest.	all stages	71-100%	13
Seasonally waterlogged fire-induced shrubland of the plains.	all stages	71-100%	13
Transitional Low Broadleaf Forest and Shrubland	all stages	71-100%	13
Marsh and Swamp Communities	all stages	71-100%	13
Inland well-drained shrubland over poor soils.	all stages	71-100%	13
Broadleaf Forest with Few Lime-loving Species	all stages	71-100%	13
Montane scrub forest over volcanics.	all stages	71-100%	13
Cohune Palm Forest	all stages	71-100%	13
Lowland broadleaf moist evergreen seasonal forests over poor soils.	all stages	71-100%	13
Broadleaf Forest w/Occasional Lime-loving Species; Cohune-Banak forest.	all stages	71-100%	13
Broadleaf hill forests over limestone in steep terrain.	all stages	71-100%	13
Broadleaf Forest Rich in Lime-loving Species	all stages	71-100%	13
Lowland broadleaf rain forests over moderately lime-rich alluvium.	all stages	71-100%	13
Transitional Broadleaf Forest Poor in Lime-loving Species	all stages	71-100%	13
Freshwater swamp forest (permanently waterlogged), typical variant.	all stages	71-100%	13
Broadleaf Forest Rich in Lime-loving Species	all stages	71-100%	13
Needle-leaf hill forests over poor soils (Mountain Pine Ridge).	all stages	71-100%	13
Pine Forest and Orchard Savanna	all stages	71-100%	13
URBAN, human settlement.	all stages	71-100%	13
This serves to update Wright et al. for urban or agricultural areas devoid of native vegetation.	all stages	71-100%	13
Transitional Broadleaf Forest Poor in Lime-loving Species	all stages	Canopy unknown	12
Broadleaf Forest Rich in Lime-loving Species	Old Growth	71-100%	11
Freshwater swamp forest (permanently waterlogged), typical variant.	Old Growth	71-100%	11
Seasonal swamp forests of Southern and Central Belize, typical variant.	Canopy unknown	Canopy unknown	17
Marsh and Swamp Communities	all stages	71-100%	12, 17
Lowland broadleaf moist evergreen seasonal forests over poor soils.	all stages	71-100%	12
Broadleaf Forest with Few Lime-loving Species	Canopy unknown	Canopy unknown	7
Lowland needle-leaf moist open forests over poor soils.	Canopy unknown	Canopy unknown	16
Pine Forest and Orchard Savanna	Canopy unknown	Canopy unknown	16
Broadleaf Forest with Few Lime-loving Species	all stages	71-100%	13
Agriculture, no native vegetation.	all stages	71-100%	13
Broadleaf Forest Rich in Lime-loving Species; Sapote-Mahogany	all stages	71-100%	13

Food Habits

Trophic

INSECTIVORE

References on Trophic Level

8

Lifestage	Food Item Consumed	Part of Food Item
Adult	Coleoptera	Adult stage

Comments on General Food Habits

8* No quantitative and little qualitative information is available on prey preferences. In Yucatan, Mexico, this bat apparently eats beetles (Coleoptera) more frequently than other potential prey (Gaumer, 1917).

Life History

Life History Narrative

8* Lasiurus ega occurs in a variety of habitats, in both mesic and xeric environments. This species has been caught while flying over a concrete water tank in an area of scrub vegetation among low rocky hills (Baker, 1956); over a pond amid low mountains in a narrow canyon dotted with Yucca, Agave, Larrea, Acacia, and Opuntia (Greer, 1960); along an intermittent stream lined with Populus fremontii, Platanus wrightii, and Celtis reticulata (Mumford and Zimmerman, 1963); at ponds near large stands of caranday palms (Myers, 1977); in open grassy savanna adjacent to a small river and secondary tropical forest (Williams and Genoways, 1980); and over a stream beneath wild fig trees (Watkins et al., 1972). In Venezuela, this bat lives in tropical dry forest, subtropical moist forest, and tropical moist forest (Handley, 1976). L. ega occurs in elfin forest in Costa Rica (Dinerstein, 1985), and it is found in the Caatingas and edaphic Cerrado habitats of Brazil (Willig, 1983). Lasiurus ega has a large geographic range and lives in a variety of habitats; consequently, it is associated with a large number of bat species. L. ega occurs with the molossids Eumops underwoodi, Molossus ater, M. molossus, and Tadarida brasiliensis, (Dolan and Carter, 1979; Genoways and Jones, 1968; Irwin and Baker, 1967; Jones et al., 1965; Schmidly et al., 1974). Lasiurus ega most often roosts in trees, generally hanging from the midrib of a leaf by the hindclaws and occasionally by the thumbs as well (Gonzalez, 1989). This species commonly roosts among dead fronds of palm trees, and introduction of ornamental palms to the southwestern United States may have aided this bat in extending its range northward during historical times (Spencer et al., 1988).

Life History References

8

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. 1:221

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  Emmons, L. H. 1990.  Neotropical Rainforest Mammals, a field guide.
   University of Chicago Press.  Chicago and London.
   p.87

5  Rabinowitz, A.; B. G. Nottingham, Jr. 1989. Mammal species richness and
   relative abundance of small mammals in a subtropical wet forest of
   Central America.  Mammalia V. 53, No. 2, pp.217-226

6  McCarthy, T. J. 1987. Distributional records of bats from the Caribbean
   lowlands of Belize and adjacent Guatemala and Mexico. In: Studies in
   Neotropical Mammalogy: Essays in Honor of Philip Hershkovitz (B.D.
   Patterson and R.M. Timm, eds.). Fieldiana:n.s. No. 39:137-162.

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

8  Kurta, Allen; G. C. Lehr. 1995.  Lasiurus ega.  Mammalian Species
   No. 515, pp. 1-7. American Society of Mammalogists.

9  Koopman, Karl F. 1994. Chiroptera: Systematics (in) Handbook of Zoology.
   W. de Gruyter. Berlin-NY. p.46.

10 Miller, B.W. and C.M. Miller. 1998. Las Sierritas, Toledo District,
   Belize. Rapid Environmental Appraisal Report for Mott MacDonald, Ltd.
   6-10 January 1998.

11 Miller, B.W. 1999. Prliminary reconaisance of the bats of the Sarstoon
   and Temash rivers.  Wildlife Conservation Society, Tropical Forest and
   Reserve Planning Project, Belize. Unpublished technical report.

12 Miller, B.W. and C.M. Miller. 1999. Results of a survey of bats of the
   Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary. Wildlife Conservation Society,
   Tropical Forest and Reserve Planning Project, Belize. Technical Report
   for Belize Audubon Society. 16 pp.

13 Miller, B. W. 2000. Community ecology of the non-phyllostomid bats of
   NW Belize, with notes on country wide distributions and ecology. PhD.
   dissertaion.  Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, University
   of Kent, Cantebury, U.K.

14 Miller, B.W. 2001. Columbia River Forest Reserve Expedition 17-23 Feb.
   1997, Bat Survey. in volume to be published by Columbia University
   Press.

15 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 Tropcial Forest and
   Reserve Planning Project Technical Report.

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

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