Acoustic Identification bats of Antigua and Barbuda

Family

Molossidae

Scientific name

Molossus molossus (Pallas, 1766). However, this species name is unclear, and may be considered Molossus milleri Johnson, 1952.

See notes and Loureoro et al. 2021.

Taxonomy follows Simmons and Cirranello (2022)

Call shape

Search phase calls are QCF paired high and low pulses both decreasing in frequency.

Depending on which part of a call sequence is first displayed, pulse may appear to be paired as low to high.

Under heavy clutter conditions pulses may appear as triplets.

Feeding buzz and approach phase calls are variable and out of context of complete call sequences pulses may be mistaken for Vespertilionid calls.

 

Vocal signature parameters

These call parameters here are an average of both upper and lower parameters of the paired pulses.

Parameters   N Min Max Mean St.Dev 10% 25% 75% 90%
Dur 2931 5.0 19.8 8.2 2.6 5.5 6.3 9.3 11.4
TBC 2230 7.4 12780.0 676.5 1447.0 102.6 166.9 452.7 1303.8
Fmin 2931 34.0 41.8 37.3 1.8 34.8 36.0 38.5 39.8
Fmax 2931 34.8 43.0 40.0 2.2 36.6 38.5 42.1 42.8
BW 2931 0.4 7.8 2.8 1.6 1.2 1.6 3.7 5.2
Fmean 2931 34.5 42.4 38.7 1.8 35.6 37.6 40.1 41.1
Fk 2931 34.5 43.0 39.6 2.0 36.5 38.3 41.1 42.4
FcH1 2931 17.0 21.3 18.9 0.9 17.4 18.4 19.6 20.2
Fc 2931 34.0 42.6 37.9 1.9 34.9 36.7 39.2 40.3
FcH3 2931 51.1 63.8 56.8 2.8 52.3 55.1 58.8 60.5
Sc 2931 0.0 21.5 10.2 4.2 5.2 7.2 13.1 16.5
Pmc 2931 0.3 19.0 5.7 3.5 2.4 3.3 6.6 11.6

Below are the measured dominant harmonic parameters are separated into the higher and the lower pulses without the H1 or H3 values.

 
Lower pulses
Parameters N Min Max Mean St.Dev 10% 25% 75% 90%
Dur 1048 5.0 19.9 8.9 3.0 5.7 6.6 10.4 13.0
Fmin 1048 31.0 34.9 32.9 1.0 31.5 32.2 33.6 34.2
Fmax 1048 34.0 37.0 35.4 0.8 34.3 34.7 36.0 36.5
Fmean 1048 32.3 36.0 34.2 0.8 33.2 33.6 34.8 35.2
Fk 1048 34.0 37.0 35.2 0.8 34.2 34.5 35.8 36.3
Fc 1048 31.1 34.9 33.4 0.8 32.3 32.7 33.9 34.6
Sc 1048 0.0 43.7 11.5 4.3 7.3 8.8 13.5 16.8
Pmc 1048 0.7 16.6 6.0 2.2 3.6 4.5 7.2 9.2

 

Upper pulses
Parameters N Min Max Mean St.Dev 10% 25% 75% 90%
Dur 1604 5.0 20.0 8.1 2.6 5.4 6.1 9.1 11.4
Fmin 1604 35.0 43.4 38.0 1.7 35.9 36.7 39.0 40.4
Fmax 1604 36.6 44.9 41.0 2.0 38.5 39.4 42.6 43.8
Fmean 1604 36.1 44.4 39.6 1.6 37.5 38.3 40.7 42.0
Fk 1604 35.7 44.9 40.5 1.8 38.3 39.0 41.7 43.0
Fc 1604 36.0 44.0 38.7 1.7 36.6 37.3 39.8 41.0
Sc 1604 -80.7 59.3 11.5 7.3 4.7 7.2 14.8 20.3
Pmc 1604 0.0 22.7 6.1 4.1 2.3 3.4 7.1 12.8

Source of acoustic data

Bruce W. Miller: recorded throughout Mexico, Mesoamerica and Cuba. Cynthia Marks, George Marks, Susie Nuttall (FWC) files were recorded in the Florida Keys

Known distribution

  • Antigua
  • Barbuda
  • Redonda - possible

    • Conservation status

    Least concern

    Barquez et al, (2015) 

    Notes

    The taxonomy of the genus Molossus remains unclear and species limits may yet be redefined see (González-Ruiz et al. 2011).

    Previously included in M. molossus, but distinct; see Loureiro et al. (2018, 2019). May include tropidorhynchus; see Loureiro et al. (2019).

    Like all species in the genns, M. molossus search phase calls have the distinctive "two note" sequence that will differentiate it from Taderida.

    Taderida calls are extremely variable and can and do overlap with calls of  M. molossus.

    A note of caution: Kaleidoscope classifiers generally confuse calls of all species of  Molossus with Taderida where geographic ranges overlap.

    Note: auto ID algorithms will flag feeding buzz pulses as a Vespertilionid in error.


     

     

    Citations

    Barquez, R., Rodriguez, B., Miller, B. & Diaz, M. 2015. Molossus molossus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T13648A22106602.

     

    González-Ruiz, N., J. Ramírez-Pulido, and J. Arroyo-Cabrales. 2011. A new species of mastiff bat (Chiroptera: Molossidae: Molossus) from Mexico.

     

    Loureiro, L. O., B. K. Lim, and M. D. Engstrom. 2018. A new species of mastiff bat (Chiroptera, Molossidae, Molossus ) from Guyana and Ecuador. Mammalian Biology. 90: 10-21.

     

    Loureiro, L. O., M. Engstrom, B. Lim, C. L. González, and J. Juste. 2019. Not All Molossus are Created Equal: Genetic Variation in the Mastiff Bat Reveals Diversity Masked by Conservative Morphology. Acta Chiropterologica. 21.

     

    Loureiro, L. O., M. D. Engstrom, and B. K. Lim. 2021. Biogeography of Neotropical mastiff bats: A case of multiple dispersals between the Caribbean and mainland. Journal of Biogeography. 48: 1353-1365.

     

     

    Lindsay, K., G. Kwiecinski, J.-P. Bacle, A. Thibou, and C. Wallace. 2017. Bats of Antigua and Barbuda their importance and conservation. Federation Family Publishing House, St. George's, Antigua.

     

    Simmons, N. B., and A. L. Cirranello. 2022.. Bat Species of the World: A taxonomic and geographic database. www.batnames.org.

    Acoustic Identification bats of Antigua and Barbuda2022, all rights reserved.