Natalus major

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

Bibliography

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	MAMMALIA	CHIROPTERA	NATALIDAE

Scientific Name:

Natalus major

Species Authority:

Miller, 1902

Common Name/s:

English

–

Hispaniolan Greater Funnel-eared Bat

Taxonomic Notes:

Formerly included in N. stramineus, see Timm and Genoways (2003). Does not include jamaicensis or primus (A. Tejedor pers. comm.). See Arroyo-Cabrales et al. (1997), who reviewed genetic variation and possible relationships of populations of N. major, N. jamaicensis, and N. stramineus (although note that they were all treated as N. stramineus).

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:	Near Threatened ver 3.1
Year Published:	2008
Assessor/s:	Miller, B., Reid, F., Arroyo-Cabrales, J., Cuarón, A.D. & de Grammont, P.C.
Reviewer/s:	Medellín, R. (Chiroptera Red List Authority) & Schipper, J. (Global Mammal Assessment Team)
Contributor/s:
Justification: Listed as Near Threatened because, although the species is still reasonably widely distributed, it is dependent upon a highly fragile habitat. Almost qualifies as threatened under criterion B.

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	This species is known from Dominican Republic, and Haiti (Simmons 2005).
Countries:	Native: Dominican Republic; Haiti
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	It is locally common in specific areas (Hoyt and Baker 1980). Dependent on caves (L. Davalos pers. comm.)
Population Trend:	Decreasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	This species is found throughout dry areas. Natalus major has been found almost exclusively in caves, the exception being one report of nine individuals (2 females and 7 males) found roosting inside a large hollow tree in semiarid lowlands in the northern Dominican Republic (Timm and Genoways 2003). Its delicate wing membrane is subject to rapid dehydration; thus, this species probably require caves with relative humidity for day time roosts. There is not reproductive information available (Hoyt and Baker 1980). It is insectivorous (Nowak 1999). It probably forages in rather cluttered vegetation and over relatively small home ranges (Tejedor et al. 2004).
Systems:	Terrestrial

Habitat and Ecology:

This species is found throughout dry areas. Natalus major has been found almost exclusively in caves, the exception being one report of nine individuals (2 females and 7 males) found roosting inside a large hollow tree in semiarid lowlands in the northern Dominican Republic (Timm and Genoways 2003). Its delicate wing membrane is subject to rapid dehydration; thus, this species probably require caves with relative humidity for day time roosts. There is not reproductive information available (Hoyt and Baker 1980). It is insectivorous (Nowak 1999). It probably forages in rather cluttered vegetation and over relatively small home ranges (Tejedor et al. 2004).

Systems:

Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	Caves modification by tourists, mining in Dominican Republic (Inchaustegui pers. comm.). Guano extraction, mining for material construction (Rodriguez-Duran and Turvey pers. comm.)

Major Threat(s):

Caves modification by tourists, mining in Dominican Republic (Inchaustegui pers. comm.). Guano extraction, mining for material construction (Rodriguez-Duran and Turvey pers. comm.)

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	Protect the caves.

Conservation Actions:

Protect the caves.

Bibliography [top]

	Arroyo-Cabrales, J., van den Bussche, R. A., Haiduk-Sigler, K., Chesser, R. K. and Baker, R. J. 1997. Genic variation in island populations of Natalus stramineus (Chiroptera: Natalidae). Occasional Papers, Museum of Texas Tech University 1771: 1-9. Hoyt, R. A. and Baker, R. J. 1980. Natalus major. Mammalian Species 130: 1-3. Nowak, R. M. 1999. Walker's Mammals of the World. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, USA and London, UK. Simmons, N. B. 2005. Order Chiroptera. In: D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder (eds), Mammal Species of the World, pp. 312-529. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD, USA. Tejedor, A., Silva-Taboada, G. and Rodríguez-Hernández, D. 2004. Discovery of extant Natalus major (Chiroptera: Natalidae) in Cuba. Mammalian Biology 69: 153-162. Timm, R. M. and Genoways, H. H. 2003. West Indian mammals from the Albert Schwartz Collection: Biological and historical information. Scientific Papers of the University of Kansas Natural History Museum 29: 1-47.

Arroyo-Cabrales, J., van den Bussche, R. A., Haiduk-Sigler, K., Chesser, R. K. and Baker, R. J. 1997. Genic variation in island populations of Natalus stramineus (Chiroptera: Natalidae). Occasional Papers, Museum of Texas Tech University 1771: 1-9.

Hoyt, R. A. and Baker, R. J. 1980. Natalus major. Mammalian Species 130: 1-3.

Nowak, R. M. 1999. Walker's Mammals of the World. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, USA and London, UK.

Simmons, N. B. 2005. Order Chiroptera. In: D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder (eds), Mammal Species of the World, pp. 312-529. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD, USA.

Tejedor, A., Silva-Taboada, G. and Rodríguez-Hernández, D. 2004. Discovery of extant Natalus major (Chiroptera: Natalidae) in Cuba. Mammalian Biology 69: 153-162.

Timm, R. M. and Genoways, H. H. 2003. West Indian mammals from the Albert Schwartz Collection: Biological and historical information. Scientific Papers of the University of Kansas Natural History Museum 29: 1-47.

Citation:	Miller, B., Reid, F., Arroyo-Cabrales, J., Cuarón, A.D. & de Grammont, P.C. 2008. Natalus major. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 22 May 2013.
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