Bats play an important role because they disperse seeds and many plants depend completely on bats as their only pollinators. There are approximately 109 bats species that have been recorded in Costa Rica to date; approximately half of the country’s 216 mammal species and about 12 percent of the world’s bat species. Costa Rica has the most carefully studied bat fauna of any Central American country and a few species have been studied extensively. Yet, we know relatively little of the basic biology of most bat species due to the difficulty in entailed in field studies. For this reason, specific conservation plans cannot be developed at this time for most species despite the endangered status of certain species.

Caño Palma Biological Station and surrounding area offers ample opportunity to study an astonishing diversity of bats, which vary in size, appearance, diet and roost sites. The Bulldog Bat (Noctilio leporinus) fishes with a radar system that detects ripples in the water that are produced by fish; having located its prey, the bat plunges down and grabs the fish with its claws. The Greater Sac-winged Bat (Saccopteryx bilineata) is one of the most commonly seen in the rainforest as they often roost on the outside of large trees. Long-nosed bats (Rhynconycteris naso) roosting on the underside of the dock lookout provide easy viewing. A practiced eye can discern evidence of several tent-making bat species alongside the station’s trail system. Honduran white bats (Ectophylla alba) fold Heleconia leaves into tents by biting through side veins until the leaf collapses. Neotropical fruit-eating bats of the genus Artebius modify Palm and Arum leaves by a similar method; often housing one male and a harem of several females. The common tent-making bat (Uroderma bilobatum) cuts through the midrib of banana (Musa sp.) and other plant leaves to form tents. The vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus) can be found in caves at the base of the Cerro just south of the station.

This Field Checklist provides bat enthusiasts with a summary of 30 species identified to date in the Caño Palma area. Many more are likely to be found but further study is required. This information is largely based on the work of the Dr. Loren K. Ammerman, of Texas Wesleyan University, Fort Worth, Texas and records from Station Managers. Additional records have been provided by visitors. We encourage researchers to visit Caño Palma for additional bat study and to submit records of observations with complete documentation to COTERC.

• Common Name [Scientific Name]
• Intermediate Fruit-eating Bat [Artibeus intermedius]
• Jamaican Fruit-eating Bat [Artibeus jamaicensis]
• Large Fruit-eating Bat [Artibeus phaeotis]
• Toltec Fruit-eating Bat [Artibeus toltecus]
• Allen’s Short-tailed Bat [Carollia brevicauda]
• Chestnut Short-tailed Bat [Carollia castanea]
• Seba’s Short-tailed Bat [Carollia perspicillata]
• Shaggy Bat [Centronycteris maximiliari]
• Godman’s Whiskered Bat [Choeroniscus godmani]
• Short-eared Bat [Cyttarops alecto]
• Wagner’s Sac-winged Bat [Cormura brevirostris]
• Common Vampire Bat [Desmodus rotundus]
• Hairy-legged Vampire Bat [Diphylla ecaudata]
• Honduran White (Tent) Bat [Ectophylla alba]
• Argentine Brown Bat [Eptesicus furinalis]
• Commissaris's Long-tongued Bat [Glossophaga commissarisi]
• Pallas's Long-tongued Bat [Glossophaga soricina]
• Underwood’s Long-tongued Bat [Hylonycteris underwoodi]
• Yellow-throated Big-eared Bat [Lampronycteris brachyotis]
• Orange-nectar Bat [Lonchophylla robusta]
• Brazilian Big-eared Bat [Micronycteris megalotis]
• Niceforo’s large-eared Bat [Micronycteris nicefori]
• Schmidt’s Big-eared Bat [Micronycteris schmidtorum]
• Sinoloan Mastiff Bat [Molossus sinaloae]
• Black Myotis [Myotis nigricans]
• Riparian Myotis [Myotis riparius]
• Bulldog Bat (Fishing bat) [Noctilio sp.]
• Heller’s Broad-nosed Bat [Platyrrhinus (vampyrops) helleri]
• Pale-faced Bat [Phylloderma stenops]
• Little Yellow Bat [Rhogeesa tumida]
• Long-nosed Bat [Rhynconycteris naso]
• Greater Sac-winged Bat (White-lined Bat) [Saccopteryx bilineata]
• Lesser Sac-winged Bat [Saccopteryx leptura]
• Disk-winged Bat [Thyroptera tricolor]
• Pygmy Round-eared Bat [Tonatia brasiliensis]
• D’Orbigyny’s Round-eared Bat [Tonatia silvicola]
• Fringe-lipped Bat [Trachops cirrhosus]
• Tent-making Bat [Uroderma bilobatum]
• Striped Yellow-eared Bat [Vampyressa nymphaea]

References:

• Laval, R.K. and Perez, I.J. 2002. Murcielagos de Costa Rica/ Costa Rica Bats. Heredia, Costa Rica: INBio.
• Laval, R.K and Rodriguez-Herrera, B. 2002. Conserving Costa Rica's Bats: New Program Takes 110 Bat Species Under its Wing. BATS. 20 (4).
• Kunz, T. 1994. The World of Tent-making Bats. BATS 12(1).

Most recent data updated by: Roleen Robinson