Plate 034 · in flight with a Solanum berry IdentificationFive marks on the plate
- 1Yellow epaulettes on the shoulders of males.
- 2Short nose-leaf spear-shaped.
- 3No tail and an almost absent, hairy membrane between the legs.
- 4Dark wings broad, for slow flight among plants.
- 5Grey-brown fur soft and woolly.
Easily confused with Hairy Yellow-shouldered BatSturnira erythromosSmaller and darker, from higher forest. Telling them apart needs measurements and teeth. Tschudi’s Yellow-shouldered BatSturnira oporaphilumSomewhat larger, from montane forest. Also separated by measurements and teeth. 034 / 100 · MAMMALS · PHYLLOSTOMIDAELEAST CONCERN Little Yellow-shouldered Bat
Sturnira lilium
Murciélago de charreteras amarillas · Yellow-epauletted bat
A small, tailless fruit bat that forages at night for Solanum and Piper fruit. Males have yellow patches on the shoulders. As it eats and flies it drops seeds all over the forest, helping to close gaps and edges.
- Forearm
- c. 40 mm
- Weight
- c. 15 – 20 g
- Altitude
- 400 – c. 1,500 m
- Tail
- none
- Fruit eater
- Seed disperser
- Nocturnal
- Nose-leaf
Altitude rangeLower and middle forest
Usual In the northwestern Yungas it shares the forest with Sturnira erythromos, which takes over higher up. The higher it lives, the more Solanum it eats.
FoodSoft shrub fruit
- Solanum fruitSolanum spp. · staple
- Piper spikesPiper spp.
- Other fruitfrom edges and gaps
- Nectar and pollenoccasional
A study of over 1,500 diet records in the northwest showed it uses more Solanum at higher altitude.
BehaviourA night gardener
- Nocturnal. Emerges at dusk and flies low among shrubs and forest edges.
- Spreads seeds. Seeds pass through its gut intact and land far from the parent plant.
- Eats on the wing. It plucks a fruit and carries it to a nearby perch to eat.
Where to look in Tucumán- Sierra de San Javier
- Reserva Experimental Horco Molle
- Parque Provincial La Florida
- Quebrada de Lules
- Río Los Sosa