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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
Animalia	Chordata	Mammalia	Chiroptera	Mormoopidae

Scientific Name:	Mormoops blainvillei
Species Authority:	Leach, 1821
Common Name(s): English – Antillean Ghost-faced Bat
Synonym(s):	Mormoops blainvillii Leach, 1821 [orth. error]
Taxonomic Notes:	Often spelled blainvillii, but this was an incorrect original spelling; the correct spelling is blainvillei. The ICZN placed blainvilli on the Official Index of Rejected and Invalid Specific Names in Zoology, and placed blainvillei on the Official List of Specific Names in Zoology in Opinion 462. See Lancaster and Kalko (1996) and Timm and Genoways (2003).

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:	Least Concern ver 3.1
Year Published:	2008
Date Assessed:	2008-06-30
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)
Justification: Listed as Least Concern in view of its abundance within its restricted distribution, its presumed large population.
Previously published Red List assessments:	1996 – Lower Risk/near threatened (LR/nt) –

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	This species occurs in the Greater Antilles, and adjacent small islands (Simmons, 2005). Presence of fossilized specimens indicates that at one time the range of this species extended from the Bahamas as far south as Antigua and Barbuda in the Lesser Antilles (Lancaster and Kalko, 1996). Today, this bat is known only from the Greater Antilles (Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico) (Gannon et al., 2005). Locally extinct from Abaco, Exuma and New Providence (Bahamas), Gonave (Haiti), Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda (Lesser Antilles) (Turvey pers. comm.).
Countries occurrence:	Native: Cuba; Dominican Republic; Haiti; Jamaica; Puerto Rico Regionally extinct: Anguilla; Antigua and Barbuda; Bahamas
Additional data:
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	It is locally common; in hot caves it can attain high densities (Gannon et al., 2005).
Current Population Trend:	Unknown
Additional data:	♦ Population severely fragmented: No

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:

This species roosts mostly in hot caves, where each bat typically hangs by itself from ceiling. Individuals occasionally gather in small clusters in cooler sections of caves, and sometimes solitary bats are found in an apparent state of shallow torpor in places where air temperature may fall as low as 20 Celsius degrees. This bat normally begins to exit the cave after dark, between 22 and 55 min after sunset (Silva-Taboada, 1979). It is insectivorous, but foraging behavior has not been studied in detail. Moths are by far the most common food, in addition to moths, beetles are also eaten. It appears to hunt along forest edges and around the crowns of trees. It typically gives birth only once each year to a single offspring. On Cuba, pregnant females are found from March to June (Gannon et al., 2005).

Systems:

Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):

Breeding sites are rare. Threats to hot caves. In Puerto Rico is urban development (Rodriguez pers. comm.). In Jamaica is guano collection (Davalos pers. comm.). In Dominican Republic is mine exploration (Inchaustegui pers. comm.).

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:

Protect the caves. Found in protected reas. Only one protected hot cave in Jamaica (Davalos pers. comm.)