Promops centralis

Promops centralis

Head body measurement is from 56 to 95 mm, and the weight is between 18 and 32 g. Promops centralis is the largest species of Promops. Dorsal pelage is reddish brown to dark brown or blackish, with whitish bases to hair. Palate of Promops is highly domed compared with relatively flat palate of its sister-genus Molossus.

They are found in wet and dry forest, savanna, pastures and urban areas. They can live near rivers and near artificial water reservoirs and roost under tree bark, in tree hollows, and under palm leaves and roof tiles.

They forrage in open areas and are fast fliers and their search phase calls have two alternate pulses. The end frequency (EF) of lower pulse is about 28 kHz and the end frequency of higher pulse (which commonly is missing in the spectograms) is about 30 kHz. They can be confounded with Molossops, but the end frequency (EF) of lower pulse is lower than 40 kHz.

Patchily distributed from Mexico through Central America to South America in Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, Guiana Francesa, Equador, north of Brasil, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay and north of Argentina, also in Trinidad I.

Figure 1. Promops centralis echolocation. A) Oscillogram of the acoustic pulses; B) Spectogram of an echoloction call; C) Force spectogram.