Cuban fig-eating bat | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Chiroptera |
Family: | Phyllostomidae |
Genus: | Phyllops |
Species: | P. falcatus |
Binomial name | |
Phyllops falcatus (Gray, 1839) | |
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The Cuban fig-eating bat, or white-shouldered bat, (Phyllops falcatus) is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae, found only in the Caribbean. It is the sole extant species in the genus Phyllops, although two other species, P. vetus and P. silvai , are known from fossils.
The Cuban fig-eating bat is a moderately sized bat with dense, silky, greyish-brown fur that fades to a paler colour on the underparts. Four small patches of pure white fur are on the back, one on each shoulder, and one behind each of the ears. Adults range from 5.5 to 6.5 cm (2.2 to 2.6 in) in head-body length with a 32-to-37 cm (13-to-15 in) wingspan, and weigh between 16 and 23 g (0.56 and 0.81 oz); females are larger than males. They have a highly domed head, a short snout, rounded ears with a thick tragus, and a broad, flaring, spear-shaped nose leaf with a pointed tip. [2]
The wings are relatively large, and bear unusually long thumbs. Most of the wing membrane is blackish in colour, but the portion between the first and second digits is transparent, and cannot be folded closed, as it can in most other bats. The wings have an average aspect ratio of 6.6 and average wing loading of 10.9, suggesting that their flight is slow, but highly manoeuvrable. They have no visible tails, and only a short calcar supporting a narrow uropatagium. [2]
Cuban fig-eating bats are found across Cuba and neighbouring smaller islands, on Hispaniola (in Haiti and the Dominican Republic), and the Cayman Islands. A vagrant has been reported from the Florida Keys. [1] They inhabit forested and parkland habitats from sea level to 680 m (2,230 ft), including both evergreen and deciduous woodlands. [2]
The two recognised subspecies have sometimes been considered as separate species:
Cuban fig-eating bats are nocturnal, and, despite the name, little is known of their diet, beyond a reported discovery of Cecropia seeds in their faecal pellets. They spend the day sheltering in dense foliage in groups of three to five individuals. They are known to be a major prey item for local barn owls. [2] They have no identified breeding season, and probably come into oestrus several times a year. [3] Most reports indicate that females are more common than males within defined localities, which may suggest a polygynous mating system. [2]
The echolocation calls of Cuban fig-eating bats have an unusually broad bandwidth, with the first harmonic sweeping down from 73 to 23 kHz. The calls are 4-5 milliseconds long, and with an average interval of 110 milliseconds between pulses. [4]
The New World leaf-nosed bats (Phyllostomidae) are bats found from southern North America to South America, specifically from the Southwest United States to northern Argentina. They are ecologically the most varied and diverse family within the order Chiroptera. Most species are insectivorous, but the phyllostomid bats include within their number true predatory species and frugivores. For example, the spectral bat, the largest bat in the Americas, eats vertebrate prey, including small, dove-sized birds. Members of this family have evolved to use food groups such as fruit, nectar, pollen, insects, frogs, other bats, and small vertebrates, and in the case of the vampire bats, even blood.
The Honduran white bat, also called the Caribbean white tent-making bat, is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomatidae. It is the only member of the genus Ectophylla. The genus and the species were both scientifically described for the first time in 1892. It has distinctive, entirely white fur, which is only found in six of the roughly 1,300 known species of bat. It constructs "tents" out of understory plant leaves by strategically cutting the leaf ribs with its teeth; it roosts in these tents during the day. It is a specialist frugivore, consuming almost exclusively the fruits of one species of fig. Females can likely become pregnant twice per year, giving birth to one offspring at a time.
The Alpine long-eared bat or mountain long-eared bat is a species of long-eared bat. It was originally described from Switzerland and Austria as a species intermediate between the brown long-eared bat and the grey long-eared bat in 1965. It was later described in 2002, from France and Austria, respectively. Despite its name, this species is not restricted to the Alps, being found in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and elsewhere. It differs from other European long-eared bats, such as the brown long-eared bat, by its white underparts.
The silver fruit-eating bat is a South American bat species of the family Phyllostomidae.
The little big-eared bat is a bat species in the order Chiroptera and family Phyllostomidae. It is from South and Central America particularly Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, French Guiana, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina, Paraguay, Suriname and Trinidad. Though its exact population is unknown, it is considered widespread and occurs in protected areas, although deforestation may be a minor threat, it is classified as Least Concern. It is found in multistratal evergreen forests and dry thorn forests and forages near streams and is found hollow trees, logs, caverns, or houses with groups up to twelve. The head and body length measures at 44 millimetres (1.7 in) for males and 45 millimetres (1.8 in) for females. Males usually weigh about 5 grams (0.18 oz) while females weigh 5.7 grams (0.20 oz).
The little goblin bat is a species of bat in the family Molossidae, the free-tailed bats. It is endemic to Cuba.
The Honduran fruit-eating bat is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae. It is found in El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua.
The Cuban flower bat, also called Poey's flower bat, is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae. It is found on the Caribbean islands of Cuba and Hispaniola.
The Seychelles sheath-tailed bat is a sac-winged bat found in the central granitic islands of the Seychelles. They are nocturnal insectivores that roost communally in caves. The species was previously abundant across much of the archipelago, but has since seen a substantial loss of habitat. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed the species as being critically endangered, due to population decline. This is mainly due to an increase in land development and the introduction of invasive species.
Vespertilio is a genus of bats in the family Vespertilionidae. The common name for this family is vesper bats, which is a better-known classification than Vespertilio. They are also known as frosted bats.
The Yinpterochiroptera is a suborder of the Chiroptera, which includes taxa formerly known as megabats and five of the microbat families: Rhinopomatidae, Rhinolophidae, Hipposideridae, Craseonycteridae, and Megadermatidae. This suborder is primarily based on molecular genetics data. This proposal challenged the traditional view that megabats and microbats form monophyletic groups of bats. Further studies are being conducted, using both molecular and morphological cladistic methodology, to assess its merit.
Yangochiroptera, or Vespertilioniformes, is a suborder of Chiroptera that includes most of the microbat families, except the Rhinopomatidae, Rhinolophidae, Hipposideridae, and Megadermatidae. These other families, plus the megabats, are seen as part of another suborder, the Yinpterochiroptera. All bats in Yangochiroptera use laryngeal echolocation(LE), which involves the use of high-frequency sounds to detect prey and avoid obstacles.
Harrison's tube-nosed bat is a species of vesper bats (Vespertilionidae). Within the genus Murina, it belongs to the so-called 'cyclotis-group'.
Rosenberg's fruit-eating bat is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae. It is found in humid tropical forests in the El Chocó region on the coast of western Colombia and northwestern Ecuador at altitudes below 500 m. Until recently it was included within D. glauca, a canopy frugivore that also eats insects. It was elevated to full species status in 2009. The specific name is in honor of collector W. F. H. Rosenberg. The species is regarded as common, but is likely threatened by the deforestation of its habitat.
The orbiculus leaf-nosed bat, also known as the orbiculus roundleaf bat and small disc roundleaf bat, is a species of bat from the family Hipposideridae. The species has been found on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia and on peninsular Malaysia.
The Marovaza yellow bat or Marovaza house bat is a species of bat found in Madagascar.
Paulson's yellow-shouldered bat is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae. It is endemic to the Lesser Antilles. According to the most recent IUCN analysis in 2019, it is near-threatened.
Phyllops silvai, also known as Silva's fig-eating bat, is a recently extinct species of bat from western Cuba. It is a close relative of the living Cuban fig-eating bat.