| Cuban greater funnel-eared bat | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Family: | Natalidae |
| Genus: | Natalus |
| Species: | N. primus |
| Binomial name | |
| Natalus primus (Anthony, 1919) | |
 | |
The Cuban greater funnel-eared bat (Natalus primus) is a species of funnel-eared bat. It is endemic to a cave in westernmost Cuba. [1] [2]
The bats within the genus Natalus have had a complex taxonomic history due to its morphological conservatism. [3] The taxonomy of Natalidae has been recently updated by the discovery and rediscovery of live species and fossils, and on the basis of new morphological and molecular evidence. [4]
The Cuban greater funnel-eared bat has funnel-like ears and a tail as long as the head and body combined. [5] The legs are shorter than the forearm, dorsal hair length is 8–9 millimetres (0.31–0.35 in), ventral hair length is 7–8 millimetres (0.28–0.31 in) long. Each hair is divided into three different color bands going from dark on the base, light in the middle, and the tip a little darker than the middle. [6] They have black, stiff hairs above the upper lip, much like a moustache, and white hairs below the lower lip. They have tan and reddish-brown fur with a paler belly.[ citation needed ]
They have a diet consisting largely of moths, crickets, and beetles. [1] In 1992, the first living population was discovered in a cave in Cueva La Barca. [5] Caribbean hurricanes early in the evolutionary history of Natalids may account for specialized cave roosting. [7]
When Harold E. Anthony described this species in 1919, he thought it was an extinct form [8] [9] because it was only known from fossil localities on Cuba, on Isla de la Juventud, Grand Cayman and various islands in the Bahamas. In 1992, a living population has been rediscovered. [5] Natalus primus is considered vulnerable and only inhabits one cave in Cueva La Barca on Isla de la Juventud island and province. [10] The population is abundant in that single cave, but this species is likely to go extinct due to its limited dispersal range, [5] human disturbance and loss of habitat. [11] It is estimated that there are only a few thousand individuals. [1]
This species is known to have become extirpated throughout most of Cuba suggesting a population decline that may have continued until the present. [12] The survival of Cuban bats is threatened by forest destruction and cave modification. [13]
Habitat loss through erosion is a major concern. The ongoing collapse of the cave roof is likely to upset the thermal balance in this hot cave and result in Natalus primus extinction. [5] Cave-dwelling Cuban bat species conservation should be a cooperative effort promoting research and habitat management. [13]
Vespertilionidae is a family of microbats, of the order Chiroptera, flying, insect-eating mammals variously described as the common, vesper, or simple nosed bats. The vespertilionid family is the most diverse and widely distributed of bat families, specialised in many forms to occupy a range of habitats and ecological circumstances, and it is frequently observed or the subject of research. The facial features of the species are often simple, as they mainly rely on vocally emitted echolocation. The tails of the species are enclosed by the lower flight membranes between the legs. Over 300 species are distributed all over the world, on every continent except Antarctica. It owes its name to the genus Vespertilio, which takes its name from a word for bat, vespertilio, derived from the Latin term vesper meaning 'evening'; they are termed "evening bats" and were once referred to as "evening birds".
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 family Natalidae, or funnel-eared bats, are found from Mexico to Brazil and the Caribbean islands. The family has three genera, Chilonatalus, Natalus and Nyctiellus. They are slender bats with unusually long tails and, as their name suggests, funnel-shaped ears. They are small, at only 3.5 to 5.5 cm in length, with brown, grey, or reddish fur. Like many other bats, they are insectivorous, and roost in caves.
The Mexican funnel-eared bat is a bat species. Despite its name, it is native to the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean.
The little goblin bat is a species of bat in the family Molossidae, the free-tailed bats. It is endemic to Cuba.
The Mexican big-eared bat is a species of vesper bat endemic to Mexico. They are nocturnal and insectivorous. Their very large ears are located across their foreheads, and when captured, the bats are observed to curl their ears in a protective manner. The adults are usually brown colored, while the juveniles are usually a smokey brown color. They have small noses.
The Cuban funnel-eared bat is a species of bat in the family Natalidae. It is one of two species within the genus Chilonatalus and is found only in the Caribbean.
The genus Chilonatalus of funnel-eared bats is found in South America and the Antilles. It has three species. New mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences that were analyzed with published morphological data to see the relationship of extinct natalids. It was found that this fossil taxon's phylogeny that was based on morphological data can be assumed that the Chilonatalus micropus is and one other species is a widespread species
The buffy flower bat is a species of bat in the leaf-nosed bat family, Phyllostomidae. It is found in the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, Cuba, and Jamaica.
The Bahaman funnel-eared bat is a species of bat in the family Natalidae.
The genus Natalus of funnel-eared bats is found from Mexico to Brazil and the Caribbean islands. They are slender bats with unusually long tails and, as their name suggests, funnel-shaped ears. They are small, at only 3.5 to 5.5 cm in length, with brown, grey, yellow, or reddish fur. Their tail is completely enclosed in the interfemoral membrane. Adult males have a natalid organ, a large glad-like organ, on the muzzle or face. Their skulls are delicate and extended. They have swollen, rounded braincase and narrow, somewhat tubular rostrum. They have nineteen teeth on both sides, with two upper and three lower being incisors, one upper and lower canine, three upper and lower premolars, and three upper and lower molars. Like many other bats, they are insectivorous, and roost in caves. The genus is similar to the Furipteridae and Thyropteridae genera. All three genera have mostly the same geographic ranges.
Gervais's funnel-eared bat is a species of bat in the family Natalidae. It is the only species within the genus Nyctiellus. It is found in Bahamas and Cuba.
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 Brazilian funnel-eared bat is a bat species found in eastern Brazil and in Paraguay. It roosts in caves, which makes it vulnerable to disturbance of these scarce sites, and in particular, to extermination campaigns against cave-roosting bats carried out in Brazil to combat rabies.
The Hispaniolan greater funnel-eared bat is a funnel-eared bat species endemic to the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean. First described in 1902, it has a complex taxonomic history, with some authors identifying multiple subspecies, now recognised as the separate species Natalus primus and Natalus jamaicensis, and others considering Natalus major to be itself a subspecies of Natalus stramineus. It lives primarily in caves and feeds on insects.
The Jamaican greater funnel-eared bat is a species of funnel-eared bat found in Jamaica. It was first described as the subspecies Natalus major jamaicensis, later as a subspecies of Natalus stramineus, and more recently as its own species. It is of a similar appearance to many species of the genus Natalus. It lives solely in St. Clair Cave in Jamaica and feeds on insects.
The Mexican greater funnel-eared bat is a species of bat found in Central America. While initially and currently described as a species, from 1959 to 2006 it was considered a subspecies of the Mexican funnel-eared bat, Natalus stramineus.
Chilonatalus macer is a species of bat endemic to Cuba.
