Emballonuridae | |
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Pacific sheath-tailed bat (Emballonura semicaudata) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Chiroptera |
Superfamily: | Emballonuroidea |
Family: | Emballonuridae Gervais in de Castelnau, 1855 |
Type genus | |
Emballonura Temminck, 1838 | |
Genera | |
See Text |
Emballonuridae is a family of microbats, many of which are referred to as sac-winged or sheath-tailed bats. They are widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions around the world. The earliest fossil records are from the Eocene. [1] [2]
The emballonurids include some of the smallest of all bats, and range from 3.5 to 10 cm in body length. They are generally brown or grey, although the species of genus Diclidurus are white. The faces are said to be handsome, the heads being comparable to those of domestic dogs, and their wings are long and narrow. As with other microchiropteran families, they use ultrasonic echolocation to sense the surrounding environment and their prey; the signals of some species are unusual in being audible to humans. [3]
Possession of the postorbital processes, the reduced, noncontacting premaxillaries, and rather simple shoulder and elbow joints, which is similar to pteropodids, makes them rather a primitive group. However, they are more advanced in the reduction of the second digit phalanges and the flexion of the third digit proximal phalanges over the metacarpal dorsal side. [2]
The wing surface extends between the legs, a membrane known as a uropatagium, and the structure of these is a characteristic in many of the genera. They have tails which are partially enclosed, a short part of which projects through the uropatagium to form a sheath. The usual arrangement of the uropatagium is as to be fixed to the tail, but the sheathtail feature is joined by an elastic component which allows greater flexibility; they are able to use the hind legs for locomotion and to adjust the membrane's surface while in flight. [4] As a common name indicates, many species also possess sac-shaped glands in their wings (propatagium), which are open to the air and may release pheromones to attract mates. Other species have throat glands which produce strong-smelling secretions. [5] They have the dental formula
Dentition |
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1-2.1.2.3 |
2-3.1.2.3 |
These bats generally prefer to roost in better-illuminated areas than other species of bats. Their dwellings can often be found in hollow trees and entryways to caves or other structures. Some species, such as the genus Taphozous , live in large colonies, but others are solitary. Species living away from the tropics may enter periods of torpor or extended hibernation during colder months. [5]
Emballonurids feed mainly on insects and occasionally on fruit. Most of these bats catch their meals while flying.
The common name for some groups, 'sheath-tailed bats', is sometimes noted as sheathtails. [3]
Found in the Neotropics, Afrotropics, southern Asia, Australia and South Pacific islands. [2]
Family Emballonuridae
The northern ghost bat is a bat species from South America, Trinidad, and Central America. It is a relatively rare, completely white, insectivorous bat, with an unusual sac at the base of its tail.
The gray sac-winged bat is a species in the family Emballonuridae which comprises the 51 species of sac-winged bats. It is found in Mexico from Baja California Sur and Sonora to Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and northern Colombia, at elevations up to 1,500 metres (4,900 ft).
Thomas's sac-winged bat is a species of sac-winged bat in the family Emballonuridae. It is found in Belize, Guatemala, and Mexico.
Emballonura is a genus of sac-winged bats in the family Emballonuridae. It contains these species:
The yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bat, also known as the yellow-bellied sheathtail or yellow-bellied pouched bat, is a microbat species of the family Emballonuridae found extensively in Australia and less commonly in parts of Papua New Guinea.
Saccolaimus is a genus of the family Emballonuridae, small insectivorous bats with distinctive sheathtails and pouches at the wrist.
The Papuan sheath-tailed bat is a species of bat in the family Emballonuridae which occurs at the Cape York Peninsula and New Guinea. The poorly known species hunts in open forests for night flying insects.
The naked-rumped pouched bat, also known as the pouched tomb bat, is a species of sac-winged bat in the family Emballonuridae.
Taphozous is a genus of the family Emballonuridae. The wide distribution of the genus includes several regions of Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Africa. Taphozous comes from the Greek τάφος, meaning "a tomb". The common names for species include variants on sac-winged, sheathtail, or tomb bats.
The common sheathtail bat, is a bat in the family Emballonuridae, occurring in northern Australia.
Hildegarde's tomb bat is a species of sac-winged bat in the family Emballonuridae. It is found near the coast in Kenya and Tanzania where it feeds in tropical dry forests and roosts in caves. It is a diurnal species and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as "endangered". The specific name hildegardeae was given in honour of anthropologist Hildegarde Beatrice Hinde.
Hill's sheath-tailed bat is a bat of the family Emballonuridae. They are found in the deserts of central Australia.
The Arnhem sheath-tailed bat, species is an emballonurid bat found at the Top End of Australia. The species is also referred to as the white-striped sheathtail for the distinguishing marks at the flank, a feature observable beneath the wing when the animal is in flight. Records of the species are rare.
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.