Jamaican fig-eating bat | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Chiroptera |
Family: | Phyllostomidae |
Genus: | Ariteus Gray, 1838 |
Species: | A. flavescens |
Binomial name | |
Ariteus flavescens Gray, 1831 | |
The Jamaican fig-eating bat (Ariteus flavescens) is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae. It is the only living species in the genus Ariteus. [2] The scientific name translates as "yellowish and warlike". There are no recognised subspecies. [2]
Jamaican fig-eating bats are relatively small, with a total length of 5 to 7 centimetres (2.0 to 2.8 in) as adults. Females are noticeably larger than males, weighing an average of 13 grams (0.46 oz), compared with 11 grams (0.39 oz) for males. They have short, broad, wings, and no discernible tail. They have a large and prominent nose-leaf, with a unique twisting shape that allows them to be distinguished from all other species of bat. The fur is reddish brown over most of the body, fading to a paler shade on the underside. The only markings are white patches on each shoulder. Apart from the shape of the nose-leaf, and a smaller overall size, they are said to closely resemble the tree bats of the Antilles. [2]
The bats are endemic to the island of Jamaica where they inhabit primary and secondary forest throughout the island, as well as banana and coconut plantations and agricultural land. They have also been identified in disturbed habitats, indicating a degree of adaptability to different environments, and justifying their current status as a species of Least Concern. [1] [3] The fossil record of the species extends back to the late Pleistocene. [4]
Jamaican fig-eating bats are not thought to inhabit caves. [2] They are nocturnal and omnivorous, feeding on both fruits and insects. Favoured fruits include the native naseberries and introduced rose apples. [3]
The dentition is the number and type of teeth that an animal possesses. The mammalian jaw is composed of a lower jaw known as the mandible (dentary bone) that houses the lower molars, and an upper jaw commonly referred to as the maxilla that contains the upper molars. The dentition of the Jamaican fig-eating bat is specialized for its frugivorous diet. The first and second upper molars of the maxilla have a broad surface that is used for shearing fruit. In order to maximize contact with fruit, the occlusal surface of the upper first molar is augmented and widened, which amplifies the bat's shearing propensity. The crests of the centrocrista (on the upper molar) and the cristid obliqua (on the lower molar) join to form an expanded shearing surface, which maximizes the shear forces of the bats dentition. The bat mainly feeds on naseberry, a native fruit of Jamaica that has a fleshy, firm texture. [5]
The diets of bats are remarkably diverse, ranging from species specializing on fruit, blood, insects, nectar and invertebrates. Within the context of phylogenetic history, the diets of bats determine the structure of the dentary. When comparing the cross sectional shape of the dentary of frugivorous bats to nectarivorous bats, the data illustrates that the dentary of frugivores has an increased resistance to bending and torsion. These results confirm the predictions made by researches based on data collected on the diets of bats and inferred phylogenetic history. Frugivorous bats possess a feeding strategy that requires a strong dentary due to their extended periods of chewing and frequent unilateral biting during feeding, which imposes increased torsional stresses on the dentary. Conversely, nectarivores rely on their tongue during feeding, resulting in less stress on the dentary. Research has revealed that there is no significant difference in the bite forces of insectivorous bats compared to frugivorous bats. However, observations have noted that insectivore bats have different feeding behaviors than frugivores, particularly that they do not engage in prolonged periods of unilateral feeding. Pertaining to dental characteristics, Ariteus flavescens has a metaconid on m1 and lacks a M3. [6]
The Jamaican fig-eating bat likely arrived on the island of Jamaica through a dispersal event that occurred towards the late Miocene epoch. The most supported hypothesis is that its ancestors radiated towards the Caribbean islands from Central America and northern South America. In addition, the stenodermatinae have been shown to be the only strictly frugivorous bat radiation to the Caribbean islands. The dispersal scenario means that extant Jamaican fig-eating bats aren't the descendants of a single common individual ancestor bat, but instead are the relatives of many predecessor bats that took part in multiple divergence events. Due to a substantial decline in sea level during the late Miocene epoch, the island of Jamaica reemerged. This drop in sea level brought formerly distant landmasses closer to one another, which fostered and facilitated the dispersal events that led to the ancestral bats reaching Jamaica during the early Pliocene epoch. Furthermore, extant bats in Jamaica are particularly susceptible to dehydration and starvation, making a dispersal event highly unlikely without the aforementioned geological aid. The ancestor of all extant stenodermatinae – Ariteus flavescens belongs to this subfamily – originated in South America before radiating to the Caribbean islands. By the early Pliocene, bat communities in the Caribbean islands, including Jamaica, were well established. It is imperative to note that many different families of bats were, also, being exchanged between the Caribbean islands and the mainland, with groups leaving both places. [7] A metacommunity is a collaboration between different ecological communities, which are distinct from one another by their site locations and by having their own species compositions. Oftentimes, but not necessarily, communities that comprise a metacommunity are linked to one another by dispersal. Research has revealed that metacommunity structure in Caribbean bats is not greatly impacted by endemic bat species, like the Jamaican fig-eating bat. Instead, Caribbean bat metacommunities, as well as bat species ranges, are affected by primary sources of colonization, particularly their number and geographical arrangement. [8]
Ariteus flavescens belongs to the subfamily stenodermatinae, which includes seven other extant species. These bats all have reduced or shortened rostra, and are sometimes referred to as "short-faced bats". This same group of bats are also sometimes called "white-shouldered bats", since they have a characteristic small white patch on both shoulders. This species of bat has a low wing aspect ratio (short, broad wings) that is useful for navigating through forest landscapes. It is a medium-sized bat. The bat lacks a noticeable tail, dorsal lines, and a facial striping. The pelage of the bat is reddish brown near its back and fades to a paler color near its front. Sexual dimorphism is also seen in this subfamily, where females are significantly larger than males. Females exclusively possess extranumerary molars, which are absent in males. Ariteus flavescens has a unique twist in its eminent nose leaf, a distinctive marker that distinguishes it from other phyllostomids. [9]
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 Jamaican, common, or Mexican fruit bat is a frugivorous bat species native to the Neotropics.
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 dayak fruit bat or dyak fruit bat is a relatively rare frugivorous megabat species found only on the Sunda Shelf of southeast Asia, specifically the Malay Peninsula south of the Isthmus of Kra, and the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. There are three species in the genus Dyacopterus: D. spadiceus, D. brooksi and D. rickarti. All are found in the forests of Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines. Few specimens of any of the three species exist, due not only to their rarity, but also because they rarely enter the sub-canopy of the forest where they can be caught in scientists' nets.
The Brazilian big-eyed bat is a species of phyllostomid bat from South America. The scientific name honours Italian naturalist Giacomo Doria.
The Ipanema bat is a bat species of order Chiroptera and family Phyllostomidae. It is found in northern Argentina, Bolivia, southeastern Brazil and Paraguay. It is the only species within its genus.
The great stripe-faced bat or stripe-faced vampire bat is a bat species found from southern Mexico to Bolivia and northwestern Brazil, as well as on Trinidad. The great stripe-faced bat is a frugivore. It is one of two species within the genus Vampyrodes the other being Vampyrodes major.
The eastern or Queensland tube-nosed bat is a megabat in the family Pteropodidae that lives in north-eastern Australia. N. robinsoni is one of the few species of megabat that roosts solitarily. They get their common name from their raised tubular nostrils which are unlike those of most other species in the family. They are a deep brown with gray heads and sparse yellow spotting.
The Neotropical fruit bats (Artibeus) are a genus of bats within the subfamily Stenodermatinae. The genus consists of 12 species, which are native to Central and South America, as well as the Caribbean.
The fraternal fruit-eating bat is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae that is found in drier habitats in Ecuador and Peru. It was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the Jamaican fruit bat, but was raised to species level in 1978. The smallest species in the group of large Artibeus, it has a forearm length of 52–59 mm (2.0–2.3 in), a total length of 64–76 mm (2.5–3.0 in), and a weight of 30–55 g (1.1–1.9 oz).
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 harpy fruit bat is a species of megabat in the family Pteropodidae. It is endemic to the Philippines.
The Cuban fig-eating bat, or white-shouldered bat, 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.
Stenodermatinae is a large subfamily of bats in the family Phyllostomidae.
Thomas's fruit-eating bat, sometimes also popularly called Watson's fruit-eating bat, is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae. It is found from southern Mexico, through Central America to Colombia. Its South American range is to the west of the Andes. The species name is in honor of H. J. Watson, a plantation owner in western Panama who used to send specimens to the British Natural History Museum, where Oldfield Thomas would often describe them.
Solimoea acrensis is a prehistoric ateline monkey from the Late Miocene Solimões Formation of Brazil. It is the only known species of the genus Solimoea.
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