| Jamaican fruit bat | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Family: | Phyllostomidae |
| Genus: | Artibeus |
| Species: | A. jamaicensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Artibeus jamaicensis Leach, 1821 | |
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| Artibeus jamaicensis range | |
The Jamaican, common, or Mexican fruit bat (Artibeus jamaicensis) is a frugivorous bat species native to the Neotropics.
The Jamaican fruit bat is a medium-sized bat, having a total length of 78–89 mm (3.1–3.5 in) with a 96–150 mm (3.8–5.9 in) wingspan and weighing 40 to 60 g (1.4 to 2.1 oz). It has broad but pointed and ridged ears with a serrated tragus. [2] Its prominent noseleaf has an array of sebaceous glands. [3] The lower lip is littered with warts with a relatively large one in the center. Sebaceous holocrine glands can be found in both lips. [3] On the back the fur is an ashy-shade of gray or brown with visible white hair bases and variable fur patterning on the face. [4] The wings of the fruit bat are broad and dark gray in color. [2] The underfur is paler in color. The fruit bat has no external tail. It has broad dark grey wings and a narrow hairless interfemoral membrane with a short calcar. [2] The distinctive features of the Jamaican fruit bat (which however are shared by some of its relatives) include the absence of an external tail and a minimal, U-shaped interfemoral membrane.
A transcriptome dataset is available with more than 25,000 annotated transcripts that are directly searchable by BLAST. [5] [6] A genome assembly has also been generated. [7] [8]
The Jamaican fruit bat ranges from southern Mexico through Central America southward to northwestern South America (in Colombia). It also lives throughout the Caribbean islands of the Greater and Lesser Antilles, as well as the southern Bahamas. [1] [9]
The Jamaican fruit bat can be found in elevations from sea level to 2,135 m (7,005 ft). [10] This species is found in a variety of habitats. It prefers habitats that are humid and tropical but has also adapted to cloud forests and drier tropical habitats. [10] Fruit bats roost in caves, hollow trees, dense foliage, buildings and leaf tents. [11] The fruit bat may create its own "tent" to roost in by altering broad leaves. [11] These "tents" are only temporarily used.
Populations east of the Andes in South America (south to Argentina) have traditionally been included in the Jamaican fruit bat, but are now often regarded as a separate species, the flat-faced fruit-eating bat (A. planirostris). Further research is necessary to establish its exact taxonomic status. [1] Further populations in Ecuador, Peru and southwestern Colombia west of the Andes were attributed to a new species, Artibeus aequatorialis . The Lesser Antilles populations have since been described to be Artibeus schwartzi .
The Jamaican fruit bat is a frugivore. They eat a number of kinds of fruit but focus mostly on figs; at Barro Colorado Island, Panama, figs make up more than 78% of the fruits eaten. [2] Bats will also supplement leaves of plants with high amounts of protein. [12] Overall, the fruit bat consumes a diverse amount of plants but locally only eats certain types. [2] A Jamaican fruit-eating bat plucks its food and carries it away with its mouth before eating it in its roosts. As such it can disperse seeds fairly far. [13] Fruit bats have been recorded carrying fruits weighing 3–14 g (0.11–0.49 oz) or even as much as 50 g (1.8 oz). Jamaican fruit bats rely on sight and smell to find fruit of certain colors and odors. [2] They mainly feed on Ficus figs and also on other fruits like avocados, mangoes, guava, papaya and bananas. In the dry season, depending on food availability their diet can consist of leaves of some plants containing large amounts of protein, nectar, pollen, parts of flowers and even few insects. [14] [15]
The maximum longevity for the Jamaican fruit bat is nine years in the wild. Predators of fruits bats include owls, snakes, large opossums, and coati. Bats from various sites have been found with Histoplasma capsulatum . Some individual bats may have rabies. [16] Fruit bats also are susceptible to various internal parasites: nematodes and ringworms, and external parasites: mites, ticks and chiggers. [2]
When in their roosts, the Jamaican fruit bat has a reproductive system known as "resource defensive polygyny". [17] That is, males will claim an area as a territory and females select the best territories to roost and mate in. [18] Subadult males may remain in their natal roosts while females may leave to gather with other females elsewhere. [19] In caves where there are enough roosting sites, there is some "female defensive polygyny". [20] Here, harem males actively defend females during the breeding seasons and will attack satellite males that roost in the walls and ceilings of caves. [21] However, they tolerate males who are subordinate to them in their harems. Satellite males are more common in large groups than smaller groups and dominant and subordinate males will cooperate to defend harem females. [21] In large groups, dominant males may be the fathers of the subordinates. [22]
When bats going on foraging trips, it is the dominant males that are the first to leave to the roosting sites and the last to return. [23] At dusk, males spend much time flying near the tree roosts displacing any intruders. [24] Jamaican fruit bats are most active at midnight; following that, activity begins to die down. [25]
When captured, a Jamaican fruit bat will warn conspecifics with a distress call made of a long series of pulses typically lasting 15 kHz. [26] The Jamaican fruit bat will also react to the distress calls of other species and to their own recorded calls. [26] The fruit bat is considered a whisper bat and makes 3 low-intensity FM pulses during flight and when resting. [2]
Breeding in the Jamaican fruit bat that is bimodal and polyestrous with births being dependent on fruit abundance. Females give birth twice a year with one young on average for each birth. Mating is highest at the end of the wet season and births take place in the dry months. [2] Embryonic development may delay in the second breeding season but parturition will occur in the follow breeding period. [27] The testes of the males enlarge when females enter estrous. [28] The testes tend to be slightly larger in harem males than bachelors and the canine teeth tend to be more worn in the former. [29] Copulation occurs until 2–25 days after the previous births. Pups born in a harem may sometimes be sired by satellite or subordinate males depending on the size of the group. [22] Gestation is usually 3.5–4 months but can be as long as 7 months when there's delayed embryonic development. The female gives birth while perching and the newborn emerges unaided, head first. [2] The mothers will eat the placenta. Mothers carry their pups when they are one day old but later leave them in the roosting area for the day. [2] The female's nipples become enlarged during lactation. Young are weaned by 15 days. [2] Young gain a full, permanent set of teeth at 40 days and can fly by 50 days when their forearms are fully developed. Females are sexually mature by eight months and males by 12 months. [2]
Throughout most of its range, the Jamaican fruit bat is numerous. It was found to be the most influential of the frugivorous bat community. [30] The fruit bat has greater ecological importance in wet habitats. [2] The Jamaican fruit eating bat does not seem to be threatened from a conservation standpoint. [31] It appears to be common regardless of any habitat disruption. [32] However, it may damage fruit crops in certain areas. [33]
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 spectral bat, also called the great false vampire bat, great spectral bat, American false vampire bat or Linnaeus's false vampire bat, is a large, carnivorous leaf-nosed bat found in Mexico, Central America, and South America. It is the only member of the genus Vampyrum; its closest living relative is the big-eared woolly bat. It is the largest bat species in the New World, as well as the largest carnivorous bat: its wingspan is 0.7–1.0 m (2.3–3.3 ft). It has a robust skull and teeth, with which it delivers a powerful bite to kill its prey. Birds are frequent prey items, though it may also consume rodents, insects, and other bats.
The big-eared woolly bat or (Peters's) woolly false vampire bat is a species of bat, belonging to the family Phyllostomidae.
Seba's short-tailed bat is a common and widespread bat species in the family Phyllostomidae. They are found in Central America, the northern parts of South America, and in the Antilles islands.
The Brazilian big-eyed bat is a species of phyllostomid bat from South America. The scientific name honours Italian naturalist Giacomo Doria.
Andersen's fruit-eating bat is a bat species found in South America.
The long-legged bat is a member of the Phyllostomidae family in the order Chiroptera. Both males and females of this species are generally small, with wingspans reaching 80mm with an average weight ranging between 6 and 9 grams. The facial structure of these bats includes a shortened rostrum with a prominent noseleaf. The most defining feature of these bats however, is their long posterior limbs that extend farther than most Phyllostomidae bats. At the ends of these hind legs, the long-legged bat has abnormally large feet equipped with strong claws.
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 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 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 Jamaican fig-eating bat is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae. It is the only living species in the genus Ariteus. The scientific name translates as "yellowish and warlike". There are no recognised subspecies.
The large fruit-eating bat is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae. It is found in the countries of Colombia, Guyana, and Venezuela. The large fruit-eating bat is one of only a few microbats that eats leaves.
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 Honduran fruit-eating bat is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae. It is found in El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua.
The flat-faced fruit-eating bat is a South American species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae. It is sometimes considered a subspecies of the Jamaican fruit bat, but can be distinguished by its larger size, the presence of faint stripes on the face, and of a third molar tooth on each side of the upper jaw. Genetic analysis has also shown that the two species may not be closely related.
The gray short-tailed bat, or Hahn's short-tailed bat, is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae native to Mexico and Central America.
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 little brown bat or little brown myotis is an endangered species of mouse-eared microbat found in North America. It has a small body size and glossy brown fur. It is similar in appearance to several other mouse-eared bats, including the Indiana bat, northern long-eared bat, and Arizona myotis, to which it is closely related. Despite its name, the little brown bat is not closely related to the big brown bat, which belongs to a different genus.
Artibeus schwartzi, or Schwartz's fruit-eating bat, is a species of bat found in the Lesser Antilles. It was previously considered a subspecies of the Jamaican fruit bat,. It has been hypothesized that it arose from hybridization of three Artibeus species: A. jamaicensis, A. planirostris, and an unknown third species.
