Leach's single leaf bat

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Leach's single leaf bat
MonophyllusRedmaniiFord.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiroptera
Family: Phyllostomidae
Genus: Monophyllus
Species:
M. redmani
Binomial name
Monophyllus redmani
Leach, 1821

Leach's single leaf bat (Monophyllus redmani), also known as Greater Antillean long-tongued bat, [2] is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae. It is found in the southern Bahamas and in all the Greater Antilles (Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola (both Haiti and the Dominican Republic), and Puerto Rico). It forms large colonies, with up to a few hundred thousand individuals, and feeds on a relatively wide variety of food items including pollen, nectar, fruit and insects.

Contents

Description

Leach's single leaf bat is the largest bat in the genus Monophyllus , with a total length of 73–80 mm. Its skull length ranges between 22.6 and 23.9 mm, its ear length between 13 and 14 mm, and the length of the forearms between 37.6 and 41.0 mm. Average adult weight is 8.8 g (0.31 oz). Its skull has a zygomatic arch and small incisors that are replaced throughout life. [3]

When compared to other glossophagines, M. redmani is small to medium-sized. The color of its fur is light brown or gray. The species can also be distinguished from other species in the genus by dental characteristics. The diastema between its upper premolars and the first premolar is at least half the length of the first premolar or longer, while other species have a diastema that is less than half the length of their first premolars. The second premolar is also placed right up against the first molar rather than noticeably separated from it. [3]

The bat has a nose leaf, elongated muzzle, and a papillated tongue. [4] The tongue is used to gather pollen from flowers. The bat can elongate individual papillae to create a "mop" that can lap up pollen. [5]

Fossil records have been dated back to cave deposits during the Pleistocene and Holocene. [3]

Distribution and habitat

The species is distributed throughout the Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico, aggregating in large numbers in caves for roosting. Colonies may number several hundred thousand individuals. [1] Specimens collected from Jamaica and Cuba were found in damp caves and Bahaman specimens were located in aerated caves. [3] A 1998 surveys in Puerto Rico found the bat roosting in high-temperature caves, occupying 31% of all surveyed caves. They were found to roost with other species of cave-dwelling bats, primarily the Jamaican fruit bat, the Antillean ghost-faced bat, and the sooty mustached bat, in 71% of roosting sites. The species preferred deep cavities and stalactites. Hot caves that bats occupied year round were shown to have temperatures between 26 and 40 degrees Celsius, a single cave opening, and depression cavities in the cave's ceiling. It is thought that the species prefers these cavities because they may aid in body heat conservation. [6]

Diet

The diet of Leach's single leaf bat consists of nectar, fruit and insects. 91% of the bats feed on nectar, including the flowers of guava, woman's tongue, myrtle, and wild tamarind, while 22% feed on fruit, which include Panama berry and elder. Insects also make up a portion of the bat's diet, particularly soft-bodied types such as lepidopterans and dipterans. [7] Compared to other bats in the Greater Antilles, Leach's single leaf bat has a jaw morphology that is more suited for feeding on nectar rather than fruit. [8] It obtains nitrogen mostly from pollen and insects. Still, the species' diverse diet may play role in its adaptability to random events like hurricanes, because it can recover more quickly than other bats by taking advantage of a variety of food items available at different times during an ecosystem's recovery. [7]

Resource partitioning occurs between this species and the brown flower bat, which occurs in the same type of habitat on Puerto Rico. Based on isotope analyses of the blood of both bat species, Leach's single leaf bat depends more heavily on insects and the brown flower bat more strongly on plant materials, which has been proposed as possibly competition avoidance and niche partitioning adaptation. [8] [9]

Parasite ecology

A comparison of macroparasite communities in three bat species including M. redmani found a negative relationship between the amount of ectoparasites and of endoparasites, such as helminths. Leach's single leaf bat had the highest ectoparasite load but was free of helminths. Differences in macroparasite load among the three species, which share the same roosting caves, have been hypothesized to depend on smaller-scale roosting site selection within the cave, with attendant differences in temperature and microclimate. [10]

Conservation

The species is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN due to its large population size and broad distribution, although mining and tourism are reducing cave roosting space. [1]

Related Research Articles

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The New World leaf-nosed bats (Phyllostomidae) are 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lesser long-nosed bat</span> Species of bat

The lesser long-nosed bat is a medium-sized bat found in Central and North America. It is sometimes known as Sanborn's long-nosed bat or the Mexican long-nosed bat, though the latter name is better avoided since it is also used for the entire genus Leptonycteris and for one of the other species in it, the greater long-nosed bat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamaican fruit bat</span> Species of bat

The Jamaican, common or Mexican fruit bat is a fruit-eating bat native to Mexico, through Central America to northwestern South America, as well as the Greater and many of the Lesser Antilles. It is also an uncommon resident of the Southern Bahamas. Populations east of the Andes in South America are now usually regarded a separate species, the flat-faced fruit-eating bat. The distinctive features of the Jamaican fruit bat include the absence of an external tail and a minimal, U-shaped interfemoral membrane.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long-tongued nectar bat</span> Species of bat

The long-tongued nectar bat, also known as the northern blossom bat, honey nectar bat, least blossom-bat, dagger-toothed long-nosed fruit bat, and lesser long-tongued fruit bat, is a species of megabat. M. minimus is one of the smallest species in the family Pteropodidae, with an average length of 60–85 mm. It has a reddish-brown colouring with relatively long hair compared to the other species. The hair on the abdomen is a lighter colour, and a dark brown stripe runs bilaterally down the top of the head and back.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geoffroy's rousette</span> Species of bat

Geoffroy's rousette is a species of megabat or Old World fruit bats. It is one of ten species in the genus Rousettus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pallid bat</span> Species of bat

The pallid bat is a species of bat that ranges from western Canada to central Mexico. It is the sole species of its genus and is closely related to Van Gelder's bat, which is sometimes included in Antrozous. Although it has in the past been placed in its own subfamily (Antrozoinae) or even family (Antrozoidae), it is now considered part of the subfamily Vespertilioninae and the tribe Antrozoini.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long-tongued fruit bat</span> Species of bat

The long-tongued fruit bat is a species of megabat. It is nectarivorous, feeding on nectar from primarily banana flowers. It is found in several countries in South and Southeast Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little big-eared bat</span> Species of bat

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).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tent-making bat</span> Species of bat

The tent-making bat is an American leaf-nosed bat (Phyllostomidae) found in lowland forests of Central and South America. This medium-sized bat has a gray coat with a pale white stripe running down the middle of the back. Its face is characterized by a fleshy noseleaf and four white stripes. Primarily a frugivore, it may supplement its diet with insects, flower parts, pollen, and nectar. Its common name comes from its curious behavior of constructing tents out of large, fan-shaped leaves. These roosts provide excellent protection from the tropical rains, and a single tent roost may house several bats at once. This bat is quite common in its geographic range; hence, its conservation status is listed as Least Concern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common blossom bat</span> Species of bat

The common blossom bat also known as the southern blossom bat or Queensland blossom bat, is a megabat in the family Pteropodidae. The common blossom bat feeds mostly on nectar and pollen rather than fruit. It is one of eight Pteropodidae species on mainland Australia. It is one of the smallest of all nectarivorous megabats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antillean fruit-eating bat</span> Species of bat

The Antillean fruit-eating bat is one of two leaf-nosed bat species belonging to the genus Brachyphylla. The species occurs in the Caribbean from Puerto Rico to St. Vincent and Barbados. Fossil specimens have also been recorded from New Providence, Bahamas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamaican fig-eating bat</span> Species of bat

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gray short-tailed bat</span> Species of bat

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mexican long-tongued bat</span> Species of bat

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buffy flower bat</span> Species of bat

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern long-nosed bat</span> Species of bat

The southern long-nosed bat is a South American species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae.

<i>Monophyllus</i> Genus of bats

Monophyllus, the Antillean long-tongued bats or single leaf bats, is a genus of bats in the family Phyllostomidae. They are distributed on the Antilles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banana bat</span> Species of mammals belonging to the New World leaf-nosed bat family

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Solari, S. (2018). "Monophyllus redmani". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018: e.T13720A22112192. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T13720A22112192.en . Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  2. "Monophyllus redmani — Greater Antillean Long-tongued Bat". Encyclopedia of Life. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Homan, Jacqueline A.; Jones, J. Knox (1975). "Monophyllus redmani". Mammalian Species (57): 1–3. doi:10.2307/3503997. JSTOR   3503997.
  4. Werner, Henry James; Rutherford, Kim (1979-01-01). "Histological aspects of the facial glands of the bat, Monophyllus redmani portoricensis". Journal of Mammalogy. 60 (1): 229. doi:10.2307/1379784. JSTOR   1379784.
  5. Koopman, Karl F. (1981-01-01). "The distributional patterns of New World nectar-feeding bats". Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden. 68 (2): 352–369. doi:10.2307/2398802. JSTOR   2398802.
  6. Rodríguez-Durán, Armando (1998). "Nonrandom aggregations and distribution of cave-dwelling bats in Puerto Rico". Journal of Mammalogy. 79 (1): 141–46. doi: 10.2307/1382848 . JSTOR   1382848.
  7. 1 2 Soto-Centeno, J. Angel; Kurta, Allen (2006-01-01). "Diet of two nectarivorous bats, Erophylla sezekorni and Monophyllus redmani (Phyllostomidae), on Puerto Rico". Journal of Mammalogy. 87 (1): 19–26. doi: 10.1644/05-mamm-041r1.1 . JSTOR   4094558.
  8. 1 2 Mancina, Carlos A.; Herrera M., L. Gerardo (2010). "Disparate feeding strategies used by syntopic Antillean nectarivorous bats to obtain dietary protein". Journal of Mammalogy. 91 (4): 960–966. doi: 10.1644/09-mamm-a-323.1 . JSTOR   40925646.
  9. Soto-Centeno, J. Angel; Phillips, Donald L.; Kurta, Allen; Hobson, Keith A. (2014). "Food resource partitioning in syntopic nectarivorous bats on Puerto Rico". Journal of Tropical Ecology. 30 (4): 359–69. doi:10.1017/s0266467414000145. S2CID   84830680.
  10. Krichbaum, Kristle; Perkins, Sarah; Gannon, Michael (2008). "Host-parasite interactions of tropical bats in Puerto Rico". Acta Chiropterologica. 11 (1): 157–62. doi:10.3161/150811009x465776. S2CID   39046859.