Mexican greater funnel-eared bat

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Mexican greater funnel-eared bat
Natalus mexicanus skull.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiroptera
Family: Natalidae
Genus: Natalus
Species:
N. mexicanus
Binomial name
Natalus mexicanus
Miller, 1902
Synonyms
  • Natalus stramineus mexicanusGoodwin, 1959
  • Natalus lanatus Tejedor, 2005

The Mexican greater funnel-eared bat (Natalus mexicanus) 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.

Contents

Taxonomy

Gerrit Smith Miller Jr. described it as a new species in 1902. [2] Other authors followed in listing N. mexicanus as a full species in 1949. [3] In 1959, George Goodwin revised it from a species to a subspecies of the Mexican funnel-eared bat, Natalus stramineus. [4] It was revised again to species status in 2006. [5] [6] In 2012, another funnel-eared bat of Mexico, Natalus lanatus, was synonymized with Natalus mexicanus, so that there is currently only one recognized species of funnel-eared bat in Mexico. [7]

Description

It is a small bat, weighing only 3–5 g (0.11–0.18 oz). Its forearms are 36–39 mm (1.4–1.5 in) long. Its back is a pale orange-brown or yellow in color, and its belly is yellow. It has broad, cream-colored ears with blackish margins. The skin of its face is pale pink. Its limbs are very long in relation to its body size. Its wings are long and narrow with pale brown flight membranes. [8]

Biology

Females are monoestrous, or capable of becoming pregnant once a year. Pregnant females have been observed January through July, and gestation is thought to last 810 months due to slow fetal development. The litter size is one pup. [1] It roosts in caves during the day. It is colonial, forming groups of up to 300 individuals. [8]

Range and habitat

It is found in Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama. It is not found at elevations above 2,400 m (7,900 ft), though most observations of it occur at around 300 m (980 ft). It prefers dry and semi-deciduous forests. Occasionally, it is also encountered in conifer forests. [1]

As of 2019, it is evaluated as least concern by the IUCN. While its population trend is unknown, it is thought that it is, at least, not declining rapidly. It is threatened by cave disturbance by tourists and by mining activities. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natalidae</span> Family of bats

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.

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

The Alpine long-eared bat or mountain long-eared bat is a species of long-eared bat. It was originally described from Switzerland and Austria as a species intermediate between the brown long-eared bat and the grey long-eared bat in 1965. It was later described in 2002, from France and Austria, respectively. Despite its name, this species is not restricted to the Alps, being found in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and elsewhere. It differs from other European long-eared bats, such as the brown long-eared bat, by its white underparts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mexican funnel-eared bat</span> Species of bat (Natalus stramineus)

The Mexican funnel-eared bat is a bat species native to the Caribbean.

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

The silver fruit-eating bat is a South American bat species of the family Phyllostomidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fringed long-footed myotis</span> Species of bat

The fringed long-footed myotis is a species of vesper bat in the family Vespertilionidae. It is found in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

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

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.

<i>Chilonatalus</i> Genus of bats

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 microp is and one other species is a widespread species

<i>Natalus</i> Genus of bats

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.

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

The big-eared horseshoe bat is a bat species within the Rhinolophidae native to Asia.

<i>Hypsugo</i> Genus of bats

The genus Hypsugo contains many bats referred to as pipistrelles or pipistrelle bats. They belong to the family Vespertilionidae or vesper bats. They are primarily found throughout Asia, the Middle East, Mediterranean Europe, and North Africa, with a single (debated) species in Sub-Saharan Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hipposideridae</span> Family of bats

The Hipposideridae are a family of bats commonly known as the Old World leaf-nosed bats. While it has often been seen as a subfamily, Hipposiderinae, of the family Rhinolophidae, it is now more generally classified as its own family. Nevertheless, it is most closely related to Rhinolophidae within the suborder Yinpterochiroptera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brazilian funnel-eared bat</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hispaniolan greater funnel-eared bat</span> Species of bat

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuban greater funnel-eared bat</span> Species of bat

The Cuban greater funnel-eared bat is a species of funnel-eared bat. It is endemic to a cave in westernmost Cuba.

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

The southern big-eared brown bat is a species of bat from the family Vespertilionidae. Although current taxonomy treats the southern big-eared brown bat as a separate species, it is often treated as a subspecies of the small big-eared brown bat. It lives in the forests of southern Argentina and Chile; though the population of the bat in the southern part of its habitat is low, there are no major concerns to justify anything lower than a Least Concern rating in the IUCN Red List.

The Lesser Antillean funnel-eared bat is a subspecies of the Mexican funnel-eared bat found to be endemic to the Lesser Antilles islands of the Caribbean.

Chilonatalus macer is a species of bat endemic to Cuba.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Solari, S. (2019). "Natalus mexicanus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2019: e.T123984355A22011975. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T123984355A22011975.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. Tejedor, A (2005). "A new species of funnel-eared bat (Natalidae: Natalus) from Mexico". Journal of Mammalogy. 86 (6): 1109–1120. doi: 10.1644/1545-1542(2005)86[1109:ansofb]2.0.co;2 .
  3. Dalquest, W. W.; Hall, E. R. (1949). "A new subspecies of funnel-eared bat (Natalus mexicanus) from eastern Mexico". Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 62: 153–154.
  4. Goodwin, G. G. (1959). "Bats of the subgenus Natalus" (PDF). American Museum Novitates (1977): 1–22. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
  5. Tejedor, A (2006). "The type locality of Natalus stramineus (Chiroptera: Natalidae): implications for the taxonomy and biogeography of the genus Natalus". Acta Chiropterologica. 8 (2): 361–380. doi:10.3161/1733-5329(2006)8[361:ttlons]2.0.co;2. S2CID   86303052.
  6. Tejedor, A (2011). "Systematics of Funnel-Eared Bats (Chiroptera: Natalidae)". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 353: 1–140. doi:10.1206/636.1. hdl:2246/6120. S2CID   84311591.
  7. López-Wilchis, R.; Guevara-Chumacero, L. M.; Angeles Perez, N.; Juste, J.; IbáñEz, C.; Barriga-Sosa, I. D. (2012). "Taxonomic status assessment of the Mexican populations of funnel-eared bats, genus Natalus (Chiroptera: Natalidae)". Acta Chiropterologica. 14 (2): 305–316. doi:10.3161/150811012x661639. S2CID   85765304.
  8. 1 2 Reid, F (1997). A field guide to the mammals of Central America and Southeast Mexico. Oxford University Press. p. 143. ISBN   0195064011 . Retrieved October 6, 2017.