Peters's disk-winged bat

Last updated

Peters's disk-winged bat
Thyroptera discifera.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiroptera
Family: Thyropteridae
Genus: Thyroptera
Species:
T. discifera
Binomial name
Thyroptera discifera
Thyroptera discifera map.svg

Peters's disk-winged bat (Thyroptera discifera) is a bat species mainly found in South and Central America. It belongs to the family Thyropteridae, a small group of disk-winged bats. They have a distinguishing feature of circular, suction disks at the base of their thumbs and hind feet. They use these suction disks to cling onto young unfurling banana or heliconia leaves to roost while avoiding rain and predators. They are very similar in appearance and easily confused with Thyroptera tricolor which has a paler venter than dorsum, and two cartilaginous projections on the calcar.

Contents

Description

Bats in the family Thyropteridae do not have a noseleaf but instead have warts above their nostrils. They are smaller bats with long and slender snouts. T. discifera is the smallest of the family and possess thick lips, small eyes, and fairly large ears that extend from the eyes to the edge of the mouth. The tragus is present and the ears are covered in hair on the front side. Their entire body is also covered in fine, long hairs usually reddish brown in color. Suction disks are contained on the feet along with those at the base of their thumbs. The head and body length range from 37 to 47 millimetres (1.5 to 1.9 in) with a tail length of 24 to 33 millimetres (0.94 to 1.30 in). Their diet consists mostly of insects.

Distribution and habitat

Peters' disk-winged bats can be found in Peru to northern South America. Previous material thought to be that of T. tricolor has been found to be T. discifera and the range has been extended over 1,000 km to the east and documentation of presence in the Atlantic Forest of Cerrado of Brazil has been found. They are distributed from Nicaragua southward to Bolivia and eastern Brazil where they inhabit lowland, secondary and semi-deciduous forests. [2] Their habitat consists of rainforests and surrounding dry forests. The species has also been found in small agricultural plots and banana plantations.

Many species of bats coexist in the Amazonian lowlands. The lack of proper natural history makes it hard to determine population density and size.

In 2018, it was assessed for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as Least Concern. [3]

Related Research Articles

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

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.

<i>Thyroptera</i> Genus of bats

Disk-winged bats are a small group of bats of the family Thyropteridae and genus Thyroptera. They are found in Central and South America, usually in moist tropical rain forests. It is a very small family, consisting of a single genus with five extant and one fossil species.

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

The big-eared woolly bat or (Peters's) woolly false vampire bat is a species of bat, belonging to the family Phyllostomidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spix's disk-winged bat</span> Species of bat

Spix’s disk-winged bat, is a species of bat in the family Thyropteridae. It is native to the Americas from Mexico to Brazil. The most prominent anatomical feature of this bat, which distinguishes it from other species, is the disks on its thumbs and hind feet. These circular disks act as suction cups, allowing the bats to cling onto and move along smooth surfaces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dwarf dog-faced bat</span> Species of bat

The dwarf dog-faced bat is a species of free-tailed bat from South America. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Paraguay and Uruguay, typically at lower elevations. It is one of two species in the genus Molossops, the other being the rufous dog-faced bat. Three subspecies are often recognized, though mammalogist Judith Eger considers it monotypic with no subspecies. It is a small free-tailed bat, with a forearm length of 28.9–32.5 mm (1.14–1.28 in) and a weight of 5–8 g (0.18–0.28 oz); males are larger than females. It is brown, with paler belly fur and darker back fur. Its wings are unusual for a free-tailed bat, with exceptionally broad wingtips. Additionally, it has low wing loading, meaning that it has a large wing surface area relative to its body weight. Therefore, it flies more similarly to a vesper bat than to other species in its own family. As it forages at night for its insect prey, including moths, beetles, and others, it uses two kinds of frequency-modulated echolocation calls: one type is to navigate in open areas and to search for prey, while the other type is used for navigating in cluttered areas or while approaching a prey item.

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

The lesser long-tongued bat, also called the lesser long-tailed bat, is a bat species from South America.

<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">Dark long-tongued bat</span> Species of mammal belonging to the New World leaf-nosed bat family

The dark long-tongued bat is a species of bat from South and Central America. It was formerly considered the only species within the genus Lichonycteris, but is now recognized as one of two species in that genus, along with the pale brown long-nosed bat. It is small species of bat, with adults weighing 6–11 g (0.21–0.39 oz) and having a total length of 46–63 mm (1.8–2.5 in).

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

Dekeyser's nectar bat is a bat species found in Brazil and Bolivia.

<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">Greater spear-nosed bat</span> Species of bat

The greater spear-nosed bat is a bat species of the family Phyllostomidae from South and Central America. It is one of the larger bats of this region and is omnivorous.

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

The visored bat,, is a bat species from tropical South America. It is the only species in the genus Sphaeronycteris. Although visored bats have some unique characteristics, they are thought to be most closely related to little white-shouldered bats and wrinkle-faced bats.

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

The banana serotine, formerly known as the banana pipistrelle, is a species of vesper bat found throughout much of Africa. It was previously known as Pipistrellus nanus, but genetic analysis later reclassified it in Neoromicia. However, more recent phylogenetic evidence indicates that it and Heller's serotine comprise the distinct genus Afronycteris.

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

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.

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

The thumbless bat is a species of insectivorous bat in the family Furipteridae, in the monotypic genus Furipterus. They have a small thumb which is included in the membrane of the wing, causing the 'thumbless' appearance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LaVal's disk-winged bat</span> Species of bat

LaVal's disk-winged bat is a species of bat in the family Thyropteridae. It is native to Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil where it has been found near streams in tropical rainforest. The bat is insectivorous. It is poorly studied but is believed to be rare. The species was named in honor of American zoologist Richard K. LaVal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">De Vivo's disk-winged bat</span> Species of bat

De Vivo's disk-winged bat is a species of disc-winged bat found in South America.

Patricia's disk-winged bat is a species of disk-winged bat found in South America.

References

  1. Solari, S.; Villada-Cadavid, T. (2018). "Thyroptera discifera". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018: e.T21877A21985811. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T21877A21985811.en . Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. Bocchiglieri, Adriana, et al. “Thyroptera Discifera (Lichtenstein & Peters, 1854) (Chiroptera: Thyropteridae): First Record in the State of Sergipe, Northeastern Brazil.” Check List, Pensoft Publishers, 8 Apr. 2016, checklist.pensoft.net/article/19542/.
  3. IUCN Red List website, Peters's Disk-winged Bat