Thomas's sac-winged bat

Last updated

Thomas's sac-winged bat
Balantiopteryx io 59588355.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiroptera
Family: Emballonuridae
Genus: Balantiopteryx
Species:
B. io
Binomial name
Balantiopteryx io
Thomas, 1904
Thomas's Sac-Winged Bat area.png
Thomas's sac-winged bat range

Thomas's sac-winged bat (Balantiopteryx io) is a species of sac-winged bat in the family Emballonuridae. [2] It is found in Belize, Guatemala, and Mexico. [1]

Contents

Taxonomy

Oldfield Thomas named this bat in 1904. [3] It is presumed that he named it after the Io found in Greek mythology, who was cursed by Hera to be eternally chased, because bats seem to be “flighty.” [4] Balantiopteryx io is a sister species of Balantiopteryx infusca and has no recognised subspecies. [5]

Appearance

It is the smallest species when compared to others in the genus Balantiopteryx, and lacks the white trim that is characteristic of Balantiopteryx plicata . The males weigh about 3.7 g, while the females weigh about 5 g. [6]

Biology and behavior

Thomas's sac-winged bat prefers to live in caves near the entrance, but there have been instances where they have been found deeper in the caves where it is darker. [6] It has also been found in railroad tunnels. [5] It likes to stay about nine inches or more away from the others when hanging on the ceiling. [6] Groups of fifty or more of these bats can be found in a colony. [7] It feeds on insects after sunset, so observing the bats is difficult. [7] [8] There is not much data available for this species’ courting rituals, but what is known is that the female usually has one fetus, and the pregnant females can be found in March, April, May, and June. [6]

Conservation

The bat is considered “vulnerable” according to the IUCN redlist, and the population is decreasing. [7] This assumption comes from the evidence of habitat destruction, and it has been estimated that about 30% of the bats’ natural habitat has been destroyed by human causes such as vandalism, fires in caves, and tourism. [7]

Related Research Articles

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

Emballonuridae is a family of microbats, many of which are referred to as sac-winged or sheath-tailed bats. They are widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions around the world. The earliest fossil records are from the Eocene.

<i>Balantiopteryx</i> Genus of bats

Balantiopteryx is a genus of sac-winged bats. It comprises three species:

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

The great evening bat is the largest bat in the vesper bat family (Vespertilionidae) and the only living species in the genus Ia. It is common to Eastern and Southeastern Asia, mainly living in areas with limestone caves at altitudes of 400–1,700 metres (0.25–1.06 mi). Their roost sites have been found both near the cave entrances and up to 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) within the cave systems.

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

The northern ghost bat is a bat species from South America, Trinidad, and Central America. It is a relatively rare, completely white, insectivorous bat, with an unusual sac at the base of its tail.

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

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ecuadorian sac-winged bat</span> Species of bat

The Ecuadorian sac-winged bat is a species of sac-winged bat in the family Emballonuridae. It is found in Colombia and Ecuador. According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the population trend is decreasing for this species, due to habitat destruction through deforestation. In 2013, Bat Conservation International listed this species as one of the 35 species on its worldwide priority list for conservation.

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

The gray sac-winged bat is a species in the family Emballonuridae which comprises the 51 species of sac-winged bats. It is found in Mexico from Baja California Sur and Sonora to Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and northern Colombia, at elevations up to 1,500 metres (4,900 ft).

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

Genoways's yellow bat is a species of vesper bat found only in Mexico. It is threatened by habitat loss. Due to its imperiled status, it is identified by the Alliance for Zero Extinction as a species in danger of imminent extinction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western yellow bat</span> Species of foliage-roosting bat

The western yellow bat is a species of vesper bat found in Mexico and the southwestern United States. This species roosts in trees such as Populus fremontii, Platanus wrightii, and Quercus arizonica. If available, the western yellow bat will use the dead fronds that encircle palm trees as a roosting site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western small-footed bat</span> Species of bat

The western small-footed bat, also known as the western small-footed myotis, is a species of vesper bat native to North America.

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

Findley's myotis is a species of vesper bat. It is found only on the Tres Marías Islands off the west coast of Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flat-headed myotis</span> Species of bat

The flat-headed myotis is a species of vesper bat. It is endemic to Mexico where it is found in certain montane forests in the Sierra Madre Oriental in the northeast of the country. Once thought to be extinct, this bat was rediscovered in 2004 by Joaquín Arroyo-Cabrales and colleagues. The species is now classified as endangered by the IUCN.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naked-rumped tomb bat</span> Species of bat

The naked-rumped tomb bat is a species of sac-winged bat in the family Emballonuridae. Found in northern Africa, the Middle East, and southeastern Asia, its natural habitats are dry savanna, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and forests, caves, and arid areas.

The sooty mustached bat is a species of bat in the family Mormoopidae. It is found in throughout the Greater Antilles, in Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico.

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

The Thomas's shaggy bat is a bat species from Central and South America. It was previously included in the shaggy bat but Simmons and Handley (1998) showed that the species were distinct.

<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">Aztec mastiff bat</span> Species of bat

The Aztec mastiff bat is a species of bat in the family Molossidae. It is insectivorous.

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

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.

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

Thomas's yellow bat is a species of bat from the family Vespertilionidae.

<i>Eumops nanus</i> Species of bat

Eumops nanus is a species of bat found in Central and South America.

References

  1. 1 2 Lim, B. (2015). "Balantiopteryx io". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2015: e.T2532A22030080. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T2532A22030080.en . Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  2. Simmons, N.B. (2005). "Order Chiroptera". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 312–529. ISBN   978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC   62265494.
  3. Thomas, Oldfield (1904). "XXIX.—New forms of Saimiri, Saccopteryx, Balantiopteryx, and Thrichomys from the Neotropical region". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 7. 13 (76): 250–255. doi:10.1080/00222930409487064. ISSN   0374-5481. OCLC   4806270958.
  4. Beolens, Bo; Grayson, Michael; Watkins, Michael (2009). The Eponym Dictionary of Mammals . Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p.  205. doi:10.1353/book.3355. ISBN   9780801895333. OCLC   8160843969. S2CID   81786606.
  5. 1 2 Gardner, Alfred L. Mammals of South America. Chicago: University of Chicago, 2008, p. 194.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Arroyo-Cabrales, Joaquin; Knox Jones, J. (1988). "Balantiopteryx io and infusca". Mammalian Species. 313: 1–3. doi: 10.2307/3504205 . JSTOR   3504205.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Lim, Miller, Reid, Arroyo-Cabrales, Cuarón, and de Grammont 2008[ full citation needed ]
  8. Nowak, Ronald M. Walker's Bats of the World. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 1994, p. 96