Variegated butterfly bat | |
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A specimen of Glauconycteris variegata | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Chiroptera |
Family: | Vespertilionidae |
Genus: | Glauconycteris |
Species: | G. variegata |
Binomial name | |
Glauconycteris variegata (Tomes, 1861) | |
Synonyms | |
Chalinolobus variegatus (Tomes, 1861) |
The variegated butterfly bat (Glauconycteris variegata) is a species of vesper bat. [2] It is sometimes also called the leaf-winged bat, or simply the butterfly bat. It is not currently endangered, but may be threatened by habitat loss in some parts of its range. [1]
Variegated butterfly bats are relatively small bats, averaging 10 centimetres (3.9 in) in total length, with a 4.7 centimetres (1.9 in) tail, and weighing around 11 grams (0.39 oz). Females are slightly larger than males, with an average wingspan of 32 centimetres (13 in), compared with a typical male wingspan of 31 centimetres (12 in). [3]
The body is covered in long, silky fur of highly variable colour, although usually yellowish or light grey, and lacking the prominent patterns found on some closely related species. The fur on the undersides is white or very pale grey, and that on the face and ears is brown. The wing membranes also have a sparse covering of hair, and have a distinctive reticulated pattern of dark veins, from which the bat takes the first part of its name. [3]
The bat has a domed head and a short snout with a deep groove running between the nostrils. The lower lip is large and padded, but the upper lip has a simpler appearance, without any of the folds seen in some other bat species. The ears are relatively short, with a small tragus. [3]
The wings are long and narrow in shape, suggesting that the bat is agile in the air, but is not efficient at high speed flight. Its flight speed during foraging has been measured as 4 metres per second (13 ft/s). [4]
The variegated butterfly bat is found in many forested, savanna, and bushveldt habitats south of the Sahara desert, at elevations of up to 1,000 metres (3,300 ft). It is found in a narrow band of territory running from Senegal in the west as far as southern Ethiopia and Somalia in the east, and in much of southern and eastern Africa outside the tropical rainforest, as far as northern Namibia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. [1]
Two subspecies are currently recognised, although the exact classification has varied considerably over the years: [2]
Variegated butterfly bats are nocturnal, spending the day roosting in trees in small groups of up to ten individuals. Unlike many other bats, they do not wrap themselves in their wings while roosting. During the night they forage for flying insects, especially moths, [5] in open terrain, close to the ground or above open water. Their ultrasonic calls are frequency modulated, sweeping from 70 to 30 Hz. [4]
There is a single breeding season each year, which occurs during the winter. The exact timing of the breeding season varies widely across the range, based primarily on latitude, ranging from December in the north to August in the south. A single young is born after a gestation period of about three months, and is weaned before the age of two months. [3]
The serotine bat, also known as the common serotine bat, big brown bat, or silky bat, is a fairly large Eurasian bat with quite large ears. It has a wingspan of around 37 cm (15 in) and often hunts in woodland. It sometimes roosts in buildings, hanging upside down, in small groups or individually. The name serotine is derived from the Latin serotinus, which means 'evening', while the generic name derives from Greek ἔπιεν and οίκος, which means 'house flyer'.
The greater horseshoe bat is an insectivorous bat of the genus Rhinolophus. Its distribution covers Europe, Northern Africa, Central Asia and Eastern Asia. It is the largest of the horseshoe bats in Europe and is thus easily distinguished from other species. The species is sedentary, typically travelling up to 30 kilometres (19 mi) between the winter and summer roosts, with the longest recorded movement being 180 km (110 mi). The frequencies used by this bat species for echolocation lie between 69–83 kHz, have most energy at 81 kHz and have an average duration of 37.4 ms.
The Jamaican, common, or Mexican fruit bat is a frugivorous bat species native to the Neotropics.
The spotted-winged fruit bat is the smallest megabat in the world. It inhabits forests in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.
The greater noctule bat is a rare carnivorous bat found in Europe, West Asia, and North Africa. It is the largest and least studied bat in Europe with a wingspan of up to 46 centimetres (18 in) and is one of the few bat species to feed on passerine birds. Greater noctule bats are the only bat species to hunt birds on the wing rather than when roosting. The greater noctule bat has wings adapted for open-air hunting and uses echolocation frequencies above the hearing range of birds.
The yellow-winged bat is one of five species of false vampire bat from Africa and is the only known species of its genus, Lavia.
The silver-tipped myotis is a species of mouse-eared bat found in a range of lowland habitats in the Americas.
The pale spear-nosed bat is a species of phyllostomid bat from South and Central America.
Livingstone's fruit bat, also called the Comoro flying fox, is a megabat in the genus Pteropus. It is an Old World fruit bat found only in the Anjouan and Mohéli islands in the Union of the Comoros in the western Indian Ocean.
Schlieffen's serotine, also known as Schlieffen's bat or Schlieffen's twilight bat, is a species of vesper bat found in Africa. It has been placed in numerous genera since its first description in 1859, but morphological and genetic studies have confirmed it as the only species in the genus Nycticeinops. It is named for the collector of the original specimen, Wilhelm von Schlieffen-Schlieffiennburg.
Bechstein's bat is a species of vesper bat found in Europe and western Asia, living in extensive areas of woodland.
The Mauritian tomb bat is a species of sac-winged bat in the family Emballonuridae that is found in central and southern Africa and Madagascar. It was discovered in 1818 by Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, and is characterized by an all-white ventral surface, grizzled dorsal coloration, and conical face. It has exceptionally good eyesight, a trait which is common in old world bats and enables it to find roosting locations. It has adapted itself to a wide range of habitats including subarid scrub to semi-tropical savanna and can be found throughout much of Africa south of the Sahara, including many of the surrounding islands. They often seek out refuge in cool dry areas. Mauritian tomb bats help control pest populations, including insects that carry human diseases. These bats tend to be nocturnal hunters and their normal prey consists of moths, butterflies, and termites. Not prone to large-scale roosting, T. mauritianus is most often spotted on the sides of buildings or on the trunks of trees in groups of around five individuals. They breed on average once or twice a year and rear usually one pup, though twins are occasionally reported. They usually deposit their hungry offspring in areas where they can feed voraciously, most often in berry bushes. This species is listed as least concern on the IUCN Red List due their wide distribution and stable population.
Ansorge's free-tailed bat is a species of bat in the family Molossidae native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is named for W.J. Ansorge, who collected the first formally described specimen.
The greater short-nosed fruit bat, or short-nosed Indian fruit bat, is a species of megabat in the family Pteropodidae found in South and Southeast Asia.
Wahlberg's epauletted fruit bat is a species of megabat in the family Pteropodidae. It is commonly found across southern Africa.
Sundevall's roundleaf bat, also called Sundevall's leaf-nosed bat, is a species of bat in the family Hipposideridae.
The California leaf-nosed bat is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae. It is found in Mexico and the United States. Its natural habitat is hot deserts.
The Cape horseshoe bat is a species of bat in the family Rhinolophidae. It is endemic to South Africa, and is potentially threatened by habitat loss and disturbance of its roosting sites, although it is present in large enough numbers to be considered of least concern by the IUCN.
Swinny's horseshoe bat is a species of bat in the family Rhinolophidae. In English, R. swinnyi is commonly referred to as Swinny's horseshoe bat. In Afrikaans, it is commonly referred to as Swinny se saalneusvlermuis. This species belongs to the African clade. R. swinnyi was discovered by an African collector H. H. Swinny. They have been recorded in Angola, Republic of the Congo, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Malawi.
The white-striped free-tailed bat is a species of bat in the family Molossidae. Its echolocation calls are audible to humans, which is a characteristic found in only a few microbat species. The species was formerly classified as Tadarida australis.