| Honduran fruit-eating bat | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Family: | Phyllostomidae |
| Genus: | Artibeus |
| Species: | A. inopinatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Artibeus inopinatus Davis & Carter, 1964 | |
 | |
The Honduran fruit-eating bat (Artibeus inopinatus) is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae. It is found in El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua.
Artibeus inopinatus is a fruit eating bat native to Central America, of the order Chiroptera, family Phyllostomidae. [1] Although the Honduran fruit-eating bat is considered data deficient by the IUCN,[1] accounts suggest that they display many of the characteristic features of the Neotropical fruit bats (Arbiteus), and are morphologically very similar to the close relative A. hirsutus. [1] [3][4]
With an average weight of 36 g. the Honduran fruit eating bat is one of the smaller Neotropical bats, which typically range from 10-85 g. [1] [6] It displays the characteristic lack of tail and narrow patagium seen in fruit bats, and also has a very densely furred uropatagium, which distinguishes A. hirsutus and A. inopinatus from many other species in the genus. [1] Like most bats, they are nocturnal, roosting during the day, and use echolocation for navigation at night.[6] The bats are in the family Phyllostomidae, also referred to as the New World leaf-nosed bats.[6] This group tends to have distinct pointed, or "leaf shaped" snouts which assist them in echolocation.[6]
The Honduran Fruit Eating bat has a relatively narrow range compared to other closely related species. [1] It is found along the pacific border of central America, from El Salvador to Nicaragua, and lives at much lower elevations than closely related bats in the genus, rarely exceeding 200 m above sea level. [1] The Honduran fruit-eating bat resides in thorn-scrub habitats, and have been captured in mist nets over streams and in banana groves. They are also known to use empty houses as day time roosts.[1] [1]
Honduran fruit-eating bats live in groups, with the females outnumbering the males significantly (there are accounts of 1 male living with 8 or more females).[1] [1] The bats roost in protected shelters such as caves, or houses to shelter themselves from predators and weather. Their diet consists of fruit, insects, and some pollen.[6] The bats are also thought to undergo periods of dormancy similar to the closely related A. hirsutus. [1] [6] Little is known about the lifestyle and mating habits and patterns of the Honduran fruit-eating bat. [1]
The Honduran fruit-eating bats display poikilothermic characteristics, which is to say that their body temperature is able to rise and drop significantly.[2] When measured at different ambient temperatures, body temperatures as low as 29 °C and as high as 39.2 °C were recorded without the bat entering torpor.[2]
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.
The spectral bat, also called the great 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.
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.
The big-eared woolly bat or (Peters's) woolly false vampire bat is a species of bat, belonging to the Order Chiroptera and Family Phyllostomidae.
The Honduran white bat, also called the Caribbean white tent-making bat, is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomatidae. It is the only member of the genus Ectophylla. The genus and the species were both scientifically described for the first time in 1892. It has distinctive, entirely white fur, which is only found in six of the roughly 1,300 known species of bat. It constructs "tents" out of understory plant leaves by strategically cutting the leaf ribs with its teeth; it roosts in these tents during the day. It is a specialist frugivore, consuming almost exclusively the fruits of one species of fig. Females can likely become pregnant twice per year, giving birth to one offspring at a time.
Seba's short-tailed bat is a common and widespread bat species in the family Phyllostomidae. They are found in Central America, the northern parts of South America, and in the Antilles islands.
Andersen's fruit-eating bat is a bat species from South America. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, and Peru.
The silver fruit-eating bat is a South American bat species of the family Phyllostomidae.
The white-throated round-eared bat is a South and Central American bat species found from Honduras to Bolivia, Paraguay and Brazil. It creates roosts inside the nests of the termite, Nasutitermes corniger. It thrives on a mainly insect-based diet, focusing on the surfaces of foliage to hunt, and also eats fruit and pollen. It has a very wide range and is a common species over much of that range, so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".
The long-legged bat is a member of the Phyllostomidae family in the order Chiroptera. Both males and females of this species are generally small, with wingspans reaching 80mm with an average weight ranging between 6 and 9 grams. The facial structure of these bats includes a shortened rostrum with a prominent noseleaf. The most defining feature of these bats however, is their long posterior limbs that extend farther than most Phyllostomidae bats. At the ends of these hind legs, the long-legged bat has abnormally large feet equipped with strong claws.
The Neotropical fruit bats (Artibeus) are a genus of bats within the subfamily Stenodermatinae. The genus consists of 12 species, which are native to Central and South America, as well as parts of the Caribbean.
The large fruit-eating bat is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae. It is found in the South American neotropics, specifically in the countries of Colombia, Guyana, and Venezuela. The large fruit-eating bat is one of only a few microbats that engages in the eating of leaves.
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.
The Toltec fruit-eating bat is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae. It is also sometimes called the "lowland fruit eating bat."
The wrinkle-faced bat is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae and the only identified member of the genus Centurio. These bats are found in various countries in and around Central America. They eat fruit but are not classified within the fruit bats. They are classified as a leaf-nosed bat even though they do not have a leaf nose. They have an unusually shaped skull which is thought to allow them to eat a wider range of foods than other bats.
The Mexican long-tongued bat is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae. It is monotypic within the genus Choeronycteris. The species is found in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and the United States.
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.
Stenodermatinae is a large subfamily of bats in the family Phyllostomidae.
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 in southern Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and 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.
The Bogota fruit-eating bat is a species of bat found in South America.
