Honduran fruit-eating bat

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.

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

Description

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]

Ecology

Distribution

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]

Behavior

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]

Physiology

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]

References
  1. Webster, D & Knox, J. 1983. "Artibeus hirsutus and Artibeus inopinatus" Mammalian Species Account. The American Society of Mammalogists. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  • [1] Reid, F. & Medina, A. 2008. Artibeus inopinatus. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 28 February 2009.
  • [3] Redondo, R et al. (2008) "Molecular Systematics of the genus Artibeus" Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  • [4] Larsen, P, Marchan-Revadeneira, M. and Baker, R. (2013) "Speciation Dynamics of the Fruit-Eating Bats (Genus Artibeus): With Evidence of Ecological Divergence in Central American Populations" Department of Biology, Duke university. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  • [5] Marchan-Rivadeneira, M., et al. (2010) "Cranial differentiation of fruit-eating bats (genus Artibeus) based on size-standardized data" Acta Chiropterologica, 12(1); 143-154. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  • [6] Simmons, N. (2005), "Chiroptera", in Wilson, Don E.; Reeder, DeeAnn M., Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed), Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 312–529. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
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