Actual fruit vampires

Actual fruit vampires
	Artibeus sp.
Systematics
Superordinate :	Laurasiatheria
Order :	Bats (chiroptera)
Superfamily :	Hare's mouths (Noctilionoidea)
Family :	Leaf noses (Phyllostomidae)
Subfamily :	Fruit vampires (Stenodermatinae)
Genre :	Actual fruit vampires
Scientific name
	Artibeus
	Leach , 1821

The actual fruit vampires ( Artibeus ) are a species of bat within the subfamily of fruit vampires (Stenodermatinae). The genus includes 19 species that are common in Central and South America .

description

These bats reach a head body length of 5 to 10 centimeters and a weight of 10 to 85 grams. Their fur is colored brown or gray on the upper side, the underside is lighter. Some species have four light stripes on the face. The name Artibeus is derived from the Greek arti (= face stripe ) and beus , which refers to the presence of the stripes. The uropatagium , the flight membrane between the legs, is very small, a tail is missing as with all fruit vampires. The ears are pointed. As with many leaf noses, the nose has a small, pointed nasal blade that is used for echolocation .

distribution and habitat

The distribution area of the actual fruit vampires extends from northern Mexico and the Bahamas to northern Argentina and also includes the Caribbean islands . They inhabit different habitats and can be found in both forests and grasslands.

Way of life

Like most bats, the actual fruit vampires are nocturnal; to sleep they retreat to caves, houses or other shelters. Some species transform large leaves into "tents" that offer them protection from the weather and privacy from predators during the day. Most species live in larger groups. The Jamaican fruit bat ( Artibeus jamaicensis , also known as the Jamaican fruit vampire), the best-researched species, is known to form harem groups consisting of one to three males, three to 14 females and their offspring.

The diet of these bats mainly consists of fruits, but they also consume pollen and insects.

The reproduction of many species is hardly known. In A. jamaicensis the gestation period is usually 112 to 120 days, but can extend to 180 days due to dormancy . As a rule, a single young animal is born, which is weaned after around two months and becomes sexually mature at eight to twelve months. In captivity, these animals can live to be over ten years.

Three of the 19 species, A. fraterculus , A. hirsutus and A. inopinatus , are endangered ( vulnerable ) according to the IUCN .

Systematics

Artibeus sp. during the day, dormant on the underside of a leaf

The genus of the actual fruit vampires is divided into three subgenera ( Artibeus , Koopmania and Dermanura ). In some systematics these are listed as separate genres, but sometimes the chocolate fruit dwarf ( Enchisthenes hartii ) is also classified in this genus. Wilson & Reeder distinguish the following 19 types. Molecular genetic studies by Redondo et al. however, suggest that five of these taxa are in fact paraphyletic .

Subgenus Dermanura

the Andersen fruit vampire ( Artibeus anderseni ) is native to northern South America (from Peru to French Guyana ).

the Aztec fruit vampire ( Artibeus aztecus ) is widespread from central Mexico to Panama .

Artibeus bogotensis lives from Colombia to French Guiana.

the Gervais fruit vampire ( Artibeus cinereus ) lives in the Amazon basin in northern South America, the taxon is paraphyletic and consists of two species.

the common silver fruit vampire ( Artibeus glaucus ) is common from Ecuador to Bolivia .

the Little Silver Fruit Vampire ( Artibeus gnomus ) is native from Peru to French Guyana.

the solitary fruit vampire ( Artibeus incomitatus ) is only known from the island of Escudo de Veraguas off the north coast of Panama and is critically endangered because of its small distribution area - its home island only covers 3.4 km² .

the pygmy bat or dark-eared fruit vampire ( Artibeus phaeotis ) is known from eastern Mexico, Peru and Guyana ; the taxon is paraphyletic.

the Toltec fruit vampire ( Artibeus toltecus ) is widespread from northern Mexico to western Colombia.

the Thomas fruit vampire ( Artibeus watsoni ) lives in Central America (from southern Mexico to Colombia).

Subgenus Koopmania

the brown fruit vampire ( Artibeus concolor ) lives in the Amazon basin.

Subgenus Artibeus

the Venezuela fruit vampire ( Artibeus amplus ) lives in Colombia, Venezuela and Guyana.
the fringed fruit vampire ( Artibeus fimbriatus ) is native to southern Brazil , Paraguay and northern Argentina .
the Peruvian fruit vampire ( Artibeus fraterculus ) is only known from Ecuador and Peru. The species is considered endangered.
the hairy fruit vampire ( Artibeus hirsutus ) lives in western Mexico and is also considered endangered.
the Honduras fruit vampire ( Artibeus inopinatus ) is native to Central America ( El Salvador , Nicaragua and Honduras ). It is also considered threatened.
the Jamaican fruit bat ( Artibeus jamaicensis ) is the best-researched species. It is distributed from the Bahamas and northern Mexico to northern Argentina. Some authors and genetic studies consider A. jamaicensis, including A. (jamaicensis) planirostris, to be paraphyletic and name the flat-nosed fruit vampire ( Artibeus planirostris ) as a separate species; there are also indications that the other Jamaican fruit field mouse subspecies are also not monophyletic, but should be divided into two types.
the great fruit vampire ( Artibeus lituratus ) also occurs from southern Mexico to northern Argentina
the dark fruit vampire ( Artibeus obscurus ) lives exclusively in the Amazon basin; Redondo et al. (2008) consider A. obscurus to be a parapylic taxon of two species.

literature

RAF Redondo, LPS Brina, RF Silvaa, AD Ditchfield, FR Santos: Molecular systematics of the genus Artibeus (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) . In: Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution , Volume 49, Issue 1, October 2008, pp. 44-58.
Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World . The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .
Don E. Wilson, DeeAnn M. Reeder (Eds.): Mammal Species of the World . 3rd edition. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 .

Individual evidence

↑ Don E. Wilson, DeeAnn M. Reeder (Ed.): Mammal Species of the World . 3rd edition. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 .

^ ^A ^b ^c R. AF Redondo, LPS Brina, RF Silvaa, AD Ditchfield, FR Santos: Molecular systematics of the genus Artibeus (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) . In: Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution , Volume 49, Issue 1, October 2008, pp. 44-58.

↑ Burton K. Lim & al .: Systematic review of small fruit-eating bats (Artibeus) from the Guianas, and a re-evaluation of A. glaucus bogotensis . In: Acta Chiropterologica 2008, No. 10 (2), pp. 243-256.

↑ Artibeus incomitatus in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: Pino, J. & Samudio, R., 2008. Retrieved November 25, 2009.

Web links

Commons : Artibeus - collection of images, videos and audio files

Endangerment level of the individual species in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species .
Jorge Ortega, Iván Castro-Arellano (2001): Artibeus jamaicensis (PDF; 315 kB) . Mammalian Species No. 662, American Society of Mammalogists.

[1] Don E. Wilson, DeeAnn M. Reeder (Ed.): Mammal Species of the World . 3rd edition. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 .

[Redondo-2] A ^b ^c R. AF Redondo, LPS Brina, RF Silvaa, AD Ditchfield, FR Santos: Molecular systematics of the genus Artibeus (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) . In: Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution , Volume 49, Issue 1, October 2008, pp. 44-58.

[3] Burton K. Lim & al .: Systematic review of small fruit-eating bats (Artibeus) from the Guianas, and a re-evaluation of A. glaucus bogotensis . In: Acta Chiropterologica 2008, No. 10 (2), pp. 243-256.