Smooth noses

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Smooth noses
Townsend long-eared (Corynorhinus townsendii)

Townsend long-eared ( Corynorhinus townsendii )

Systematics
Subclass : Higher mammals (Eutheria)
Superordinate : Laurasiatheria
Order : Bats (chiroptera)
Subordination : Yangochiroptera
Superfamily : Smooth-nosed (Vespertilionoidea)
Family : Smooth noses
Scientific name
Vespertilionidae
JE Gray , 1821

The smooth noses (Vespertilionidae) are a family of bats . It is the most species-rich family of this group, with around 350 species in around 45 genera worldwide, around a third of all known bat species.

distribution

Smooth noses are distributed worldwide in temperate, subtropical and tropical regions, they are only absent in the Arctic , the Antarctic and on the most remote islands. In Europe, some 35 species are distributed, including about 25 in Central Europe . With the exception of several horseshoe bats , the European free-tailed bat ( Tadarida teniotis ) and the Egyptian fruit bat ( Rousettus aegyptiacus ) in Cyprus include all European bats in this family. A complete list can be found in the Systematics section .

description

Smooth-nosed bats get their name from the fact that, unlike other bats, they do not have a nosepiece; only the subfamily of the Australian long-eared bats has a rudimentary nasal blade. The eyes are small, the ears in contrast very large, they can be up to 40 millimeters long in the long-eared bats ( Plecotus ) and can be closed with an ear cover ( tragus ). The coat color is usually brown, gray or black, but there are also reddish, yellow and several patterned types. A tail is generally present, it is embedded in the tail membrane ( uropatagium ). Smooth noses reach a head body length of 32 to 105 millimeters, a tail length of 25 to 75 millimeters and a weight of 4 to 50 grams.

Way of life

These bats are found in a wide variety of habitats, from arid deserts to moist rainforests. They primarily sleep in caves, but they can also be found in mines, buildings, tree hollows or in large leaves. Some species are solitary, others can be found in large groups of hundreds of thousands of animals. The species in cooler regions migrate to warmer areas during the cold season or hibernate , for which they often seek their own winter quarters. Like most bats, they are nocturnal.

food

Most smooth noses feed on insects . Most catch their prey in flight with the help of their tail-skin, but some collect insects by creeping. Some species are known to eat fish, for this purpose they fish their prey from lakes or rivers with the help of their hind legs.

Reproduction

Most smooth-nosed females have two teats. In many species, the females form "nursery rooms", into which they retire together at birth and the following time when the young are raised. As a rule, the males do not take part in the rearing process. Species in cooler areas mate in autumn or winter, the sperm is stored in the reproductive tract of the female and is only fertilized in spring. In warmer areas, mating can occur all year round. The gestation period is on average 40 to 70 days, usually a single (rarely up to four) young animal is born. Life expectancy is relatively high for animals of their size, individual specimens can reach an age of 20 years and more.

threat

The main threat to the smooth noses is the progressive destruction of their habitat, especially endemic species on small islands are affected. But in Europe too, many species are affected by the renovation of old buildings or by poisoning with insect repellants. The IUCN lists two species as extinct, 27 others are considered critically endangered or threatened, but precise data are lacking for many species.

Systematics

External system

Smooth noses are classified in their own superfamily, Vespertilionoidea. Their closest relatives are the bulldog bats (Molossidae). Fossil ancestors have been documented since the middle Eocene .

Internal system

The internal systematics is still the subject of numerous discussions. The numerous genera are divided into six subfamilies, whose ancestral relationships remain unclear. According to recent studies, the South American species Tomopeas ravus should belong to the bulldog bats , but the Antrozoinae , which are sometimes raised to the rank of a separate family as Antrozoidae, probably belong to the smooth-nosed bats.

European genera and species

literature

  • Christian Dietz, Otto von Helversen , Dietmar Nill: Handbook of the bats of Europe and Northwest Africa. Biology, characteristics, endangerment. 1st edition. Verlag Kosmos, Stuttgart 2007, ISBN 978-3-440-09693-2 , pp. 200-368. (new standard work, scientific research)
  • JE Hill, JD Smith: Bats: a natural history. University of Texas Press, Austin 1984, ISBN 0-292-70752-5 .
  • JA Kirsch, JM Hutcheon, DC Byrnes, BD Lloyd: Affinites and historical zoogeography of the New Zealand Short-tailed bat, Mystacina tuberculata Gray 1843, inferred from DNA-hybridization comparisons. In: Journal of Mammalian Evolution . Volume 5, No. 1, 1998, pp. 33-64.
  • KF Koopman: Order Chiroptera. In: DE Wilson, DM Reeder (Ed.): Mammal species of the world, a taxonomic and geographic reference. 2nd Edition. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC 1993, ISBN 1-56098-217-9 .
  • KF Koopman: Chiroptera: systematics. (= Handbook of Zoology. Volume 8, Part 60: Mammalia ). de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 1994, ISBN 3-11-014081-0 .
  • Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .
  • NB Simmons: A reappraisal of interfamilial relationships of bats. In: TH Kunz, PA Racey (Ed.): Bats: Phylogeny, Morphology, Echolocation and Conservation Biology. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington 1998.
  • NB Simmons, JH Geisler: Phylogenetic relationships of Icaronycteris, Archeonycteris, Hassianycteris, and Palaeochiropteryx to extant bat lineages, with comments on the evolution of echolocation and foraging strategies in microchiroptera. In: Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 235, 1998, pp. 1-182.
  • M. Volleth, K.-G. Heller .: Phylogenetic relationships of vespertilionid genera (Mammalia: Chiroptera) as revealed by karyological analysis. In: Journal for Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research. 32, 1994, pp. 11-34.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Manuel Ruedi , Judith L. Eger, Burton K. Lim and Gábor Csorba. 2017. A New Genus and Species of Vespertilionid Bat from the Indomalayan Region. Journal of Mammalogy. gyx156. DOI: 10.1093 / jmammal / gyx156
  2. ↑ Tamás Görföl, Sergei V. Kruskop, Vuong Tan Tu, Péter Estók, Nguyen Truong Son and Gábor Csorba. 2020. A New Genus of Vespertilionid Bat: The End of A Long Journey for Joffre's Pipistrelle (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae). Journal of Mammalogy. DOI: 10.1093 / jmammal / gyz202

Web links

Commons : Smooth Noses  - Collection of images, videos and audio files