Long-winged bats

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Long-winged bats
Long-winged bat (Miniopterus Schreibersi)

Long-winged bat ( Miniopterus Schreibersi )

Systematics
Subclass : Higher mammals (Eutheria)
Superordinate : Laurasiatheria
Order : Bats (chiroptera)
Superfamily : Smooth-nosed (Vespertilionoidea)
Family : Miniopteridae
Genre : Long-winged bats
Scientific name of the  family
Miniopteridae
Dobson , 1875
Scientific name of the  genus
Miniopterus
Bonaparte , 1837

The long-winged bats ( Miniopterus ) are a species of bat that is widespread in southern Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia . The genus includes about 25 species, the best known is the (real) long-winged bat , which also lives in Europe .

description

Long-winged bats are characterized by their elongated fingers, which stretch a correspondingly wide flight membrane. The tail, which is completely embedded in the tail membrane, is also longer than that of bats of comparable size. The head of these animals is characterized by the short snout and the thick hair. The coat color varies from reddish brown to gray. Long-winged bats are relatively small animals, they reach a head body length of 4 to 8 centimeters, a tail length of 4 to 7 centimeters and a weight of 6 to 24 grams.

distribution

These bats are common in large parts of the Old World, they live in southern Europe , Africa , large parts of Asia , Australia and many oceanic islands.

Way of life

Long-winged bats often live in large groups that can sometimes contain more than a hundred thousand animals. They prefer caves as sleeping places, but they can also be found in crevices, tree hollows and buildings. Like most bats, they are nocturnal, in the early evening they go looking for food with rapid wing flaps. They feed primarily on insects such as small beetles . In the cooler regions they hibernate or migrate to warmer areas.

Reproduction

In cooler regions, mating takes place in autumn, but the embryo does not grow until late winter and the young are usually born in spring. The animals in tropical regions also usually have a fixed mating season, but there is no delayed embryonic development there. The gestation period is around three months, and many species have maternity roosts in which the females retreat for birth and to raise their young. The young animal is weaned after around two months, and sexual maturity occurs at around one to two years. Life expectancy is a maximum of nine years.

threat

The destruction of the habitat is the main threat to long-winged bats. The long-winged bat has disappeared from large parts of Central Europe, and some other species are also endangered.

Systematics

The genus Miniopterus was first described in 1837 by the Italian zoologist Charles Lucien Jules Laurent Bonaparte , the monotypical subfamily Miniopterinae was introduced in 1875 by the Irish zoologist George Edward Dobson . The genus and subfamily were assigned to the smooth-nosed family (Vespertilionidae). After numerous phylogenetic studies, the subfamily is now classified as an independent family (Miniopteridae).

The species

There are around 25 different types:

However, the final number of species and the delimitation of the species from one another has not been established. Sometimes the Melanesian long-winged bat ( Minopterus macrocneme ) from Southeast Asia and Oceania is listed as a separate species.

literature

  • Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World . Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999, ISBN 0801857899

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Dobson, GE 1875. Conspectus of the suborders, families and genera of Chiroptera arranged according to their natural affinities. Annals & Magazine of Natural History series 4 16: 345-357.
  2. ^ Hoofer, SR & Van den Bussche, RA 2003. Molecular Phylogenetics of the Chiropteran Family Vespertilionidae. Acta Chiropterologica 5 (supplement): 1-63. doi: 10.3161 / 001.005.s101
  3. ↑ Van Den Bussche, RA & Hoofer, SR 2004. Phylogenetic relationships among recent chiropteran families and the importance of choosing appropriate out-group taxa. Journal of Mammalogy 85 (2): 321-330. [[doi: 10.1644 / 1545-1542 (2004) 085 <0321: PRARCF> 2.0.CO; 2]]
  4. ↑ Hutcheon, JM & Kirsch, JAW 2004. Camping in a different tree: results of molecular systematic studies of bats using DNA-DNA hybridization. Journal of Mammalian Evolution 11 (1): 17-47. doi: 10.1023 / B: JOMM.0000029144.80747.d2
  5. ↑ Eick, GN, Jacobs, DS & Matthee, CA 2005. A Nuclear DNA Phylogenetic Perspective on the Evolution of Echolocation and Historical Biogeography of Extant Bats (Chiroptera). Molecular Biology and Evolution 22 (9): 1869-1886. doi: 10.1093 / molbev / msi180
  6. ↑ Miller-Butterworth, CM, Murphy, WJ, O'Brien SJ, Jacobs, DS, Springer, MS & Teeling, EC 2007. A family matter: conclusive resolution of the taxonomic position of the long-fingered bats, Miniopterus. Molecular Biology and Evolution 24 (7): 1553-1561. doi: 10.1093 / molbev / msm076 Full article (PDF) Reference page.
  7. ↑ a b c Goodman, SM, Maminirina, CP, Bradman, HM, Christidis, L. and Appleton, B. 2009. The use of molecular phylogenetic and morphological tools to identify cryptic and paraphyletic species: Examples from the diminutive long-fingered bats (Chiroptera: Miniopteridae: Miniopterus) on Madagascar. American Museum Novitates 3669: 1-34.
  8. ↑ Goodman et al .: Description of a new species of the Miniopterus aelleni group (Chiroptera: Miniopteridae) from upland areas of central and northern Madagascar. Zootaxa 3936 (4): 538-558 (March 2015), doi: 10.11646 / zootaxa.3936.4.4
  9. ↑ SM Goodman, CP Maminirina, HM Bradman, L. Christidis, BR Appleton. Patterns of morphological and genetic variation in the endemic Malagasy bat Miniopterus gleni (Chiroptera: Miniopteridae), with the description of a new species, M. griffithsi. Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research, Vol 48 Issue 1, DOI: 10.1111 / j.1439-0469.2009.00524.x
  10. ↑ Puechmaille, Sebastien J., Benjamin Allegrini, Petr Benda, Kanat Gürün, Jan Šrámek, Carlos Ibañez, Javier Juste & Rasit Bilgin. 2014. A new species of the Miniopterus Schreibersii species complex (Chiroptera: Miniopteridae) from the Maghreb Region, North Africa. Zootaxa . 3794 (1): 108-124. doi: 10.11646 / zootaxa.3794.1.4
  11. ↑ Ara Monadjem, Steven M. Goodman, William T. Stanlay & Belinda Appleton: A cryptic new species of Miniopterus from south-eastern Africa based on molecular and morphological characters. Zootaxa 3746 (1): 123-142 (Dec. 10, 2013)
  12. ↑ Ara Monadjem, Julie T. Shapiro, Leigh R. Richards, Hatice Karabulut, Wing Crawley, Ida Broman Nielsen, Anders Hansen, Kristine Bohmann and Tobias Mourier. 2020. Systematics of West African Miniopterus with the Description of A New Species. Acta Chiropterologica. 21 (2); 237-256. DOI: 10.3161 / 15081109ACC2019.21.2.001
  13. ↑ Ara Monadjem, Jen Guyton, Piotr Naskrecki, Leigh R. Richards, Anna S. Kropff and Desire L. Dalton. 2020. Cryptic Diversity in the Genus Miniopterus with the Description of A New Species from southern Africa. Acta Chiropterologica. 22 (1); 1-19. DOI: 10.3161 / 15081109ACC2020.22.1.001

Web links

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