Long-tailed flower bats
| Long-tailed flower bats | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Choeroniscus | ||||||||||||
| Thomas , 1928 |
The long-tailed flower bats ( Choeroniscus ) is a genus of bats from the family of leaf noses (Phyllostomidae), whose species are native to Central and South America.
The genus name was introduced by Oldfield Thomas to summarize the species with a “normal head” and to differentiate them from the long-nosed bat ( Choeronycteris mexicana ), a species with an extremely elongated snout.
description
Species of the long-tailed flower bats are relatively small and, like all flower bats , have an elongated snout, a triangular nosepiece , short ears and a short tail. Depending on the species, the animals reach a head-trunk length of 50 to 55 mm. The tail is about 12 mm long and the average weight is 8 g. The coat color is usually a uniform brown, with the belly being slightly lighter than the back.
Way of life
Like most bats , species of this genus are nocturnal. They feed mainly on pollen and nectar, which is licked from calyxes while hovering. The bats take on the important role of pollinator for night-flowering plants such as the agave and many species of cacti . Insects and fruits are also eaten as a nutritional supplement.
species
- Godman's long-tailed flower bat ( Choeroniscus godmani ): Mexico to Costa Rica and Colombia via Venezuela to French Guiana . A relatively rare species, but one that has a wide range. The IUCN therefore assesses their existence as safe.
- Small long-tailed flower bat ( Choeroniscus minor ): Venezuela , Colombia , Ecuador , Peru , the Amazon basin of Brazil to French Guiana . Is rated by the IUCN as safe thanks to its widespread use.
- Large long-tailed flower bat ( Choeroniscus periosus ) (also C. ponsi ): southwest of Colombia to northwest of Ecuador at an altitude of up to 500 m above sea level. M. A rare species that only occurs in primary tropical rainforests . The IUCN assesses their existence as endangered as their habitat is being drastically destroyed by the timber industry, agriculture and road construction.
The species C. intermedius and C. inca were listed until 1998 , but today they are counted as C. minor .
Distribution area of Choeroniscus godmani
Distribution area of Choeroniscus minor
Distribution area of Choeroniscus periosus
literature
- RM Nowak (1994): Walker's Bats of the World
swell
- ↑ Choeroniscus godmani in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species .
- ↑ Choeroniscus minor in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species .
- ↑ Choeroniscus periosus in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species .
- ^ NB Simmons, RS Voss (1998): The mammals of Paracou, French Guiana: A Neotropical lowland rainforest fauna. Part I, bats. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 237, pp. 1-219.