Black-shouldered noctule bat
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Black-shouldered noctule bat ( Nycticeius humeralis ) |
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| Nycticeius humeralis | ||||||||||||
| ( Rafinesque , 1818) |
The black- shouldered noctule bat ( Nycticeius humeralis ) is a species of bat belonging to the American noctule species , which is native to North America. The name is made up of the Greek Nycticeius (= "belonging to the night") and the Latin humeralis (= "relating to the upper arm").
description
The black-shouldered noctule bat has a hairless nose, pronounced glands on the muzzle, a short, rounded tragus that is slightly inclined forward, and relatively thick, leathery ears 11 mm in length. The skull is short and wide. The forearm is 34 to 38 mm long, the tail 36 to 41 mm, and the total length is 88 to 105 mm. The coat color is brown with a lighter belly side. The hair on the back has an ash-gray tip.
Way of life
Nycticeius humeralis , like most bats, is nocturnal. The species feeds mainly on beetles , moths and dwarf cicadas . 14.2% (in Indiana ) - 23.5% (in Illinois ) of the diet of Nycticeius humeralis is made up of the corn rootworm Diabrotica undecimpunctata , a major agricultural pest.
During the day, the black-shouldered noctule bat can be found in buildings and crevices, but not in caves. During the winter months, Nycticeius humeralis is completely absent in the northern range, which suggests that this species belongs to the migrating bats that overwinter in the south. In autumn the animals eat their own fat reserves in preparation for the hike. The high energetic value of fat is analogous to that of fat-drawing bird species.
The black-shouldered noctule's most important predators are domestic cats , raccoons and peanuts .
Reproduction
Most females are pregnant with two embryos each. In the spring, when the young are born, the males separate from the females and move to the more southern distribution area. The young are born and raised by the females in so-called mother colonies of 25 to 950 individuals. Within these mother colonies, the females also suckle offspring that are not closely related to them. The exact time of confinement varies geographically, with females giving birth in Alabama , Florida, and Louisiana between mid-May and mid-June, while in the more northerly range, giving birth in June and early July. The young animals hang on the mother's teat immediately after birth. At first they are pink and hairless, the eyes are closed. The fur begins to grow at five days of age and the eyes open as early as 12 to 30 hours after birth. The young animals begin their first attempts at flight after 20 days.
distribution and habitat
The black-shouldered noctule bat occurs in the United States from the east coast to Nebraska , Kansas , Oklahoma and Texas , as well as in northeast Mexico . The species is classified as harmless by the IUCN thanks to its wide distribution.
literature
- LC Watkins (1972): Nycticeius humeralis . In: Mammalian Species , No. 23, pp. 1-4
swell
- ^ JO Whitaker Jr. and P. Clem (1992) Food of the evening bat Nycticeius humeralis from Indiana. American Midland Naturalist, pp. 211-214.
- ↑ GA Feldhammer, JO Whitaker Jr, JK Krejca and SJ Taylor (1995) Food of the evening bat ( Nycticeius humeralis ) and red bat ( Lasiurus borealis ) from southern Illinois. Transaction of Illinois Academic Science, 88 (3-4), pp. 139-143.
- ^ GS Wilkinson (1992) Communal nursing in the evening bat, Nycticeius humeralis. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 31 (4), pp. 225-235.
- ↑ Nycticeius humeralis in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species .
