Solitaire fruit vampire
| Solitaire fruit vampire | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Artibeus incomitatus | ||||||||||||
| Kalko & Handley , 1994 |
The solitary fruit vampire ( Artibeus incomitatus ) is a species of the subgenus Dermanura of the actual fruit vampire of the bats . It occurs only on the only 4 km² large isolated island Escudo de Veraguas in the Caribbean Sea off Panama and is very closely related to the Thomas fruit vampire ( Artibeus watsoni ).
description
The solitary fruit vampire is very similar to the Thomas fruit vampire, but is significantly larger (10% larger body dimensions [59.7 to 54.2 mm] and 6% longer skull [20.9 to 19.6 mm]) and heavier (~ 15% [13 to 11.2 g]), even the smallest specimens are outside the range of variation of A. watsoni in terms of body size . The animals have long, shaggy, two-tone dorsal fur - mostly in umber , but color variations between soot and a strong brown are known. The underside is lighter, mostly colored in sepia . The animals have cream-colored markings on the edges of the ears, as well as light stripes on the face, which, however, are only strongly pronounced in less than half of the individuals to white. The outer extremities are hairy. The skull is robust and large, the rostrum broad, deep and arched.
denture
| 2 | · | 1 | · | 2 | · | 2 | = 28-30 |
| 2 | · | 1 | · | 2 | · | 2-3 |
The I1 have tips of the same size, the rear cutting edges of the P4 are usually slightly and weakly notched. M1 is broad with large outer tubercles , the M3 is very often absent.
behavior
Little is known about the behavior of The Solitary Fruit Vampire other than that they are fruit-eating. In contrast to the neighboring species of the genus Artibeus , however, it feeds on a wider range of fruits. On the other hand, the important source of food for fruit vampires on the mainland, figs, is missing .
distribution
 
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Distribution area (Escudo de Veraguas island off Panama) |
The solitary fruit vampire occurs only on the 4 km² isolated island of Escudo de Veraguas , but on this the species is widespread - with a higher population density than Artibeus watsoni on the mainland and the neighboring islands - and is found in all habitats, including coconut plantations , the swampy lowlands as well as on the flat hills (about 50 m) and the mangroves (sea level). Artibeus incomitatus is the only fruit-eating bat on Escudo de Veraguas.
Parasites
A previously undescribed bat fly of the Streblidae family , which is closely related to the species Paratrichobius lowei of the sister fruit vampire species Artibeus watsoni , lives as an endoparasite on the solitary fruit vampire.
Danger
The solitary fruit vampire is classified as critically endangered by the IUCN because of its small distribution area - its home island only covers 3.4 km² .
Evolution and systematics
The solitary fruit vampire developed from a bat related to the Thomas fruit vampire, the considerable island gigantism of the species within about 9,000 years is due to the small size of Escudo de Veraguas and the lack of food competition with a simultaneous extensive lack of figs , one of the main sources of food from Thomas fruit vampire populations. The classification as a separate species and not as a subspecies of the Thomas fruit vampire is justified by the large morphological differences; even the smallest adult specimens are larger than the range of variation of the Thomas fruit vampire; there are also significant differences in the structure of the teeth, namely the lower M2 .
Names
The specific epithet incomitatus comes from Latin and means alone, unaccompanied and is derived from the isolation of the population from other Artibeus species.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g EKV Kalko, CO Handley: Evolution, Biogeography, and Description of a New Species of Fruit-eating Bat, Genus Artibeus Leach (1821), from Panamá . In: Zeitschrift für Mammaliankunde , 59, 1994, pp. 257-273.
- ^ Fiona A. Reid: A Field Guide to the Mammals of Central America and Southeast Mexico . Oxford University Press, 1998, ISBN 978-0-19-506401-8 , p. 130.
- ↑ Artibeus incomitatus in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: Pino, J. & Samudio, R., 2008. Retrieved November 18, 2009.