Dwarf epaulette bats
| Dwarf epaulette bats | ||||||||||||
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| Micropteropus | ||||||||||||
| Matschie , 1899 |
Dwarf epaulette bat ( Micropteropus ) are a genus of mammals in the fruit bat family with two species found in Africa .
species
The genus includes the following species:
- Hayman's small epaulette bat ( Micropteropus intermedius ) lives in the southwest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in northern Angola .
- Peter's small epaulette bat ( Micropteropus pusillus ) has a wide distribution area in sub- Saharan Africa from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east, and south to Angola. However, the species is absent in the Congo Basin . The following descriptions are based primarily on observations of this species.
Distribution area of Hayman's Little Epaulette Bat
Distribution area of Peter's little epaulette bat
features
With a head-torso length of 67 to 105 mm, a forearm length of 46 to 65 mm, a stump tail and a weight of around 20 g for males and 22 g for females, these fruit bats are significantly smaller than their close relatives in the genus Epomophorus . Regarding the body structure, however, there are only minor deviations in details of the skull structure, lips and ear size. The recognition as a genus is based mainly on differences in the chromosomes . The long, thick, and soft fur of the dwarf epaulette bat is brown on the top and lighter on the underside. There are small white tufts of hair at the base of the ears. Males also have the tufts of hair typical of epaulette bats on the shoulders, where there are sac-like glands. The glands could also be registered in some females.
Way of life
The species can be found in open tree populations as well as in forests. They rest near the ground in the thicket or on the trunks of palm trees. Their diet consists mainly of ripe fruits, for which they take longer trips, as well as nectar from the blossoms of the liver sausage tree ( Kigelia africana ). The young animal is usually born at the beginning of one of the two rainy seasons, after which it is suckled for 7 to 13 weeks. Females mate again shortly after birth and are 5 to 6 months pregnant. Sexual maturity occurs in females after 6 months and in males after 11 months.
status
From Micropteropus intermedius only four copies were known to 2008 and the last sighting took place in the 1950s. The species is therefore listed by the IUCN with "insufficient data available" ( data deficient ). Micropteropus pusillus occurs comparatively frequently and is classified in the “ Least Concern ” category.
swell
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. Volume 1. 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD et al. 1999, pp. 282-283, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 . Micropteropus
- Wilson & Reeder (Eds.): Mammal Species of the World . 3. Edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 (English, Micropteropus ).
- Micropteropus on the 2015 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . Retrieved January 29, 2016.
