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| status = VU
| status = VU
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name=iucn>{{cite journal |author=Arroyo-Cabrales, J. |author2=Ospina-Garces, S. |last-author-amp=yes |title=''Musonycteris harrisoni'' |journal=[[The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species]] |volume=2015 |page=e.T14003A22099002 |publisher=[[IUCN]] |year=2015 |url=http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/14003/0 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T14003A22099002.en |access-date=9 November 2017}}</ref>
| status_ref = <ref name=iucn>{{cite journal |author=Arroyo-Cabrales, J. |author2=Ospina-Garces, S. |last-author-amp=yes |title=''Musonycteris harrisoni'' |journal=[[The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species]] |volume=2015 |page=e.T14003A22099002 |year=2015 |url=http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/14003/0 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T14003A22099002.en |access-date=9 November 2017}}</ref>
| regnum = [[Animal]]ia
| regnum = [[Animal]]ia
| phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]]
| phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]]
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}}
}}


The '''banana bat''' (''Musonycteris harrisoni'') is an endangered species of [[bat]] in the family [[Phyllostomidae]]. It is also commonly known as the '''trumpet-nosed bat'''<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal|url = http://www.science.smith.edu/resources/msi/pdfs/mmsp_622_1_3.pdf|title = Musonycteris harrisoni.|last = Tellez|first = Guillermo|date = 3 December 1999|journal = Mammalian Species|doi = 10.2307/3504527|pmid = |access-date = 19 November 2015|last2 = Ortega|first2 = Jorge|issue = 622}}</ref> or the '''Colima long-nosed bat'''.<ref name=":4" />
The '''banana bat''' (''Musonycteris harrisoni'') is an endangered species of [[bat]] in the family [[Phyllostomidae]]. It is also commonly known as the '''trumpet-nosed bat'''<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal|url = http://www.science.smith.edu/resources/msi/pdfs/mmsp_622_1_3.pdf|title = Musonycteris harrisoni.|last = Tellez|first = Guillermo|date = 3 December 1999|journal = Mammalian Species|doi = 10.2307/3504527|pmid = |access-date = 19 November 2015|last2 = Ortega|first2 = Jorge|issue = 622|pages = 1–3|jstor = 3504527}}</ref> or the '''Colima long-nosed bat'''.<ref name=":4" />


== Description ==
== Description ==
Line 31: Line 31:
This bat is also a neotropical nectar-feeding bats (Phyllostomidae: Glossophaginae).<ref name=":2" /> Neotropical nectar-feeding bats comprise approximately 40 species that differ widely in their dependence on a diet of nectar.<ref name=":2" />
This bat is also a neotropical nectar-feeding bats (Phyllostomidae: Glossophaginae).<ref name=":2" /> Neotropical nectar-feeding bats comprise approximately 40 species that differ widely in their dependence on a diet of nectar.<ref name=":2" />


''M. harrisoni'' can be grouped into two clades.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|title = Phylogeography of Musonycteris harrisoni Along the Pacific Coast of Mexico|url = http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.3161/150811009X485503|journal = Acta Chiropterologica|date = 2009-12-01|issn = 1508-1109|pages = 259–269|volume = 11|issue = 2|doi = 10.3161/150811009X485503|first = Jorge|last = Ortega|first2 = Marco|last2 = Tschapka|first3 = Tania P.|last3 = González-Terrazas|first4 = Gerardo|last4 = Suzán|first5 = Rodrigo A.|last5 = Medellín}}</ref> These clades are divided by region.<ref name=":1" /> There are individuals from the northern or southern portion of the species' range.<ref name=":1" /> These clades have a 41% genetic variance.<ref name=":1" /> The northern clade is restricted by the Sierra Madre mountain range along the Pacific coast of Mexico.<ref name=":1" />
''M. harrisoni'' can be grouped into two clades.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|title = Phylogeography of Musonycteris harrisoni Along the Pacific Coast of Mexico|journal = Acta Chiropterologica|date = 2009-12-01|issn = 1508-1109|pages = 259–269|volume = 11|issue = 2|doi = 10.3161/150811009X485503|first = Jorge|last = Ortega|first2 = Marco|last2 = Tschapka|first3 = Tania P.|last3 = González-Terrazas|first4 = Gerardo|last4 = Suzán|first5 = Rodrigo A.|last5 = Medellín}}</ref> These clades are divided by region.<ref name=":1" /> There are individuals from the northern or southern portion of the species' range.<ref name=":1" /> These clades have a 41% genetic variance.<ref name=":1" /> The northern clade is restricted by the Sierra Madre mountain range along the Pacific coast of Mexico.<ref name=":1" />


== Diet ==
== Diet ==
Banana bats are [[nectarivore]]s. This bat consumes both forest and cultivated plant species in its diet.<ref name=":2" /> The main plant diet of the banana bat consists of ''Cleome, Pseudobombax, Crataeva, Agave, Helicteres'', and ''Pachycereus pecten-aboriginum -'' however they have been seen visiting other types of plants as well.<ref name=":2" /> Even with the long rostrum that ''Musonycteris harrisoni'' has they have no tight relationships with long-tubed flowers that usually require a long rostrum.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|title = Diet and Cranial Morphology of Musonycteris harrisoni, a Highly Specialized Nectar-Feeding Bat in Western Mexico|url = http://jmammal.oxfordjournals.org/content/89/4/924|journal = Journal of Mammalogy|date = 2008-08-15|issn = 0022-2372|pages = 924–932|volume = 89|issue = 4|doi = 10.1644/07-MAMM-A-038.1|first = Marco|last = Tschapka|first2 = Ellen B.|last2 = Sperr|first3 = Luis Antonio|last3 = Caballero-Martínez|first4 = Rodrigo A.|last4 = Medellín}}</ref> The pollen collected on the hair of ''M. harrisoni'' when feeding is usually eaten as one of the only reliable nitrogen sources for the bat.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|title = Feeding adaptations in the hairs and tongues of nectar-feeding bats|url = http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jmor.1051480305/abstract|journal = Journal of Morphology|date = 1976-03-01|issn = 1097-4687|pages = 329–336|volume = 148|issue = 3|doi = 10.1002/jmor.1051480305|first = D. J.|last = Howell|first2 = Norman|last2 = Hodgkin}}</ref> Many other nectarivores shift their main diet from nectar to fruits or insects for part of the year however ''M. harrisoni'' is unable to do this due to their long jaws. (Gardner 1977) Their jaw size restricts them to a liquid food source for leverage reasons.<ref>{{Cite journal|title = The implications of food hardness for diet in bats|url = http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1365-2435.2003.00721.x/abstract|journal = Functional Ecology|date = 2003-04-01|issn = 1365-2435|pages = 201–212|volume = 17|issue = 2|doi = 10.1046/j.1365-2435.2003.00721.x|first = L. F.|last = Aguirre|first2 = A.|last2 = Herrel|first3 = R.|last3 = Van Damme|first4 = E.|last4 = MatThysen}}</ref>
Banana bats are [[nectarivore]]s. This bat consumes both forest and cultivated plant species in its diet.<ref name=":2" /> The main plant diet of the banana bat consists of ''Cleome, Pseudobombax, Crataeva, Agave, Helicteres'', and ''Pachycereus pecten-aboriginum -'' however they have been seen visiting other types of plants as well.<ref name=":2" /> Even with the long rostrum that ''Musonycteris harrisoni'' has they have no tight relationships with long-tubed flowers that usually require a long rostrum.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|title = Diet and Cranial Morphology of Musonycteris harrisoni, a Highly Specialized Nectar-Feeding Bat in Western Mexico|url = http://jmammal.oxfordjournals.org/content/89/4/924|journal = Journal of Mammalogy|date = 2008-08-15|issn = 0022-2372|pages = 924–932|volume = 89|issue = 4|doi = 10.1644/07-MAMM-A-038.1|first = Marco|last = Tschapka|first2 = Ellen B.|last2 = Sperr|first3 = Luis Antonio|last3 = Caballero-Martínez|first4 = Rodrigo A.|last4 = Medellín}}</ref> The pollen collected on the hair of ''M. harrisoni'' when feeding is usually eaten as one of the only reliable nitrogen sources for the bat.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|title = Feeding adaptations in the hairs and tongues of nectar-feeding bats|journal = Journal of Morphology|date = 1976-03-01|issn = 1097-4687|pages = 329–336|volume = 148|issue = 3|doi = 10.1002/jmor.1051480305|pmid = 1255733|first = D. J.|last = Howell|first2 = Norman|last2 = Hodgkin}}</ref> Many other nectarivores shift their main diet from nectar to fruits or insects for part of the year however ''M. harrisoni'' is unable to do this due to their long jaws. (Gardner 1977) Their jaw size restricts them to a liquid food source for leverage reasons.<ref>{{Cite journal|title = The implications of food hardness for diet in bats|journal = Functional Ecology|date = 2003-04-01|issn = 1365-2435|pages = 201–212|volume = 17|issue = 2|doi = 10.1046/j.1365-2435.2003.00721.x|first = L. F.|last = Aguirre|first2 = A.|last2 = Herrel|first3 = R.|last3 = Van Damme|first4 = E.|last4 = MatThysen}}</ref>


Based on 84 pollen findings, ''M. harrisoni'' visited at least 14 pollen-producing plant species during an annual cycle. Additionally, these bats were using the cultivated bananas (''Musa'') that did not produce any pollen.<ref name=":5">{{Cite journal|last=Tschapka|first=Marco|last2=Sperr|first2=Ellen B.|last3=Caballero-Martínez|first3=Luis Antonio|last4=Medellín|first4=Rodrigo A.|date=2008-08-15|title=Diet and Cranial Morphology ofMusonycteris harrisoni, a Highly Specialized Nectar-Feeding Bat in Western Mexico|url=https://academic.oup.com/jmammal/article/89/4/924/871491|journal=Journal of Mammalogy|language=en|volume=89|issue=4|pages=924–932|doi=10.1644/07-MAMM-A-038.1|issn=0022-2372}}</ref>
Based on 84 pollen findings, ''M. harrisoni'' visited at least 14 pollen-producing plant species during an annual cycle. Additionally, these bats were using the cultivated bananas (''Musa'') that did not produce any pollen.<ref name=":5">{{Cite journal|last=Tschapka|first=Marco|last2=Sperr|first2=Ellen B.|last3=Caballero-Martínez|first3=Luis Antonio|last4=Medellín|first4=Rodrigo A.|date=2008-08-15|title=Diet and Cranial Morphology ofMusonycteris harrisoni, a Highly Specialized Nectar-Feeding Bat in Western Mexico|url=https://academic.oup.com/jmammal/article/89/4/924/871491|journal=Journal of Mammalogy|language=en|volume=89|issue=4|pages=924–932|doi=10.1644/07-MAMM-A-038.1|issn=0022-2372}}</ref>
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In one study, eight lactating females were caught in the dry season between mid-March and mid-April. Females caught between July and September showed no signs of advanced pregnancy or lactation, so ''M. harrisoni'' seems to reproduce during the dry season and only once a year. Recaptures of study animals were always less than 1 km apart; most were within 100 m of the initial capture. <ref name=":5" />
In one study, eight lactating females were caught in the dry season between mid-March and mid-April. Females caught between July and September showed no signs of advanced pregnancy or lactation, so ''M. harrisoni'' seems to reproduce during the dry season and only once a year. Recaptures of study animals were always less than 1 km apart; most were within 100 m of the initial capture. <ref name=":5" />


In spite of an obviously variable floral resource environment, ''M. harrisoni'' was a year-round resident in the study area, which might be also related to its body size. Migrations following regional nectar availability (Fleming et al. 1993)<ref>https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00317304</ref> are known so far only from larger glossophagine species such as ''[[Leptonycteris]], [[Mexican long-tongued bat|Choeronycteris mexicana]]'', and to a lesser extent, ''[[Geoffroy's tailless bat|Anoura geoffroyi]]''<ref>https://doi.org/10.2307/3503823</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=|first=|date=|title=Galindo-Galindo C. Castro-Campillo A. Salame-Méndez A. Ramírez-Pulido J.. 2000. Reproductive events and social organization in a colony of Anoura geoffroyi (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) from a temperate Mexican cave.|url=|journal=Acta Zoologica Mexicana 80:51–68.|volume=|pages=|via=}}</ref><ref>https://www.jstor.org/stable/3672433</ref>
In spite of an obviously variable floral resource environment, ''M. harrisoni'' was a year-round resident in the study area, which might be also related to its body size. Migrations following regional nectar availability (Fleming et al. 1993)<ref>{{Cite journal | doi=10.1007/BF00317304| pmid=28313861|title = Seasonal changes in the diets of migrant and non-migrant nectarivorous bats as revealed by carbon stable isotope analysis| journal=Oecologia| volume=94| issue=1| pages=72–75|year = 1993|last1 = Fleming|first1 = Theodore H.| last2=Nu�Ez| first2=Robert A.| last3=Sternberg| first3=Leonel da Silveira Lobo}}</ref> are known so far only from larger glossophagine species such as ''[[Leptonycteris]], [[Mexican long-tongued bat|Choeronycteris mexicana]]'', and to a lesser extent, ''[[Geoffroy's tailless bat|Anoura geoffroyi]]''<ref>{{Cite journal | doi=10.2307/3503823| jstor=3503823|title = Choeronycteris mexicana| journal=Mammalian Species| issue=291| pages=1–5|last1 = Arroyo-Cabrales|first1 = Joaquín| last2=Hollander| first2=Robert R.| last3=Jones| first3=J. Knox| year=1987}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=|first=|date=|title=Galindo-Galindo C. Castro-Campillo A. Salame-Méndez A. Ramírez-Pulido J.. 2000. Reproductive events and social organization in a colony of Anoura geoffroyi (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) from a temperate Mexican cave.|url=|journal=Acta Zoologica Mexicana 80:51–68.|volume=|pages=|via=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |jstor = 3672433|title = Colony Size Fluctuation of Anoura geoffroyi (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) and Temperature Characterization in a Mexican Cave|journal = The Southwestern Naturalist|volume = 46|issue = 3|pages = 358–362|last1 = Ramírez-Pulido|first1 = José|last2 = Galindo-Galindo|first2 = Cristóbal|last3 = Castro-Campillo|first3 = Alondra|last4 = Salame-Méndez|first4 = Arturo|last5 = Armella|first5 = Miguel Angel|year = 2001}}</ref>


== Physiology ==
== Physiology ==
Since ''Musonycteris harrisoni'' feeds on nectar it has developed some special adaptations. One example of this is that the scales on their hairs spread out at an angle to the main shaft.<ref name=":0" /> This is unique because the hairs of most bats are relatively smooth. These scales allow for a heavier coat of pollen.<ref name=":0" /> The collected pollen is useful as a source of nitrogen, however it is also used to pollinate plants. ''M. harrisoni'' serves as a pollinator for ''C. grandiflora.''<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal|title = Effects of Forest Fragmentation on the Colima Long-nosed Bat (Musonycteris harrisoni) Foraging in Tropical Dry Forest of Jalisco, Mexico1|url = http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1744-7429.2002.tb00562.x/abstract|journal = Biotropica|date = 2002-09-01|issn = 1744-7429|pages = 462–467|volume = 34|issue = 3|doi = 10.1111/j.1744-7429.2002.tb00562.x|first = Kathryn E.|last = Stoner|first2 = Mauricio|last2 = Quesada|first3 = Victor|last3 = Rosas-Guerrero|first4 = Jorge A.|last4 = Lobo}}</ref>
Since ''Musonycteris harrisoni'' feeds on nectar it has developed some special adaptations. One example of this is that the scales on their hairs spread out at an angle to the main shaft.<ref name=":0" /> This is unique because the hairs of most bats are relatively smooth. These scales allow for a heavier coat of pollen.<ref name=":0" /> The collected pollen is useful as a source of nitrogen, however it is also used to pollinate plants. ''M. harrisoni'' serves as a pollinator for ''C. grandiflora.''<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal|title = Effects of Forest Fragmentation on the Colima Long-nosed Bat (Musonycteris harrisoni) Foraging in Tropical Dry Forest of Jalisco, Mexico1|journal = Biotropica|date = 2002-09-01|issn = 1744-7429|pages = 462–467|volume = 34|issue = 3|doi = 10.1111/j.1744-7429.2002.tb00562.x|first = Kathryn E.|last = Stoner|first2 = Mauricio|last2 = Quesada|first3 = Victor|last3 = Rosas-Guerrero|first4 = Jorge A.|last4 = Lobo}}</ref>


Another adaptation for nectar feeding is that these bats have a specialized hovering flight to feed on flowers.<ref name=":2" /> They also have a long tongue which can be up to two-thirds of their body length.<ref name=":2" /> This tongue length allows for maximum nectar extracting power.<ref name=":2" /> The tongue of one individual measured 76&nbsp;mm from the ‘‘gape of the jaw to the outstretched tip’’.<ref name=":3" />
Another adaptation for nectar feeding is that these bats have a specialized hovering flight to feed on flowers.<ref name=":2" /> They also have a long tongue which can be up to two-thirds of their body length.<ref name=":2" /> This tongue length allows for maximum nectar extracting power.<ref name=":2" /> The tongue of one individual measured 76&nbsp;mm from the ‘‘gape of the jaw to the outstretched tip’’.<ref name=":3" />
Line 56: Line 56:
* {{cite journal | last1 = Tschapka | first1 = Marco | last2 = Sperr | first2 = Ellen B. | last3 = Caballero-Martínez | first3 = Luis Antonio | last4 = Medellín | first4 = Rodrigo A. | year = 2008 | title = Diet and Cranial Morphology of ''Musonycteris harrisoni,'' a Highly Specialized Nectar-Feeding Bat in Western Mexico | url = | journal = Journal of Mammalogy | volume = 89 | issue = 4| pages = 924–932 | doi = 10.1644/07-MAMM-A-038.1 }}
* {{cite journal | last1 = Tschapka | first1 = Marco | last2 = Sperr | first2 = Ellen B. | last3 = Caballero-Martínez | first3 = Luis Antonio | last4 = Medellín | first4 = Rodrigo A. | year = 2008 | title = Diet and Cranial Morphology of ''Musonycteris harrisoni,'' a Highly Specialized Nectar-Feeding Bat in Western Mexico | url = | journal = Journal of Mammalogy | volume = 89 | issue = 4| pages = 924–932 | doi = 10.1644/07-MAMM-A-038.1 }}
* {{cite journal | last1 = Ortega | first1 = Jorge | last2 = Tschapka | first2 = Marco | last3 = González-Terrazas | first3 = Tania P. | last4 = Suzán | first4 = Gerardo | last5 = Medellín | first5 = Rodrigo A. | year = 2009 | title = Phylogeography of ''Musonycteris harrisoni'' Along the Pacific Coast of Mexico | url = | journal = Acta Chiropterologica | volume = 11 | issue = 2| pages = 259–269 | doi = 10.3161/150811009X485503 }}
* {{cite journal | last1 = Ortega | first1 = Jorge | last2 = Tschapka | first2 = Marco | last3 = González-Terrazas | first3 = Tania P. | last4 = Suzán | first4 = Gerardo | last5 = Medellín | first5 = Rodrigo A. | year = 2009 | title = Phylogeography of ''Musonycteris harrisoni'' Along the Pacific Coast of Mexico | url = | journal = Acta Chiropterologica | volume = 11 | issue = 2| pages = 259–269 | doi = 10.3161/150811009X485503 }}
* {{cite journal | last1 = Howell | first1 = D. J. | last2 = Hodgkin | first2 = Norman | year = 1976 | title = Feeding adaptations in the hairs and tongues of nectar-feeding bats | url = | journal = Journal of Morphology | volume = 148 | issue = 3| pages = 329–336 | doi = 10.1002/jmor.1051480305 }}
* {{cite journal | last1 = Howell | first1 = D. J. | last2 = Hodgkin | first2 = Norman | year = 1976 | title = Feeding adaptations in the hairs and tongues of nectar-feeding bats | url = | journal = Journal of Morphology | volume = 148 | issue = 3| pages = 329–336 | doi = 10.1002/jmor.1051480305 | pmid = 1255733 }}
* {{cite journal | last1 = Aguirre | first1 = L. F. | last2 = Herrel | first2 = A. | last3 = Van Damme | first3 = R. | last4 = MatThysen | first4 = E. | year = 2003 | title = The implications of food hardness for diet in bats | url = | journal = Functional Ecology | volume = 17 | issue = 2| pages = 201–212 | doi = 10.1046/j.1365-2435.2003.00721.x }}
* {{cite journal | last1 = Aguirre | first1 = L. F. | last2 = Herrel | first2 = A. | last3 = Van Damme | first3 = R. | last4 = MatThysen | first4 = E. | year = 2003 | title = The implications of food hardness for diet in bats | url = | journal = Functional Ecology | volume = 17 | issue = 2| pages = 201–212 | doi = 10.1046/j.1365-2435.2003.00721.x }}



Revision as of 19:17, 25 October 2018

Banana bat
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Phylum:
Class:
Order:
Family:
Genus:
Musonycteris

Schaldach & McLaughlin, 1960
Species:
M. harrisoni
Binomial name
Musonycteris harrisoni
Schaldach & McLaughlin, 1960

The banana bat (Musonycteris harrisoni) is an endangered species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae. It is also commonly known as the trumpet-nosed bat[2] or the Colima long-nosed bat.[3]

Description

M. harrisoni is a medium-sized bat ( 12.6g males, 10.9g females) with an extremely long rostrum, small rounded ears, and a short tail.[2] Due to the size of the rostrum this bat also has a long skull.[2] The rostrum makes up approximately half the length of the skull.[2] The common coloring of this bat is grayish brown.[2] The base of each individual hair is white with a brown tip.[2]

Distribution and Habitat

This species was first discovered in a banana grove. (Gardner, 1977) Musonycteris harrisoni is endemic to Mexico. The main distribution within Mexico is in the states of Colima, Michoacán, and Guerrero.[4] This bat is one of the phyllostomid bats with the smallest range, covering only approximately 20,000 km^2.[4] Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry shrubland. It is threatened by habitat loss. The maximum recorded altitude for the species is over 1,700 m.[2]

Phylogeny

Musonycteris harrisoni is monotypic within the genus Musonycteris.[citation needed]

This bat is also a neotropical nectar-feeding bats (Phyllostomidae: Glossophaginae).[4] Neotropical nectar-feeding bats comprise approximately 40 species that differ widely in their dependence on a diet of nectar.[4]

M. harrisoni can be grouped into two clades.[5] These clades are divided by region.[5] There are individuals from the northern or southern portion of the species' range.[5] These clades have a 41% genetic variance.[5] The northern clade is restricted by the Sierra Madre mountain range along the Pacific coast of Mexico.[5]

Diet

Banana bats are nectarivores. This bat consumes both forest and cultivated plant species in its diet.[4] The main plant diet of the banana bat consists of Cleome, Pseudobombax, Crataeva, Agave, Helicteres, and Pachycereus pecten-aboriginum - however they have been seen visiting other types of plants as well.[4] Even with the long rostrum that Musonycteris harrisoni has they have no tight relationships with long-tubed flowers that usually require a long rostrum.[4] The pollen collected on the hair of M. harrisoni when feeding is usually eaten as one of the only reliable nitrogen sources for the bat.[6] Many other nectarivores shift their main diet from nectar to fruits or insects for part of the year however M. harrisoni is unable to do this due to their long jaws. (Gardner 1977) Their jaw size restricts them to a liquid food source for leverage reasons.[7]

Based on 84 pollen findings, M. harrisoni visited at least 14 pollen-producing plant species during an annual cycle. Additionally, these bats were using the cultivated bananas (Musa) that did not produce any pollen.[8]

Behavior

In one study, eight lactating females were caught in the dry season between mid-March and mid-April. Females caught between July and September showed no signs of advanced pregnancy or lactation, so M. harrisoni seems to reproduce during the dry season and only once a year. Recaptures of study animals were always less than 1 km apart; most were within 100 m of the initial capture. [8]

In spite of an obviously variable floral resource environment, M. harrisoni was a year-round resident in the study area, which might be also related to its body size. Migrations following regional nectar availability (Fleming et al. 1993)[9] are known so far only from larger glossophagine species such as Leptonycteris, Choeronycteris mexicana, and to a lesser extent, Anoura geoffroyi[10][11][12]

Physiology

Since Musonycteris harrisoni feeds on nectar it has developed some special adaptations. One example of this is that the scales on their hairs spread out at an angle to the main shaft.[6] This is unique because the hairs of most bats are relatively smooth. These scales allow for a heavier coat of pollen.[6] The collected pollen is useful as a source of nitrogen, however it is also used to pollinate plants. M. harrisoni serves as a pollinator for C. grandiflora.[3]

Another adaptation for nectar feeding is that these bats have a specialized hovering flight to feed on flowers.[4] They also have a long tongue which can be up to two-thirds of their body length.[4] This tongue length allows for maximum nectar extracting power.[4] The tongue of one individual measured 76 mm from the ‘‘gape of the jaw to the outstretched tip’’.[2]

References

  1. ^ Arroyo-Cabrales, J.; Ospina-Garces, S. (2015). "Musonycteris harrisoni". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015: e.T14003A22099002. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T14003A22099002.en. Retrieved 9 November 2017. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |last-author-amp= ignored (|name-list-style= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Tellez, Guillermo; Ortega, Jorge (3 December 1999). "Musonycteris harrisoni" (PDF). Mammalian Species (622): 1–3. doi:10.2307/3504527. JSTOR 3504527. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  3. ^ a b Stoner, Kathryn E.; Quesada, Mauricio; Rosas-Guerrero, Victor; Lobo, Jorge A. (2002-09-01). "Effects of Forest Fragmentation on the Colima Long-nosed Bat (Musonycteris harrisoni) Foraging in Tropical Dry Forest of Jalisco, Mexico1". Biotropica. 34 (3): 462–467. doi:10.1111/j.1744-7429.2002.tb00562.x. ISSN 1744-7429.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Tschapka, Marco; Sperr, Ellen B.; Caballero-Martínez, Luis Antonio; Medellín, Rodrigo A. (2008-08-15). "Diet and Cranial Morphology of Musonycteris harrisoni, a Highly Specialized Nectar-Feeding Bat in Western Mexico". Journal of Mammalogy. 89 (4): 924–932. doi:10.1644/07-MAMM-A-038.1. ISSN 0022-2372.
  5. ^ a b c d e Ortega, Jorge; Tschapka, Marco; González-Terrazas, Tania P.; Suzán, Gerardo; Medellín, Rodrigo A. (2009-12-01). "Phylogeography of Musonycteris harrisoni Along the Pacific Coast of Mexico". Acta Chiropterologica. 11 (2): 259–269. doi:10.3161/150811009X485503. ISSN 1508-1109.
  6. ^ a b c Howell, D. J.; Hodgkin, Norman (1976-03-01). "Feeding adaptations in the hairs and tongues of nectar-feeding bats". Journal of Morphology. 148 (3): 329–336. doi:10.1002/jmor.1051480305. ISSN 1097-4687. PMID 1255733.
  7. ^ Aguirre, L. F.; Herrel, A.; Van Damme, R.; MatThysen, E. (2003-04-01). "The implications of food hardness for diet in bats". Functional Ecology. 17 (2): 201–212. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2435.2003.00721.x. ISSN 1365-2435.
  8. ^ a b Tschapka, Marco; Sperr, Ellen B.; Caballero-Martínez, Luis Antonio; Medellín, Rodrigo A. (2008-08-15). "Diet and Cranial Morphology ofMusonycteris harrisoni, a Highly Specialized Nectar-Feeding Bat in Western Mexico". Journal of Mammalogy. 89 (4): 924–932. doi:10.1644/07-MAMM-A-038.1. ISSN 0022-2372.
  9. ^ Fleming, Theodore H.; Nu�Ez, Robert A.; Sternberg, Leonel da Silveira Lobo (1993). "Seasonal changes in the diets of migrant and non-migrant nectarivorous bats as revealed by carbon stable isotope analysis". Oecologia. 94 (1): 72–75. doi:10.1007/BF00317304. PMID 28313861. {{cite journal}}: replacement character in |last2= at position 3 (help)
  10. ^ Arroyo-Cabrales, Joaquín; Hollander, Robert R.; Jones, J. Knox (1987). "Choeronycteris mexicana". Mammalian Species (291): 1–5. doi:10.2307/3503823. JSTOR 3503823.
  11. ^ "Galindo-Galindo C. Castro-Campillo A. Salame-Méndez A. Ramírez-Pulido J.. 2000. Reproductive events and social organization in a colony of Anoura geoffroyi (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) from a temperate Mexican cave". Acta Zoologica Mexicana 80:51–68.
  12. ^ Ramírez-Pulido, José; Galindo-Galindo, Cristóbal; Castro-Campillo, Alondra; Salame-Méndez, Arturo; Armella, Miguel Angel (2001). "Colony Size Fluctuation of Anoura geoffroyi (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) and Temperature Characterization in a Mexican Cave". The Southwestern Naturalist. 46 (3): 358–362. JSTOR 3672433.
  • Chiroptera Specialist Group 1996. Musonycteris harrisoni. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 30 July 2007
  • GARDNER, A. L. 1977. Feeding habits. Pp. 293–350, in Biology of the bats of the New World family Phyllostomatidae. Part II (R. J. Baker, J. K. Jones Jr., and D. C. Carter, eds.). Special Publications, The Museum, Texas Tech University, 13:1–364.
  • Tellez, Guillermo; Ortega, Jorge (3 December 1999). "Musonycteris harrisoni." (PDF). Mammalian Species (No. 622). Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  • Stoner, Kathryn E.; Quesada, Mauricio; Rosas-Guerrero, Victor; Lobo, Jorge A. (2002). "Effects of Forest Fragmentation on the Colima Long-nosed Bat (Musonycteris harrisoni) Foraging in Tropical Dry Forest of Jalisco, Mexico". Biotropica. 34 (3): 462–467. doi:10.1111/j.1744-7429.2002.tb00562.x.
  • Tschapka, Marco; Sperr, Ellen B.; Caballero-Martínez, Luis Antonio; Medellín, Rodrigo A. (2008). "Diet and Cranial Morphology of Musonycteris harrisoni, a Highly Specialized Nectar-Feeding Bat in Western Mexico". Journal of Mammalogy. 89 (4): 924–932. doi:10.1644/07-MAMM-A-038.1.
  • Ortega, Jorge; Tschapka, Marco; González-Terrazas, Tania P.; Suzán, Gerardo; Medellín, Rodrigo A. (2009). "Phylogeography of Musonycteris harrisoni Along the Pacific Coast of Mexico". Acta Chiropterologica. 11 (2): 259–269. doi:10.3161/150811009X485503.
  • Howell, D. J.; Hodgkin, Norman (1976). "Feeding adaptations in the hairs and tongues of nectar-feeding bats". Journal of Morphology. 148 (3): 329–336. doi:10.1002/jmor.1051480305. PMID 1255733.
  • Aguirre, L. F.; Herrel, A.; Van Damme, R.; MatThysen, E. (2003). "The implications of food hardness for diet in bats". Functional Ecology. 17 (2): 201–212. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2435.2003.00721.x.