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The flat-faced fruit-eating bat (''Artibeus planirostris'') is a
Flat-faced fruit-eating bats are found through much of northern and central South America east of the Andes. They inhabit a range of forested environments from sea level to elevation, including montane, transitional, and lowland tropical forests and open
Flat-faced fruit-eating bats are nocturnal and herbivorous. They feed almost entirely on fruit, although they may also eat small quantities of insects and
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...
n species of bat
Bats are flying mammals of the order Chiroptera (). With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most birds, flying with their very long spread-out ...
in the family Phyllostomidae. It is sometimes considered a subspecies of the Jamaican fruit bat
The Jamaican, common, or Mexican fruit bat (''Artibeus jamaicensis'') is a frugivorous bat species native species, native to the Neotropical realm, Neotropics.
Description
The Jamaican fruit bat is a medium-sized bat, having a total length of ...
, but can be distinguished by its larger size, the presence of faint stripes on the face, and of a third molar tooth on each side of the upper jaw. Genetic analysis has also shown that the two species may not be closely related.
Description
Flat-faced fruit-eating bats are moderately sized bats, with adults measuring in total length and weighing . The fur is brownish-grey over most of the body, becoming grey on the underparts, although there are faint whitish stripes on the face. As their name suggests, the bats have a broad skull with a short snout. The ears are triangular, with rounded tips, although short compared with those of many other bats, and with a small tragus. The snout bears a prominent triangularnose-leaf
A nose-leaf, or leaf nose, is an often large, lance-shaped nose, found in bats of the Phyllostomidae, Hipposideridae, and Rhinolophidae families. Because these bats Animal echolocation, echolocate nasally, this nose-leaf is thought to serve a role ...
. The wings are dark brown or blackish, with white tips. A well-developed uropatagium
The patagium (: patagia) is a membranous body part that assists an animal in obtaining lift when gliding or flying. The structure is found in extant and extinct groups of flying and gliding animals including bats, theropod dinosaurs (including b ...
stretches between the legs, but there is no visible tail.
Distribution and habitat
Flat-faced fruit-eating bats are found through much of northern and central South America east of the Andes. They inhabit a range of forested environments from sea level to elevation, including montane, transitional, and lowland tropical forests and open cerrado
The Cerrado () is a vast ecoregion of Tropics, tropical savanna in central Brazil, being present in the states of Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Tocantins, Maranhão, Piauí, Bahia, Minas Gerais, São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Paraná ...
habitats. Three subspecies are currently recognised:
* ''Artibeus planirostris planirostris'' - eastern Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
, Paraguay
Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...
* ''Artibeus planirostris fallax'' - southern Venezuela
Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
and Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
, the Guyanas
The Guianas, also spelled Guyanas or Guayanas, are a geographical region in north-eastern South America. Strictly, the term refers to the three Guianas: Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana, formerly British, Dutch, and French Guiana respectiv ...
, through central and western Brazil to eastern Bolivia
Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
and extreme northern Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
* ''Artibeus planirostris hercules'' - eastern Peru
Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
, eastern Ecuador
Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...
Behaviour and biology
Flat-faced fruit-eating bats are nocturnal and herbivorous. They feed almost entirely on fruit, although they may also eat small quantities of insects and mite
Mites are small arachnids (eight-legged arthropods) of two large orders, the Acariformes and the Parasitiformes, which were historically grouped together in the subclass Acari. However, most recent genetic analyses do not recover the two as eac ...
s. They are active throughout the night, and spend the day roosting in trees. Favoured fruit include those of ''Vismia
''Vismia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Hypericaceae. Members of the genus are small trees and shrubs found in tropical and subtropical areas of Central America and South America.
Including the countries of Belize, Bolivia, Brazil ...
'' trees, fig
The fig is the edible fruit of ''Ficus carica'', a species of tree or shrub in the flowering plant family Moraceae, native to the Mediterranean region, together with western and southern Asia. It has been cultivated since ancient times and i ...
s, and Amazon grape. They are apparently capable of breeding throughout the year, although, in at least some areas, births are more common during the wet season. Gestation
Gestation is the period of development during the carrying of an embryo, and later fetus, inside viviparous animals (the embryo develops within the parent). It is typical for mammals, but also occurs for some non-mammals. Mammals during pregn ...
lasts at least three and a half months, and results in the birth of a single young.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q308267 Artibeus Bats of South America Bats of Brazil Mammals of Argentina Mammals of Bolivia Mammals of Colombia Mammals of Ecuador Mammals of French Guiana Mammals of Guyana Mammals of Paraguay Mammals of Peru Mammals of Suriname Mammals of Venezuela Fauna of the Amazon Fauna of the Cerrado Mammals described in 1823 Taxa named by Johann Baptist von Spix Taxonomy articles created by Polbot