The fraternal fruit-eating bat (''Artibeus fraterculus'') is a 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 that is found in drier habitats in

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 ...

and

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 ...

. It was formerly considered to be a

subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

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 was raised to species level in 1978. The smallest species in the group of large ''

Artibeus The Neotropical fruit bats (''Artibeus'') are a genus of bats within the subfamily Stenodermatinae. The genus consists of 12 species, which are native to Central America, Central and South America, as well as the Caribbean. Description These bat ...

'' (a group that also includes the Jamaican fruit bat, flat-faced fruit-eating bat, and great fruit-eating bat), it has a forearm length of , a total length of , and a weight of . It is a generalist

frugivore A frugivore ( ) is an animal that thrives mostly on raw fruits or succulent fruit-like produce of plants such as roots, shoots, nuts and seeds. Approximately 20% of mammalian herbivores eat fruit. Frugivores are highly dependent on the abundance ...

, feeding on a variety of fruit and supplementing its diet with insects. It breeds in both the wet and

dry season The dry season is a yearly period of low rainfall, especially in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which moves from the northern to the southern tropics and back over the course of the year. The t ...

, with

parturition Birth is the act or process of bearing or bringing forth offspring, also referred to in technical contexts as parturition. In mammals, the process is initiated by hormones which cause the muscular walls of the uterus to contract, expelling the f ...

(birth of young) peaking in February and May. The only known predator is the

barn owl The barn owls, owls in the genus '' Tyto'', are the most widely distributed genus of owls in the world. They are medium-sized owls with large heads and characteristic heart-shaped faces. They have long, strong legs with powerful talons. The ter ...

, although it may also be hunted by other

birds of prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as (although not the same as) raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively predation, hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and smaller birds). In addition to speed ...

and the

spectral bat The spectral bat (''Vampyrum spectrum''), also called the great false vampire bat, great spectral bat, American false vampire bat or Linnaeus's false vampire bat, is a large, carnivorous leaf-nosed bat found in Mexico, Central America, and Sout ...

. It is parasitized by species of streblid bat flies,

mites 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 ...

, and

protozoans Protozoa (: protozoan or protozoon; alternative plural: protozoans) are a polyphyletic group of single-celled eukaryotes, either free-living or parasitic, that feed on organic matter such as other microorganisms or organic debris. Historically ...

. The fraternal fruit-eating bat is listed as being a species of

least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been evaluated and categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as not being a focus of wildlife conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wil ...

by the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the stat ...

(IUCN) on the

IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological ...

due to its commonness, large range, and lack of significant population declines. However, it may be threatened by

heavy metal poisoning A toxic heavy metal is a common but misleading term for a metal-like element noted for its potential toxicity. Not all heavy metals are toxic and some toxic metals are not heavy. Elements often discussed as toxic include cadmium, mercury and ...

in some areas.

Taxonomy and systematics

The fraternal fruit-eating bat was first described in 1924 by Harold Elmer Anthony on the basis of a specimen collected at an altitude of in

Portovelo Portovelo Curipamba is a town in the El Oro Province of 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 o ...

, el Oro,

. It was subsequently considered a

(''Artibeus jamaicensis''), until it was raised to species level again by Karl Koopman in 1978 on the basis of morphological data. The generic name ''Artibeus'' is from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

''arti'', meaning straight, and ''bao'', meaning to walk. The

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

''fraterculus'' means "little brother" in

Modern Latin Neo-LatinSidwell, Keith ''Classical Latin-Medieval Latin-Neo Latin'' in ; others, throughout. (also known as New Latin and Modern Latin) is the style of written Latin used in original literary, scholarly, and scientific works, first in Italy d ...

, referring to the fact that the fraternal fruit-eating bat is the smallest species in the group of large ''

''. In English, the species is also known as the western artibeus, while it is known as the or in Spanish. The fraternal fruit-eating bat is one of 12 species in the genus ''Artibeus''. Within the genus, it was historically considered to be part of the Jamaican fruit bat complex. Instead, studies of

mitochondrial DNA Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA and mDNA) is the DNA located in the mitochondrion, mitochondria organelles in a eukaryotic cell that converts chemical energy from food into adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Mitochondrial DNA is a small portion of the D ...

have shown that it is

sister A sister is a woman or a girl who shares parents or a parent with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to ref ...

to the

hairy fruit-eating bat The hairy fruit-eating bat (''Artibeus hirsutus'') is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae. It is endemic to Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in La ...

, and these two species form a sister

clade In biology, a clade (), also known as a Monophyly, monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach t ...

to the Honduran fruit-eating bat. It diverged from other species around 2.3 million years ago, after the closure of the Panamian land bridge. The species is considered to be representative of a historical connection between bats on the west Andean slope and Middle America, as it is most closely related to species that are now restricted to Middle America.

Description

The fraternal fruit-eating bat is the smallest species of large ''Artibeus'' (a group that also includes the Jamaican fruit bat, flat-faced fruit-eating bat, and great fruit-eating bat), with a forearm length of and total length of . Adults weigh . It is the palest South American ''Artibeus'', and is similar in appearance to Anderson's fruit-eating bat, but smaller. It occurs in both grayish-brown and yellowish-brown color morphs. It has soft velvety fur, which is short on the back. The dorsal fur is dark gray to dark brown. The fur on the underside is pale and appears frosted due to the silvery-gray tip of each hair. The head is large with a relatively big

snout A snout is the protruding portion of an animal's face, consisting of its nose, mouth, and jaw. In many animals, the structure is called a muzzle, Rostrum (anatomy), rostrum, beak or proboscis. The wet furless surface around the nostrils of the n ...

and a large, well-developed, and elliptical

noseleaf A nose-leaf, or leaf nose, is an often large, lance-shaped nose, found in bats of the Phyllostomidae, Hipposideridae The Hipposideridae are a family (biology), family of bats commonly known as the Old World leaf-nosed bats. While it has often ...

with a free horseshoe. The ears and noseleaf, along with the skin membrane on the forearm,

tibia The tibia (; : tibiae or tibias), also known as the shinbone or shankbone, is the larger, stronger, and anterior (frontal) of the two Leg bones, bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates (the other being the fibula, behind and to the outsi ...

metacarpals In human anatomy, the metacarpal bones or metacarpus, also known as the "palm bones", are the appendicular skeleton, appendicular bones that form the intermediate part of the hand between the phalanges (fingers) and the carpal bones (wrist, wris ...

, and

phalanges The phalanges (: phalanx ) are digit (anatomy), digital bones in the hands and foot, feet of most vertebrates. In primates, the Thumb, thumbs and Hallux, big toes have two phalanges while the other Digit (anatomy), digits have three phalanges. ...

are pale brown, contrasting with the dark blackish

patagium 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 (inclu ...

(wing membrane). The tragus (a projection in front of the ear) is gray to dark gray, while the feet and uropatagium (tail membrane) are dark brown. The

propatagium 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 bi ...

extends to the first thumb phalanx, while the wing membrane extends to the base of the thumbs. The tail membrane has a slightly hairy central notch and the tail is absent. The

dental formula Dentition pertains to the development of teeth and their arrangement in the mouth. In particular, it is the characteristic arrangement, kind, and number of teeth in a given species at a given age. That is, the number, type, and morpho-physiology ...

is , with a total of 30 teeth. The fraternal fruit-eating bat's facial lines are faint and hardly visible, and some individuals have lower stripes that are unnoticeable. Contrastingly, Anderson's fruit bats have thin, clearly visible facial lines, while the great fruit-eating bat has prominent facial lines. The flat-faced fruit-eating bat also has conspicuous facial lines.

Ecology

Diet

The fraternal fruit-eating bat is mainly a

, feeding on a wide variety of fruit such as ''

Ficus ''Ficus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes and hemiepiphytes in the family (biology), family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few spe ...

'' figs,

mangoes A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree ''Mangifera indica''. It originated from the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South and Southeast Asi ...

loquats The loquat (''Eriobotrya japonica'', Chinese: 枇杷; Pinyin: pípá) is a large evergreen shrub or tree grown commercially for its orange fruit. It is also cultivated as an ornamental plant. The loquat is in the family Rosaceae, subfamily Spir ...

'','' ''

Brosimum alicastrum ''Brosimum alicastrum'', commonly known as breadnut, Maya nut or ramon, and many others, is a tree species in the family Moraceae of flowering plants, whose other genera include figs and mulberries. Two subspecies are commonly recognized: * ''B. ...

'', ''

Muntingia calabura ''Muntingia'' is a genus of plants in the family Muntingiaceae, comprising only one species, ''Muntingia calabura'', named in honour of Abraham Munting. It is native from Mexico south to Bolivia and Argentina. Its fruit is edible, and it has been ...

'', ''

Psidium guajava ''Psidium guajava'', the common guava, yellow guava, lemon guava, or apple guava is an evergreen shrub or small tree native to the Caribbean, Central America and South America. It is easily pollinator, pollinated by insects; when cultivated, it ...

'', ''

Syzygium jambos ''Syzygium jambos'' is a species of rose apple originating in Southeast Asia and occurring widely elsewhere, having been introduced as an ornamental and fruit tree.Janick, Jules. Paull, Robert E. The Encyclopedia of Fruit & Nuts. Publisher: C ...

'', '' Iochroma arborescens'', '' Solanum crinitipes'', '' Styrax subargentea'', '' Cecropia obtusifolia'', and '' Cecropia polystachya''. It also supplements its diet with insects.

Breeding

The fraternal fruit-eating bat is a

seasonal breeder Seasonal breeders are animal species that successfully mate only during certain times of the year. These times of year allow for the optimization of survival of young due to factors such as ambient temperature, food and water availability, and ch ...

which breeds twice a year in both the wet and

. Although it gives

birth Birth is the act or process of bearing or bringing forth offspring, also referred to in technical contexts as parturition. In mammals, the process is initiated by hormones which cause the muscular walls of the uterus to contract, expelling the f ...

in both seasons, it peaks during February and May. Pregnant females have also been reported in October and November, while

lactating Lactation describes the secretion of milk from the mammary glands and the period of time that a mother lactates to feed her young. The process naturally occurs with all sexually mature female mammals, although it may predate mammals. The proces ...

females have been reported in July and November. During the dry season, males with descended

gonads A gonad, sex gland, or reproductive gland is a mixed gland and sex organ that produces the gametes and sex hormones of an organism. Female reproductive cells are egg cells, and male reproductive cells are sperm. The male gonad, the testicle, ...

and females with developed nipples have been reported in September.

Predation

The only known predator of the fraternal fruit-eating bat is the

. However, it may also be predated by other species of owls and the

bat falcon The bat falcon (''Falco rufigularis'') is a bird of prey in the family Falconidae, the falcons and caracaras. It is found in Mexico, Central America, Trinidad, and every mainland South American country except Chile and Uruguay.Remsen, J. V., J ...

. Another possible predator is the

Parasites

The fraternal fruit-eating bat is parasitized by the streblid bat flies '' Aspidoptera phyllostomatis'', '' Megistopoda aranea'', '' Metelasmus pseudopterus'', '' Speiseria ambigua'', '' Strebla guajiro'', and '' Trichobius joblingi'' and the

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 ...

'' Periglischrus iheringi''. It is also parasitized by the

protozoan Protozoa (: protozoan or protozoon; alternative plural: protozoans) are a polyphyletic group of single-celled eukaryotes, either free-living or parasitic, that feed on organic matter such as other microorganisms or organic debris. Historically ...

Trypanosoma cruzi ''Trypanosoma cruzi'' is a species of parasitic euglenoids. Among the protozoa, the trypanosomes characteristically bore tissue in another organism and feed on blood (primarily) and also lymph. This behaviour causes disease or the likelihood ...

''.

Echolocation

The starting

frequency Frequency is the number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit of time. Frequency is an important parameter used in science and engineering to specify the rate of oscillatory and vibratory phenomena, such as mechanical vibrations, audio ...

of echolocation calls is 89.45–103.99

kHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), often described as being equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose formal expression in terms of SI base uni ...

and the ending frequency is 59.18–84.09 kHz, with a duration of 1.61 milliseconds.

Distribution and habitat

The fraternal fruit-eating bat is found in

and Ecuador. In Peru, it is found west of the

Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...

in the Tumbes,

Piura Piura is a city in northwestern Peru, located north of the Sechura Desert along the Piura River. It is the capital of the Piura Region and the Piura Province. Its population was 484,475 as of 2017 and it is the 7th most populous city in Peru. ...

, Lambayeque, and Ica departments and in arid parts of the

Amazon Basin The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributary, tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about , or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries ...

in the

Cajamarca Cajamarca (), also known by the Quechua name, ''Kashamarka'', is the capital and largest city of the Cajamarca Region as well as an important cultural and commercial center in the northern Andes. It is located in the northern highlands of Per ...

and Amazonas departments. In Ecuador, it is found in the central and southern coastal areas, and in the southwestern foothills of the Andes. It inhabits forests, disturbed habitats, and agricultural and urban areas. It is most frequently found in

mangrove forests Mangrove forests, also called mangrove swamps, mangrove thickets or mangals, are productive wetlands that occur in coastal intertidal zones. Mangrove forests grow mainly at tropical and subtropical latitudes because mangrove trees cannot withsta ...

, arid

scrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominance (ecology), dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbaceous plant, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally o ...

, and

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

and

semideciduous Semi-deciduous or semi-evergreen is a botanical term which refers to plants that lose their foliage for a very short period, when old leaves fall off and new foliage growth is starting. This phenomenon occurs in tropical and sub-tropical woody s ...

forests. It is also uncommonly found in wetter habitats. It has been recorded in humid montane scrub in Loja, Ecuador. It occurs at elevations between . Throughout most of its range, the fraternal fruit-eating bat is

sympatric In biology, two closely related species or populations are considered sympatric when they exist in the same geographic area and thus frequently encounter each other. An initially interbreeding population that splits into two or more distinct spe ...

with Anderson's fruit-eating bat and the great fruit-eating bat. It also co-occurs with many other species of bats, including endemics in the Tumbesian Center of Endemism, a region of the Andes with a proportion of

endemic species Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

. It roosts in hollow trees, shrubs, caves, termite mounds, bridges, churches, houses, gardens, and mines. The number of individuals roosting together can range from nine to hundreds of bats.

Status

The fraternal fruit-eating bat is listed as being a species of

by the

(IUCN) on the

due to its large range, commonness, and lack of significant population decline. It does not face major threats throughout its range. However, urban populations from

Guayaquil Guayaquil (), officially Santiago de Guayaquil, is the largest city in Ecuador and also the nation's economic capital and main port. The city is the capital (political), capital of Guayas Province and the seat of Guayaquil Canton. The city is ...

in Ecuador have been found to have elevated levels of

lead Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...

in their

vital organs In a multicellular organism, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in a structural unit to serve a common function. In the hierarchy of life, an organ lies between tissue and an organ system. Tissues are formed from same type cells to ac ...

, and

may be a localized threat to the species.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q308111 Artibeus Bats of South America Mammals of Ecuador Mammals of Peru Mammals described in 1924 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot