The Ipanema bat (''Pygoderma bilabiatum'') is a

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 ...

species of order

Chiroptera 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 ...

and family Phyllostomidae. It is found in northern Argentina, Bolivia, southeastern Brazil and Paraguay. It is the only species within its genus.

Description

The Ipanema bat is a medium-sized bat which is brown-furred overall, with the exception of its white-furred shoulders.Webster, W.D. and R. Owen. 1984. ''Pygoderma bilabiatum''. Mammalian Species, 220: 1-3. The fur of its back is a darker shade of brown than that of its chest. It has less fur on its shoulders and upper chest than on the rest of its body, particularly in males.Myers, P. 1981. Observations on ''Pygoderma bilabiatum'' (Wagner). Z. SAUGETIERKD, 46(3): 146-151. Its

rostrum Rostrum may refer to: * Any kind of a platform for a speaker: **dais **pulpit ** podium * Rostrum (anatomy), a beak, or anatomical structure resembling a beak, as in the mouthparts of many sucking insects * Rostrum (ship), a form of bow on naval ...

is shorter and more square-shaped than other species of its subfamily,

Stenodermatinae Stenodermatinae is a large subfamily of bats in the family Phyllostomidae. List of species Subfamily Stenodermatinae *Genus: '' Ametrida'' ** Little white-shouldered bat, ''Ametrida centurio'' *Genus: '' Ardops'' ** Tree bat, ''Ardops nichollsi ...

Tavares, V. D. C. and A. Tejedor. 2009.The forelimb swellings of ''Pygoderma bilabiatum'' (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae). Chiroptera Neotropical, 15(1): 411-416. It has a large nose and no tail, with roundish ears having a small, tragus. Size varies based on sex and geographical location. Females tend to be larger than males.Owen, R.D. and W.D. Webster. 1983. Morphological variation in the Ipanema bat, ''Pygoderma bilabiatum'', with description of a new subspecies. Journal of Mammalogy, 64:146-149. The skulls of Ipanema bats from Argentina and Bolivia are bigger than those of their counterparts in Paraguay and Brazil. ''P.bilabiatum'' typically has two molars.Dick, C. 2002. Variation in the Dental Formula of the Ipanema Bat, ''Pygoderma bilabiatum''. The Southwestern Naturalist, 47(3): 505-508. However, some females have a third molar (usually in the mandibular jaw) not seen in males. This may be correlated with the larger jaw size of females. While both males and females have glands below the jaw and surrounding the eyes, the glands in males are generally larger. Males also have

forelimb A forelimb or front limb is one of the paired articulated appendages ( limbs) attached on the cranial (anterior) end of a terrestrial tetrapod vertebrate's torso. With reference to quadrupeds, the term foreleg or front leg is often used inst ...

swellings, which are not seen in females. The size and presence of such swellings varies geographically. Additionally, forelimb swellings appear to be correlated with development of the males' eye glands. Due to the dimorphism of forelimb swellings, It is thought that they could be correlated with

mating In biology, mating is the pairing of either opposite-sex or hermaphroditic organisms for the purposes of sexual reproduction. ''Fertilization'' is the fusion of two gametes. '' Copulation'' is the union of the sex organs of two sexually repr ...

behaviors.

Range and habitat

The Ipanema bat resides in northern Argentina, southeastern Brazil, Paraguay, and Bolivia.Esbérard, C. E. L., I. P. de Lima, P. H. Nobre, S. L. Althoff, T. Jordão-Nogueira, D. Dias, F. Carvalho, M.E. Fabián, M.L. Sekiama, and A.S. Sobrinho. 2011. Evidence of vertical migration in the Ipanema bat ''Pygoderma bilabiatum'' (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae: Stenodermatinae). Zoologia (Curitiba), 28(6): 717-724. Their preferred habitats are

tropical forests Tropical forests are forested ecoregions with tropical climates – that is, land areas approximately bounded by the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, but possibly affected by other factors such as prevailing winds. Some tropical forest types ...

, subtropical forests, and secondary forests.Oprea, M., P. Mendes, T. Vieira, V. Pimenta, D. Brito, and A. Ditchfield. 2007. Mammalia, Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae, ''Phyllostomus hastatus'' and ''Pygoderma bilabiatum'': first occurrence in the Brazilian coastal shrubland ecosystem. Check List, 3(3): 175-179. Although atypical, they are sometimes found in the coastal

shrublands Spring Park is a small area in London, England. It is within the London Borough of Bromley and the London Borough of Croydon, straddling the traditional Kent-Surrey border along The Beck. Spring Park is located north of Addington, London, Adding ...

of Brazil. This suggests that perhaps ''P.bilabiatum'' can expand its habitat into dryer, more sparsely vegetated areas.

Biology

''P. bilabiatum'' is

frugivorous 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 ...

, specializing in fruit that is easily digested. These fruits are usually very ripe and fleshy, with few seeds. The fruit choices of the Ipanema bat are diverse, including the fruits of '' Lucuma caimito'', '' Miconia brasiliensis'', and trees of the genus ''

Celtis ''Celtis'' is a genus of about 60–70 species of deciduous trees, commonly known as hackberries or nettle trees, in the hemp family Cannabaceae. It has a cosmopolitan distribution. Description ''Celtis'' species are generally medium-sized tree ...

'', as well as ''

Maclura tinctoria ''Maclura tinctoria'', known as old fustic and dyer's mulberry, is a medium to large tree of the Neotropics, from Mexico to Argentina. It produces a yellow dye called fustic primarily known for coloring khaki fabric for U.S. military apparel dur ...

'', '' Solanum granuloso-leprosum'', and '' Ficus enormis''.Cáceres, N. C. and M.O. Moura. 2003, Fruit removal of a wild tomato, ''Solanum granulosoleprosum'' Dunal (Solanaceae), by birds, bats and non-flying mammals in an urban Brazilian environment. Revista Brasileira de Zoologia, 20(3): 519-522.Farias, D. 2014. Reports on the diet and reproduction of the Ipanema fruit bat, ''Pygoderma bilabiatum'' in a Brazilian forest fragment. Chiroptera Neotropical, 3(1): 65-66. Some may also feed on nectar. ''P. bilabiatum'' usually reproduces in either the fall or the winter. It is thought that they give birth during the later end of the dry period and wean their young at the beginning of the wet period. This strategy coordinates birth with the highest amount of fruit attainability. Females only carry one fetus at a time.

Behavior

Migration Migration, migratory, or migrate may refer to: Human migration * Human migration, physical movement by humans from one region to another ** International migration, when peoples cross state boundaries and stay in the host state for some minimum le ...

patterns may be influenced by rainfall amount and/or temperature. ''P.biliabatum'' appears to prefer regions with a minimum annual rainfall of and moderate temperatures of Food availability and foraging capabilities seem to be an important factor in the timing and distance traveled during migration Females and males migrate differently. Males tend to linger in lower elevations, while females reside at intermediate and high elevations.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q94808 Phyllostomidae Bats of South America Bats of Brazil Mammals of Argentina Mammals of Bolivia Mammals of Paraguay Fauna of the Atlantic Forest Mammals described in 1843 Taxa named by Johann Andreas Wagner