Erophylla

Erophylla is a genus of bats of the family of leaf lobes ( Phyllostomidae ), which is native to the Greater Antilles.

The genus name is derived from " Eros ", the Greek god of love, and " phyllon ", Greek for "leaf", from. It is believed that this name was chosen because the nose leaf of both species is like a love arrow from Eros look.

Description

Species of the genus Erophylla are medium-sized bats with a head -body length of 65-75 mm. They have a tail and a rudimentary nose leaf. The coat is depending on the type pale yellowish brown (E. sezekorni ) or dark brown (E. bombifrons ), the belly is lighter than the rest of the coat. The muzzle is similar to Glossophaga and Phyllonycteris extended. The is also the main differentiator compared with species of the genus Phyllonycteris, which also belong to the subfamily of the West Indies - flower bats and which consists in determining likelihood of confusion. The main distinguishing feature is the presence of a calcar at Erophylla, which is absent in Phyllonycteris. In addition, the nose leaf in Erophylla is always visible as a small flap of skin, while that is greatly reduced from Phyllonycteris species or missing.

Way of life

Bats of the genus Erophylla are like most bats nocturnal. They feed on fruit, nectar, pollen and insects. Your diet makes this genus an important seed dispersers and pollinators of many Night Blooming plants. During the day the animals hang mostly in caves where they can reach colony sizes of several thousand individuals.

Species

There are two types that can not be confused with each other due to their separate occurrence.

• E. bombifrons: In the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Puerto Rico.
• E. sezekorni: In the Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica and the Cayman Islands.

Distribution area of Erophylla sezekorni