Pygmy fruit-eating bat

Dwarf fruit bat with Piper arboleum

The dwarf fruit bat ( Artibeus phaeotis ) is a species of bat in the family of leaf lobes ( Phyllostomidae ), which is native to Central and South America.

Description

The dwarf fruit bat is, as its name implies, one of the smallest fruit authentics Vampire with a head -body length of 51-60 mm and a maximum weight of 15.6 g The fur is brown or gray, dense and soft, with the forearms are also hairy. The name derives from the Greek Artibeus arti and beus, which refers to the presence of two white stripes on the face. The wing membrane is black, provided the ears dark brown, often with a yellow border. Like most representative of the sheet tabs also owns the dwarf fruit bat a striking nose leaf.

The species name derives from the Greek phaios ( = dust) and refers to the grayish coat color of dwarf fruit bat. The dwarf fruit bat may be confused with regional Artibeus watsoni. The two species can be distinguished from living animals using only the teeth and the color of the ear margins, both characteristics are not very reliable. In some studies, therefore, either both types are summarized as Artkomplex or by using DNA analysis kept apart.

Way of life

The dwarf fruit bat eats mainly fruits, but also pollen and insects. During the day the animals hang in small groups under modified leaves, called leaf tents. This leaves of bananas, heliconias and tropical Araceae along the midrib be gnawed that the sheet collapses and forms a kind of tent. The dwarf fruit bat is seasonal and bimodal polyöstrisch, which means that the females come twice a year in estrus. In Costa Rica, the females are pregnant each year in April and August / September with a single embryo.

Distribution and habitat

The dwarf fruit bat is spread from Mexico to Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela and Guyana. Your stock is classified by the IUCN due to the widespread than safely.