Tube-lipped nectar bat

Species of bat

Tube-lipped nectar bat.
Conservation status

Data Deficient  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiroptera
Family: Phyllostomidae
Genus: Anoura
Species:
A. fistulata
Binomial name
Anoura fistulata
Muchhala, Mena-Valenzuela & Albuja, 2005

The tube-lipped nectar bat (Anoura fistulata) is a bat from Ecuador. It was described in 2005. It has a remarkably long tongue, which it uses to drink nectar. It additionally consumes pollen and insects.

Taxonomy and etymology

The tube-lipped nectar bat was first described in 2005.[2] The species name fistulata is derived from the Latin word fistula, meaning "tube". It refers to the bat's lower lip, which extends 3.3–4.8 mm beyond the upper lip and is rolled into a funnel shape. The exact function of the tube-lip is unknown.

Description

The bat has the longest tongue (8.5 cm) relative to its body size of any mammal. Its tongue is 150% the size of its overall body length. By convergent evolution, pangolins, the giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), and the tube-lipped nectar bat all have a tongue that is detached from their hyoid bones and extend past the pharynx deep into the thorax.[3] This extension lies between the sternum and the trachea.

Biology and ecology

Despite its exceptionally long tongue, the tube-lipped nectar bat has a varied diet that includes nectar, pollen, and insects. This arrangement is possible due to its short jaw. The base of the tongue is in the bat's rib cage.[4] One plant, Centropogon nigricans, with its 80– to 90-mm-long corollae, is pollinated exclusively by this bat.

See also

References

  1. ^ Solari, S. (2018). "Anoura fistulata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T136239A22001222. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T136239A22001222.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ Muchhala, Nathan; Patricio Mena; Luis Albuja (2005). "A New Species of Anoura (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) from the Ecuadorian Andes" (PDF). Journal of Mammalogy. 86 (3): 457–461. doi:10.1644/1545-1542(2005)86[457:ANSOAC]2.0.CO;2. ISSN 1545-1542. Archived from the original (PDF, Reprint) on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2006-12-07.
  3. ^ Muchhala, Nathan (2006). "Nectar bat stows huge tongue in its rib cage". Nature. 444 (7120): 701–2. Bibcode:2006Natur.444..701M. doi:10.1038/444701a. PMID 17151655. S2CID 4418648.
  4. ^ Bryner, Jeanna. "Bat found to have longest licker". NBC News. Retrieved 2006-12-07.
  • v
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Extant species of family Phyllostomidae
Brachyphyllinae
Brachyphylla
  • Antillean fruit-eating bat (B. cavernarum)
  • Cuban fruit-eating bat (B. nana)
Carolliinae
Carollia
(Short-tailed
leaf-nosed bats)
  • Benkeith's short-tailed bat (C. benkeithi)
  • Silky short-tailed bat (C. brevicauda)
  • Chestnut short-tailed bat (C. castanea)
  • Manu short-tailed bat (C. manu)
  • Mono's short-tailed bat (C. monohernandezi)
  • Seba's short-tailed bat (C. perspicillata)
  • Sowell's short-tailed bat (C. sowelli)
  • Gray short-tailed bat (C. subrufa)
Rhinophylla
  • Hairy little fruit bat (R. alethina)
  • Fischer's little fruit bat (R. fischerae)
  • Dwarf little fruit bat (R. pumilio)
Desmodontinae
(vampire bats)
Desmodus
  • Common vampire bat (D. rotundus)
Diaemus
  • White-winged vampire bat (D. youngi)
Diphylla
  • Hairy-legged vampire bat (D. ecaudata)
Phyllonycterinae
Erophylla
  • Brown flower bat (E. bombifrons)
  • Buffy flower bat (E. sezekorni)
Phyllonycteris
  • Jamaican flower bat (P. aphylla)
  • Cuban flower bat (P. poeyi)
Subfamily Glossophaginae
Glossophagini
Anoura
(Geoffroy's
long-nosed bats)
  • A. aequatoris
  • Cadena's tailless bat (A. cadenai)
  • A. carishina
  • Tailed tailless bat (A. caudifer)
  • Handley's tailless bat (A. cultrata)
  • Tube-lipped nectar bat (A. fistulata)
  • Geoffroy's tailless bat (A. geoffroyi)
  • Broad-toothed tailless bat (A. latidens)
  • Luis Manuel's tailless bat (A. luismanueli)
  • A. peruana
Choeroniscus
  • Godman's long-tailed bat (C. godmani)
  • Lesser long-tongued bat (C. minor)
  • Greater long-tailed bat (C. periosus)
Choeronycteris
  • Mexican long-tongued bat (C. mexicana)
Dryadonycteris
Glossophaga
  • Commissaris's long-tongued bat (G. commissarisi)
  • Gray long-tongued bat (G. leachii)
  • Miller's long-tongued bat (G. longirostris)
  • Western long-tongued bat (G. morenoi)
  • Pallas's long-tongued bat (G. soricina)
Hylonycteris
  • Underwood's long-tongued bat (H. underwoodi)
Leptonycteris
(Saussure's
long-nosed bats)
  • Southern long-nosed bat (L. curasoae)
  • Greater long-nosed bat (L. nivalis)
  • Lesser long-nosed bat (L. yerbabuenae)
Lichonycteris
  • Pale brown long-nosed bat (L. degener)
  • Dark long-tongued bat (L. obscura)
Monophyllus
  • Insular single leaf bat (M. plethodon)
  • Leach's single leaf bat (M. redmani)
Musonycteris
  • Banana bat (M. harrisoni)
Scleronycteris
  • Ega long-tongued bat (S. ega)
Hsunycterini
Hsunycteris
Lonchophyllini
Lionycteris
  • Chestnut long-tongued bat (L. spurrelli)
Lonchophylla
  • Bokermann's nectar bat (L. bokermanni)
  • Chocoan long-tongued bat (L. chocoana)
  • L. concava
  • Dekeyser's nectar bat (L. dekeyseri)
  • Arched nectar bat (L. fornicata)
  • Handley's nectar bat (L. handleyi)
  • Western nectar bat (L. hesperia)
  • L. inexpectata
  • Godman's nectar bat (L. mordax)
  • Orcés's long-tongued bat (L. orcesi)
  • L. orienticollina
  • L. peracchii
  • Orange nectar bat (L. robusta)
  • Thomas's nectar bat (L. thomasi)
Platalina
  • Long-snouted bat (P. genovensium)
Xeronycteris
  • Vieira's long-tongued bat (X. vieirai)
Subfamily Phyllostominae
Micronycterini
Glyphonycteris
  • Behn's bat (G. behnii)
  • Davies's big-eared bat (G. daviesi)
  • Tricolored big-eared bat (G. sylvestris)
Lampronycteris
  • Yellow-throated big-eared bat (L. brachyotis)
Macrotus
(big-eared bats)
  • California leaf-nosed bat (M. californicus)
  • Waterhouse's leaf-nosed bat (M. waterhousii)
Micronycteris
(Little Big-eared
Bats)
  • Brosset's big-eared bat (M. brosseti)
  • Giovanni's big-eared bat (M. giovanniae)
  • Hairy big-eared bat (M. hirsuta)
  • Matses's big-eared bat (M. matses)
  • Little big-eared bat (M. megalotis)
  • Common big-eared bat (M. microtis)
  • White-bellied big-eared bat (M. minuta)
  • Sanborn's big-eared bat (M. sanborni)
  • Schmidts's big-eared bat (M. schmidtorum)
  • Yates's big-eared bat (M. yatesi)
Neonycteris
  • Least big-eared bat (N. pusilla)
Trinycteris
  • Niceforo's big-eared bat (T. nicefori)
Vampyrini
Chrotopterus
  • Big-eared woolly bat (C. auritus)
Lophostoma
  • Pygmy round-eared bat (L. brasiliense)
  • Carriker's round-eared bat (L. carrikeri)
  • Davis's round-eared bat (L. evotis)
  • Kalko's round-eared bat (L. kalkoae)
  • Western round-eared bat (L. occidentalis)
  • Schultz's round-eared bat (L. schulzi)
  • White-throated round-eared bat (L. silvicolum)
  • Yasuni round-eared bat (L. yasuni)
Tonatia
(round-eared bats)
  • Greater round-eared bat (T. bidens)
  • Stripe-headed round-eared bat (T. saurophila)
Trachops
  • Fringe-lipped bat (T. cirrhosus)
Vampyrum
  • Spectral bat (V. spectrum)
Lonchorhinini
Lonchorhina
(sword-nosed bats)
  • Tomes's sword-nosed bat (L. aurita)
  • Fernandez's sword-nosed bat (L. fernandezi)
  • Northern sword-nosed bat (L. inusitata)
  • Marinkelle's sword-nosed bat (L. marinkellei)
  • Orinoco sword-nosed bat (L. orinocensis)
Macrophyllum
  • Long-legged bat (M. macrophyllum)
Mimon
(Gray's Spear-nosed
Bats)
  • Golden bat (M. bennettii)
  • Cozumelan golden bat (M. cozumelae)
  • Striped hairy-nosed bat (M. crenulatum)
  • Koepcke's spear-nosed bat (M. koepckeae)
Phyllostomatini
Phylloderma
  • Pale-faced bat (P. stenops)
Phyllostomus
(spear-nosed bats)
  • Pale spear-nosed bat (P. discolor)
  • Lesser spear-nosed bat (P. elongatus)
  • Greater spear-nosed bat (P. hastatus)
  • Guianan spear-nosed bat (P. latifolius)
Subfamily Stenodermatinae
Ametrida
  • Little white-shouldered bat (A. centurio)
Ardops
  • Tree bat (A. nichollsi)
Ariteus
  • Jamaican fig-eating bat (A. flavescens)
Artibeus
(Neotropical fruit bats)
  • Subgenus Artibeus: Anderson's fruit-eating bat (A. aequatorialis)
  • Large fruit-eating bat (A. amplus)
  • Fringed fruit-eating bat (A. fimbriatus)
  • Fraternal fruit-eating bat (A. fraterculus)
  • Hairy fruit-eating bat (A. hirsutus)
  • Honduran fruit-eating bat (A. inopinatus)
  • Jamaican fruit-eating bat (A. jamaicensis)
  • Great fruit-eating bat (A. lituratus)
  • Dark fruit-eating bat (A. obscurus)
  • Flat-faced fruit-eating bat (A. planirostris)
  • Schwartz's fruit-eating bat (A. schwartzi)
  • Subgenus Koopmania: Brown fruit-eating bat (A. concolor)
Centurio
  • Wrinkle-faced bat (C. senex)
Chiroderma
(big-eyed bats)
  • Brazilian big-eyed bat (C. doriae)
  • Guadeloupe big-eyed bat (C. improvisum)
  • Salvin's big-eyed bat (C. salvini)
  • Little big-eyed bat (C. trinitatum)
  • Hairy big-eyed bat (C. villosum)
  • C. vizottoi
Dermanura
  • Andersen's fruit-eating bat (D. anderseni)
  • Aztec fruit-eating bat (D. aztecus)
  • Bogotá fruit-eating bat (D. bogotensis)
  • Gervais's fruit-eating bat (D. cinerea)
  • Silver fruit-eating bat (D. glauca)
  • Gnome fruit-eating bat (D. gnoma)
  • Pygmy fruit-eating bat (D. phaeotis)
  • D. rava
  • Rosenberg's fruit-eating bat (D. rosenbergi)
  • Toltec fruit-eating bat (D. tolteca)
  • Thomas's fruit-eating bat (D. watsoni)
Ectophylla
  • Honduran white bat (E. alba)
Enchisthenes
  • Velvety fruit-eating bat (E. hartii)
Mesophylla
  • MacConnell's bat (M. macconnelli)
Phyllops
(Falcate-winged bats)
  • Cuban fig-eating bat (P. falcatus)
Platyrrhinus
  • P. albericoi
  • Slender broad-nosed bat (P. angustirostris)
  • P. aquilus
  • Eldorado broad-nosed bat (P. aurarius)
  • Short-headed broad-nosed bat (P. brachycephalus)
  • Choco broad-nosed bat (P. chocoensis)
  • Thomas's broad-nosed bat (P. dorsalis)
  • P. fusciventris
  • P. guianensis
  • Heller's broad-nosed bat (P. helleri)
  • P. incarum
  • Buffy broad-nosed bat (P. infuscus)
  • P. ismaeli
  • White-lined broad-nosed bat (P. lineatus)
  • P. masu
  • Matapalo broad-nosed bat (P. matapalensis)
  • P. nigellus
  • P. nitelinea
  • Recife broad-nosed bat (P. recifinus)
  • Shadowy broad-nosed bat (P. umbratus)
  • Greater broad-nosed bat (P. vittatus)
Pygoderma
  • Ipanema bat (P. bilabiatum)
Sphaeronycteris
  • Visored bat (S. toxophyllum)
Stenoderma
  • Red fruit bat (S. rufum)
Sturnira
(yellow-shouldered bats)
  • S. angeli
  • Aratathomas's yellow-shouldered bat (S. aratathomasi)
  • S. bakeri
  • Bidentate yellow-shouldered bat (S. bidens)
  • Bogotá yellow-shouldered bat (S. bogotensis)
  • S. burtonlimi
  • Hairy yellow-shouldered bat (S. erythromos)
  • S. hondurensis
  • Choco yellow-shouldered bat (S. koopmanhilli)
  • Little yellow-shouldered bat (S. lilium)
  • Highland yellow-shouldered bat (S. ludovici)
  • Louis's yellow-shouldered bat (S. luisi)
  • Greater yellow-shouldered bat (S. magna)
  • Mistratoan yellow-shouldered bat (S. mistratensis)
  • Talamancan yellow-shouldered bat (S. mordax)
  • Lesser yellow-shouldered bat (S. nana)
  • Tschudi's yellow-shouldered bat (S. oporaphilum)
  • S. parvidens
  • S. paulsoni
  • S. perla
  • Soriano's yellow-shouldered bat (S. sorianoi)
  • Thomas's yellow-shouldered bat (S. thomasi)
  • Tilda's yellow-shouldered bat (S. tildae)
Uroderma
(Tent-building bats)
  • U. bakeri
  • Tent-making bat (U. bilobatum)
  • U. convexum
  • U. davisi
  • Brown tent-making bat (U. magnirostrum)
Vampyressa
(yellow-eared bats)
  • Melissa's yellow-eared bat (V. melissa)
  • Southern little yellow-eared bat (V. pusilla)
  • Northern little yellow-eared bat (V. thyone)
Vampyriscus
  • Bidentate yellow-eared bat (V. bidens)
  • Brock's yellow-eared bat (V. brocki)
  • Striped yellow-eared bat (V. nymphaea)
Vampyrodes
  • Great stripe-faced bat (V. caraccioli)
Taxon identifiers
Anoura fistulata
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