Natalus

The genus Natalus of funnel-eared bats is found from Mexico to Brazil and the Caribbean islands. They are slender bats with unusually long tails and, as their name suggests, funnel-shaped ears. They are small, at only 3.5 to 5.5 cm in length, with brown, grey, yellow, or reddish fur. Their tail is completely enclosed in the interfemoral membrane. Adult males have a natalid organ, a large glad-like organ, on the muzzle or face. Their skulls are delicate and extended. They have swollen, rounded braincase and narrow, somewhat tubular rostrum. They have nineteen teeth on both sides, with two upper and three lower being incisors, one upper and lower canine, three upper and lower premolars, and three upper and lower molars. Like many other bats, they are insectivorous, and roost in caves. The genus is similar to the Furipteridae and Thyropteridae genera. All three genera have mostly the same geographic ranges.[2]

Natalus
Mexican funnel-eared bat (Natalus stramineus)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiroptera
Family: Natalidae
Genus: Natalus
Gray, 1838[1]
Species

See Text

Eight species belong to this genus, with cranial and external differences:

Name Common name  Authority Conservation status Distribution Reference
Natalus espiritosantensis Brazilian funnel-eared bat Ruschi Near Threatened From Pará to the south to São Paulo and Rio Grande do Norte [3]
Natalus jamaicensis Jamaican greater funnel-eared bat Goodwin, 1959 Critically Endangered Jamaica [4]
Natalus major Hispaniolan greater funnel-eared bat Miller, 1902 Near Threatened Hispaniola [5]
Natalus mexicanus Mexican greater funnel-eared bat Miller, 1902 Least Concern Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama [6]
Natalus primus Cuban greater funnel-eared bat Anthony, 1919 Vulnerable Cuba [7]
Natalus stramineus Mexican funnel-eared bat Gray, 1838 Least Concern Anguilla, Antigua, Barbuda, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, Martinique, Montserrat, Nevis, Saba [8]
Natalus tumidirostris Trinidadian funnel-eared bat Miller, 1900 Least Concern Northern Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, French Guiana, Trinidad and Tobago, Curaçao, and Bonaire [9]

Etymology

The genus name Natalus is derived form the Latin word meaning "related to one's birth." The name was chosen because the bats of this genus are small and look like newborns even as adults.

References
  1. Simmons, Nancy B. (2005), "Chiroptera", in Wilson, Don E.; Reeder, DeeAnn M. (eds.), Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.), Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 312–529, ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0, retrieved 12 September 2009
  2. Dalquest, Walter W. (1950). "The genera of the Chiropteran family Natalidae". Journal of Mammalogy. 31 (4): 436–43. JSTOR 1375114.
  3. Dávalos, L. & Tejedor, A. (2008). "Natalus espiritosantensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 26 June 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  4. Velazco, P.; Turvey, S (2008). "Natalus jamaicensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 19 June 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  5. Miller, B.; Reid, F.; Arroyo-Cabrales, J.; Cuarón, A.D.; de Grammont, P.C. (2008). "Natalus major". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 6 June 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  6. Velazco, P. & Pineda, W. (2008). "Natalus mexicanus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008: e.T136363A4280850. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T136363A4280850.en.
  7. Dávalos, L.; Mancina, C (2008). "Natalus primus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 19 June 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  8. Dávalos, L.; Tejedor, A. (2008). "Natalus stramineus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 19 June 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  9. Dávalos, L.; Velazco, P. & Aguirre, L. (2008). "Natalus tumidirostris". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 26 June 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.