Miller's mastiff bat

Miller's mastiff bat
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiroptera
Family: Molossidae
Genus: Molossus
Species: M. pretiosus
Binomial name
Molossus pretiosus
Miller, 1902
Miller's mastiff bat range

Miller's mastiff bat (Molossus pretiosus) is a species of bat in the family Molossidae. It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Guyana, Mexico, Nicaragua, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela.[1]

Distribution

Miller’s mastiff bat has a limited distribution and tends to inhabit isolated regions. This particular species of mastiff bat is native to Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. Its main habitat is lowlands.[2]

Morphology

Miller’s mastiff bats have a powerfully built body, with a broad body frame and narrow wings. They have a thick mandible in comparison to other mastiff bats. They have a distinctive cusp shaped pattern on their molars and lack their third premolar.[3] Males tend to be larger than females. Full grown, an adult mastiff bat ranges from about 20 to 28 grams.[4] At birth, Miller’s mastiff bat is only about one-quarter its adult weight.[5] Miller’s mastiff bat had a variable fur coat color; ranging from black to a reddish color. The mastiff bat’s chest is speckled with white fur, and has black ears.[6][7]

Behavior

Miller’s mastiff bat lives in open areas, mainly in grassland habitats. They have also been observed to build their roosts in caves, dry woodlands, roof dwellings, and thorn scrub.[8] They tend to live in areas by a river, lake, or watering hole. Water is important for drinking and foraging behaviors.[9] They are nocturnal, and start to become active at dusk, which coincides with the time when their food source becomes active. They tend to fly in a single file line to their destination. Their main food source are insects, such as beetles and moths.[10]

Conservation

Miller's mastiff bat is listed as a Least Concern species with a low risk of becoming extinct. This is due to its ability to adapt to changing habitats and the distribution of habitats it occupies. It is also located in a number of protected areas. There are no known threats to Miller's mastiff bat.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Pineda, W. & Medina, A. (2008). "Molossus pretiosus". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN. 2008: e.T13649A4299300. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T13649A4299300.en. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
  2. ↑ Simmons, N. B. (2005). "Order Chiroptera". In: D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder (eds), Mammal Species of the World, pp. 312–529. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD, USA.
  3. ↑ Freeman, P. W. (1981). "A multivariate study of the family Molossidae (Mammalia, Chiroptera): morphology, ecology, evolution". Fieldiana Zoology. 7: 1–173. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.3128.
  4. ↑ Jones, J. K. Jr.; Smith, J. D. & Turner, R. W. (1971). "Noteworthy records of bats from Nicaragua, with a checklist of the chiropteran fauna of the country". Occasional Papers, Museum of Natural History, the University of Kansas. 2: 1–35.
  5. ↑ Dolan, P. G. (1989). Systematics of Middle American mastiff bats of the genus Molossus. Special Publications, The Museum, Texas Tech University, 29:1–71 ISBN 0896722031.
  6. ↑ Miller, G. S. Jr. (1902). "Twenty new American bats". Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. 54: 389–412. JSTOR 4062747.
  7. ↑ Jason B. Jennings; Troy L. Best; Jennifer C. Rainey & Stephanie. E. Burnett (2000). "Molossus pretiosus" (PDF). Mammalian Species. 635: 1–3. doi:10.1644/1545-1410(2000)635<0001:MP>2.0.CO;2.
  8. ↑ Nogueira, M.; Pol, A. & Peracchi, A. (2008). "First record of Miller's mastiff bat, Molossus pretiosus (Mammalia: Chiroptera), from the Brazilian Caatinga". Chiroptera Neotropical. 14 (1): 346–353.
  9. ↑ LaVal, R. K. (1977). "Notes on some Costa Rican bats". Brenesia. 10–11: 77–83.
  10. ↑ Freeman, P. W. (1979). "Specialized insectivory: beetle-eating and moth-eating molossid bats". Journal of Mammalogy. 60 (3): 467–479. doi:10.2307/1380088.


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