Underwood's long-tongued bat explained

Underwood's long-tongued bat (Hylonycteris underwoodi) is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae. It is the only species within the genus Hylonycteris. It is found in Belize, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama. Hylonycteris underwoodi feed on nectar, pollen grains, agave and fruits.^[1] This choice of food has allowed them to gain the ability of hovering flight, thereby evolving their body mass and size to compensate for the same.^[2]

Taxonomy

It was described as a new species in 1903 by British mammalogist Oldfield Thomas. The holotype was collected by Cecil F. Underwood, who is the eponym for the species name "underwoodi".^[3]

Notes and References

1. Jones . J. Knox . Homan . Jacqueline A. . Hylonycteris underwoodi . Mammalian Species . 2 May 1974 . 32 . 1–2 . 10.2307/3503961. 3503961 . free .
2. Voigt . C. C. . Winter . Y. . Energetic cost of hovering flight in nectar-feeding bats (Phyllostomidae: Glossophaginae) and its scaling in moths, birds and bats . Journal of Comparative Physiology B . 1 February 1999 . 169 . 1 . 38–48 . 10.1007/s003600050191. 10093905 . 29647236 .
3. Thomas. O.. 1903. The Annals and Magazine of Natural History; Zoology, Botany, and Geology. 7. 11. 63. XXXV.—Two new Glossophagine bats from central America. 286–288. 10.1080/00222930308678766.