Silver fruit-eating bat explained

The silver fruit-eating bat (Dermanura glauca) is a South American bat species of the family Phyllostomidae.

Description

The silver fruit-eating bat is a small bat, measuring only 4cmto6cmcm (02inchesto02inchescm) in head-body length and weighing 10g14g. It has dark brown fur which varies little over the body, with faint stripes of paler fur above each eye. Unlike many closely related species found in the same area, the edges of the ears and nose-leaf are said to be bright yellow in colour.^[1]

Distribution and biology

Silver fruit-eating bats are found across the northern Andes, from Colombia to Bolivia. They inhabit lowland to mid altitude forested terrain between 200mand2000mm (700feetand7,000feetm). They feed on fruits found in the canopy of tropical to temperate forests and roost under cut leaves of banana or palm trees during the day. They breed throughout the year, but with two distinct peaks.^[1]

There are no recognised subspecies, although this was not the case prior to 2008, when the Bogota fruit-eating bat (Dermanura bogotensis), of Venezuela and the Guianas, was raised to full species status.^[2]

Notes and References

1. Ortega, J. . etal . December 2015 . Artibeus glaucus (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) . Mammalian Species . 47 . 298 . 107–111 . 10.1093/mspecies/sev011. free .
2. Lim, B.K. . etal . December 2008 . Systematic review of small fruit-eating bats (Artibeus) from the Guianas, and a re-evaluation of A. glaucus bogotensis . Acta Chiropterologica . 10 . 2 . 243–256 . 10.3161/150811008X414827. 86203614 .