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Mustached Bat
The family Mormoopidae contains bats known generally as mustached bats, ghost-faced bats, and naked-backed bats. They are found in the Americas from the Southwestern United States to Southeastern Brazil. They are distinguished by the presence of a leaf-like projection from their lips, instead of the nose-leaf found in many other bat species. In some species, the wing membranes join over the animal's back, making it appear hairless. The tail projects only a short distance beyond the membrane that stretches between the hind legs. They are brownish in colour, with short, dense fur. Their dental formula is: Mormoopid bats roost in caves and tunnels in huge colonies that may include hundreds of thousands of members, producing enough guano to allow commercial mining. They do not hibernate as some other bats do since they live in the tropics. They feed on insects found close to, or on, bodies of water. Classification The family consists of two genera, containing around 13 species. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oligocene
The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the epoch are well identified but the exact dates of the start and end of the epoch are slightly uncertain. The name Oligocene was coined in 1854 by the German paleontologist Heinrich Ernst Beyrich from his studies of marine beds in Belgium and Germany. The name comes from the Ancient Greek (''olígos'', "few") and (''kainós'', "new"), and refers to the sparsity of extant forms of molluscs. The Oligocene is preceded by the Eocene Epoch and is followed by the Miocene Epoch. The Oligocene is the third and final epoch of the Paleogene Period. The Oligocene is often considered an important time of transition, a link between the archaic world of the tropical Eocene and the more modern ecosystems of the Miocene. Major changes during the Oligocene included a global expansion o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family (taxonomy), family. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial species name for each species within the genus. :E.g. ''Panthera leo'' (lion) and ''Panthera onca'' (jaguar) are two species within the genus ''Panthera''. ''Panthera'' is a genus within the family Felidae. The composition of a genus is determined by taxonomy (biology), taxonomists. The standards for genus classification are not strictly codified, so different authorities often produce different classifications for genera. There are some general practices used, however, including the idea that a newly defined genus should fulfill these three criteria to be descriptively useful: # monophyly – all descendants ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Davy's Naked-backed Bat
Davy's (lesser) naked-backed bat (''Pteronotus davyi'') is a small, insect-eating, cave-dwelling bat of the Family Mormoopidae. It is found throughout South and Central America, including Trinidad, but not Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, or French Guiana.Adams, J.K. (1989) ''Pteronotus davyi''. Mammalian Species 346: 1-5 Specimens of this bat had been found infected with rabies in Trinidad during the height of that island's vampire-bat-transmitted rabies epidemic of the early half of the 20th century, but not in recent times. Description General features The lesser naked-backed bat (also known as Davy's naked-backed bat,) earns its name from the appearance of its backside. The bat species appears to have a hairless or "naked" back due to the attachment of its wings on the mid-line of its dorsal surface. The wing membranes give the bat's back its shiny appearance. The lesser-naked backed bat shares this diagnostic feature with two other species of bat of the same family (Mormoopi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pteronotus Pristinus
The pristine mustached bat (''Pteronotus (Phyllodia) pristinus'') is an extinct Late Quaternary species of bat in the endemic Neotropical family Mormoopidae. It was distributed in Cuba and possibly Florida (United States). Distribution This bat is known only from subfossils. It was described from Late Quaternary cave deposits in Cuba ( Las Villas Province, Trinidad, Cueva de los Masones) and found also in Rancholabrean cave deposits in southern Florida (Monkey Jungle Hammock). Florida specimens (two mandibles) were only tentatively referred to ''Pteronotus'' cf. ''P. pristinus'', because they could not be directly compared with the Cuban material (several skulls, postcranial elements), but they may represent ''P. pristinus''. This is the only occurrence of ''Pteronotus'' in the United States, fossil or recent. Cuba is the most likely source for West Indian bats in Florida. Extinction In Florida, the pristine mustached bat became locally extinct at the end of the Pleistocen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Parnell's Mustached Bat
Parnell's mustached bat (''Pteronotus parnellii'') is an insectivorous bat native to the Americas. It ranges from southern Sonora, Mexico, south to Brazil. It has a wider historical range; fossil specimens have been collected on the island of New Providence in the Bahamas. The bat was named for the British zoologist Richard Parnell. Biology This is a large bat with a forearm length of about . The ears are short and pointed, and lack noseleafs. The lips are wrinkled up and modified into a funnel shape. This bat is most common in moist habitat types, and it can be found in some dry deciduous forests. It is mostly nocturnal, roosting in caves and mines during the day and emerging shortly after sunset for five to seven hours of activity. Parnell's mustached bat is an insectivore, taking a variety of insects such as beetles, moths, flies, and dragonflies. While many insectivorous bats prefer river habitats for the availability of aquatic insects, it generally hunts in non-river h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paraguana Moustached Bat
The Paraguana moustached bat (''Pteronotus paraguanensis'') occurs only on the Paraguaná Peninsula of Venezuela. The entire population uses three caves, one of which is subject to human vandalism. Their total range is less than . In 2008, the caves where the bat is found were protected by the creation of the Cuevas de Paraguaná Wildlife Sanctuary–the first wildlife sanctuary in Venezuela. Taxonomy There is uncertainty if this taxa represents a species, or if it is a subspecies of Parnell's mustached bat. Based on morphology, the bats were elevated from a subspecies to a species in 2008.Eliécer E. Gutiérrez, Jesús Molinari; Morphometrics and Taxonomy of Bats of the Genus Pteronotus (Subgenus Phyllodia) in Venezuela. J Mammal 2008; 89 (2): 292-305. The status of the bat as a full species was affirmed by genetic sequencing. Conservation In their 2008 assessment, the IUCN listed the Paraguana moustached bat as critically endangered. The 2016 assessment, however, downliste ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Juan Gundlach
Juan Cristóbal Gundlach (17 July 1810 in Marburg – 14 March 1896 in Havana), born Johannes Christoph Gundlach was a Cuban naturalist and taxonomist. Biography Gundlach graduated from Marburg University, where his father was professor of physics, as Doctor of Philosophy in 1837. In 1839, he left Europe to make collections on the Caribbean island of Cuba, where he lived ever since. During a short trip to Puerto Rico, at the request of Jesuit fathers to offer assistance in the creation of a zoological collection, in 1868, when revolutionary activities were beginning in Cuba as well as Puerto Rico, he met with don Tomás Blanco, according to naturalist Dr. Agustín Stahl. A friend of Carl Wilhelm Leopold Krug, who served as German Vice Consul in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico and who paid for some of Gundlach's travels, he visited Puerto Rico in 1873, leaving Havana on 4 June 1873 on the ship Manuela, arriving in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico on 13 June, staying in Puerto Rico for approximatel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sooty Mustached Bat
The sooty mustached bat (''Pteronotus quadridens'') is a species of bat in the family Mormoopidae. It is found in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico. Description Sooty mustached bat is the smallest species in the genus ''Pteronotus''. Color phases in this bat are indicators of age differences or bleaching due to high concentrations of ammonia in the roost. As a result, color ranges from grayish brown to yellowish brown with some individuals reaching an orange-brown phase. The body is completely covered in fur except for the wings and tail membrane. The length of mandible is and their forearm is less than in length. The margin above nostril is lobulated and slightly convex. Mating and reproduction Sooty mustached bats are monoesturous and uniparous most of the time with twinning rarely occurring. Based on the testicular size, mating begins in January and most females are pregnant in May. The pregnant female undergoes an increase in body mass of 3 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Johann Andreas Wagner
Johann Andreas Wagner (21 March 1797 – 17 December 1861) was a German palaeontologist, zoologist and archaeologist who wrote several important works on palaeontology. Career Wagner was a professor at the University of Munich, and curator of the Zoologische Staatssammlung (State Zoology Collection). He was the author of ''Die Geographische Verbreitung der Säugethiere Dargestellt'' (1844–46). Wagner was a Christian creationist. Pikermi In his travels to the fossil beds of Pikermi, Wagner discovered and described fossil remains of mastodon, '' Dinotherium'', ''Hipparion ''Hipparion'' (Greek, "pony") is an extinct genus of horse that lived in North America, Asia, Europe, and Africa during the Miocene through Pleistocene ~23 Mya—781,000 years ago. It lived in non-forested, grassy plains, shortgrass prairie or ...'', two species of giraffe, antelope and others. His collaboration with Johannes Roth on these fossils became a major textbook in palaeontology, known as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wagner's Mustached Bat
Wagner's mustached bat (''Pteronotus personatus'') is a bat species from South and Central America. It is one of the few New World bats species known to perform Doppler shift compensation behavior. Description Wagner's mustached bat is a relatively small bat, with a head-body length of and a tail long. There are two color phases, with some individuals having blackish-brown fur over the back and head with drab grey underparts, and others being clay-brown to reddish yellow with buff or cinnamon underparts. Individuals of both color phases can be found together in the same cave. The ears are long and pointed, with sharp serrations along the medial edges and a spatulate tragus (ear), tragus including a shelf-like fold. The upper lip has a number of heavy bristles and surrounds the nose, with numerous folds and small projections along its edge. The snout is raised upwards, while the remainder of the skull is relatively flattened. The incisor teeth are reduced in size, but have a co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Macleay's Mustached Bat
Macleay's mustached bat (''Pteronotus macleayii'') is a species of bat in the family Mormoopidae. It is found in Cuba and Jamaica, and is threatened by habitat loss. The species is named for William Sharp Macleay, who collected the type specimen. Description Macleay's mustached bat is a small bat, with an average body length of and a tail long. Fully-grown adults weigh , with males being slightly larger than females. The body is covered by greyish-brown to orange-brown fur, fading to near-white on the undersides. The head is relatively flat with a slightly upturned snout. The ears are narrow and pointed, with serrated outer edges near the tips, and a long, slightly flattened tragus. The wings have an aspect ratio of 7.6 and a wing loading of 4.6 N/m2, suitable for agile flying in cluttered environments, such as forests. The encephalisation quotient of the species has been calculated at 0.85. Distribution and habitat Macleay's mustached bats are widespread on Cuba and Jamai ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Edward Gray
John Edward Gray, FRS (12 February 1800 – 7 March 1875) was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of zoologist George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray (1766–1828). The same is used for a zoological name. Gray was keeper of zoology at the British Museum in London from 1840 until Christmas 1874, before the natural history holdings were split off to the Natural History Museum. He published several catalogues of the museum collections that included comprehensive discussions of animal groups and descriptions of new species. He improved the zoological collections to make them amongst the best in the world. Biography Gray was born in Walsall, but his family soon moved to London, where Gray studied medicine. He assisted his father in writing ''The Natural Arrangement of British Plants'' (1821). After being blackballed by the Linnean Society of London, Gray shifted his interest from botany to zoology. He began his zoologica ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
