The Antillean fruit-eating bat (''Brachyphylla cavernarum'') is one of two

leaf-nosed bat The New World leaf-nosed bats (Phyllostomidae) are found from southern North America to South America, specifically from the Southwest United States to northern Argentina. They are ecologically the most varied and diverse family within the order ...

species belonging to the genus ''Brachyphylla''. The species occurs in the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

from

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

St. Vincent Saint Vincent may refer to: People Saints * Vincent of Saragossa (died 304), a.k.a. Vincent the Deacon, deacon and martyr * Saint Vincenca, 3rd century Roman martyress, whose relics are in Blato, Croatia * Vincent, Orontius, and Victor (died 305) ...

and

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...

. Fossil specimens have also been recorded from New Providence,

Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to ...

Taxonomy

Three subspecies of ''B. cavernarum'' are recognized. ''B. c. cavernarum'' is the largest of the subspecies and occurs from

St. Croix Saint Croix; nl, Sint-Kruis; french: link=no, Sainte-Croix; Danish and no, Sankt Croix, Taino: ''Ay Ay'' ( ) is an island in the Caribbean Sea, and a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands (USVI), an unincor ...

to St. Vincent. ''B. c. intermedia'' is of intermediate size and occurs in Puerto Rico and the

Virgin Islands The Virgin Islands ( es, Islas Vírgenes) are an archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. They are geologically and biogeographically the easternmost part of the Greater Antilles, the northern islands belonging to the Puerto Rico Trench and St. Croix ...

with the exception of St. Croix. ''B. c. minor'' occurs in Barbados and is characterized by its small size.

Physical description

The Antillean fruit-eating bat has white to yellow-white hair at the base with darker coloration in the dorsum. Mature individuals measure from with a forearm length ranges of in length. The average weight is .

Ecology

The Antillean fruit-eating bat occurs in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the

Lesser Antilles The Lesser Antilles ( es, link=no, Antillas Menores; french: link=no, Petites Antilles; pap, Antias Menor; nl, Kleine Antillen) are a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. Most of them are part of a long, partially volcanic island arc betwe ...

north to St. Vincent and Barbados. Individuals roost in a variety of settings, which include unused buildings, caves, dense tree tops, crevices, large wells, and cliffs. Sites without direct sunlight are preferred by the species, although large colonies have been found in sunlit areas. The species occurs in dry arborescent vegetation on St. John. The Antillean fruit-eating bat's varied diet includes fruits, pollen, nectar, and insects. Fruits consumed in the wild include

papaya The papaya (, ), papaw, () or pawpaw () is the plant species ''Carica papaya'', one of the 21 accepted species in the genus ''Carica'' of the family Caricaceae. It was first domesticated in Mesoamerica, within modern-day southern Mexico and ...

mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree ''Mangifera indica''. It is believed to have originated in the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South a ...

, Indian almond, manjack (''

Cordia ''Cordia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the borage family, Boraginaceae. It contains about 300 species of shrubs and trees, that are found worldwide, mostly in warmer regions. Many of the species are commonly called manjack, while ''bocote' ...

spp.''),

royal palm ''Roystonea regia'', commonly known as the Cuban royal palm or Florida royal palm, is a species of palm that is native to Mexico, parts of Central America and the Caribbean, and southern Florida. A large and attractive palm, it has been planted ...

, and

sapodilla ''Manilkara zapota'', commonly known as sapodilla (), sapote, naseberry, nispero or chicle, is a long-lived, evergreen tree native to southern Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. An example natural occurrence is in coastal Yucatán in the ...

. In captivity, the species has been observed consuming bananas, apples, pears, melons, peaches, and the flowers of the kapok,

sausage tree ''Kigelia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Bignoniaceae. The genus consists of only one species, ''Kigelia africana'', which occurs throughout tropical Africa. The so-called sausage tree grows a poisonous fruit that is up to long ...

, royal palm,

portia tree ''Thespesia populnea'', commonly known as the portia tree (), Pacific rosewood, Indian tulip tree, or milo, among other names, is a species of flowering plant belonging to the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is a tree found commonly on coasts ar ...

, and jatobá. Confirmed arthropods consumed include one

mite Mites are small arachnids (eight-legged arthropods). Mites span two large orders of arachnids, the Acariformes and the Parasitiformes, which were historically grouped together in the subclass Acari, but genetic analysis does not show clear evid ...

species (

Macronyssidae The Macronyssidae are a family of parasitic mites in the order Mesostigmata Mesostigmata is an order of mites belonging to the Parasitiformes. They are by far the largest group of Parasitiformes, with over 8,000 species in 130 families. Mesost ...

), two batfly species (

Streblidae The Streblidae are a family of flies in the superfamily Hippoboscoidea, and together with their relatives the Nycteribiidae, are known as bat flies. They are winged or wingless ectoparasites of bats, and often have long legs. They appear to be ho ...

), one tick species (

Argasidae The Argasidae are the family of soft ticks, one of the three families of ticks. The family contains 193 species, although the composition of the genera is less certain, and more study is needed before the genera can become stable. The currently a ...

), and two bat-mite species (

Labidocarpidae Chirodiscidae is a family of mites belonging to the order Sarcoptiformes. Genera: * '' Adentocarpus'' Fain, 1972 * '' Afrolabidocarpus'' Fain, 1970 * '' Alabidocarpus'' Ewing, 1929 * '' Asiolabidocarpus'' Fain, 1972 * '' Chirodiscus'' Trouessar ...

). These bats feed in the canopy of the forest and in the ground.

Behavior

The Antillean fruit-eating bat moves out from the roost synchronically one hour after sunset and 20 minutes after the

Jamaican fruit bat The Jamaican, common or Mexican fruit bat (''Artibeus jamaicensis'') is a fruit-eating bat native to Mexico, through Central America to northwestern South America, as well as the Greater and many of the Lesser Antilles. It is also an uncommon res ...

(''Artibeus jamaicensis''). This synchronization is also evident when returning to the roosts, which happens just before the break of dawn.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Antillean fruit-eating bat Fauna of the Lesser Antilles Mammals of Antigua and Barbuda Mammals of Barbados Mammals of Dominica Mammals of Grenada Mammals of Guadeloupe Mammals of Martinique Mammals of Montserrat Mammals of Puerto Rico Mammals of Saint Kitts and Nevis Mammals of the United States Virgin Islands Antillean Fruit Eating Bat Mammals described in 1834

Taxonomy

Physical description

Ecology

Behavior

See also

References