The cyclops roundleaf bat or cyclops leaf-nosed bat (''Doryrhina cyclops'') is a species of
bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most bi ...
in the family
Hipposideridae
The Hipposideridae are a family of bats commonly known as the Old World leaf-nosed bats. While it has often been seen as a subfamily, Hipposiderinae, of the family Rhinolophidae, it is now more generally classified as its own family.Simmons, 20 ...
found in the forests of equatorial
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
.
Description
Cyclops roundleaf bats are relatively small, with adults ranging from in total length, including a tail approximately long. With an average weight of , females are significantly larger than males at just . The body is covered in thick woolly fur, which is a dark brown in colour, grizzled with lighter flecks on the tips of the hairs. The wings are very dark brown, almost black, in colour.
The ears are long and narrowly pointed. The
nose-leaf
A nose-leaf, or leaf nose, is an often large, lance-shaped nose, found in bats of the Phyllostomidae, Hipposideridae
The Hipposideridae are a family of bats commonly known as the Old World leaf-nosed bats. While it has often been seen as a su ...
has a distinctive shape, with a rounded horseshoe shape over the muzzle and a posterior leaf with two projections on each side. Both parts of the leaf also possess small club-like structures projecting from their mid-line. The "cyclops" part of the bat's name comes from the presence of a narrow circular opening in the centre of the forehead, just behind, and normally hidden by, the nose-leaf. This opening leads to a small glandular sac lined with white hairs, which produces a waxy substance of unknown function.
[
Males possess scent gland on the ]perineum
The perineum in humans is the space between the anus and scrotum in the male, or between the anus and the vulva in the female. The perineum is the region of the body between the pubic symphysis (pubic arch) and the coccyx (tail bone), includi ...
, producing a clear fluid with a musk
Musk (Persian: مشک, ''Mushk'') is a class of aromatic substances commonly used as base notes in perfumery. They include glandular secretions from animals such as the musk deer, numerous plants emitting similar fragrances, and artificial sub ...
y smell. Females have two true nipples on the chest, and an additional, non-functional, pair on the abdomen, providing additional support for the young.[
]
Distribution and habitat
The cyclops roundleaf bat is found through much of equatorial Africa. It is found along the southern coast of West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Maurit ...
from Senegal
Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 ...
and Gambia
The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland AfricaHoare, Ben. (2002) ''The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia'', Kingfisher Publicatio ...
eastward to Gabon
Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north ...
and the Republic of the Congo
The Republic of the Congo (french: République du Congo, ln, Republíki ya Kongó), also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply either Congo or the Congo, is a country located in the western coast of Central Africa to the w ...
, and across the northern and western parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
, through Uganda
}), is a landlocked country in East Africa
East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...
and Rwanda
Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...
to the eastern coasts of Kenya
)
, national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Nairobi
, coordinates =
, largest_city = Nairobi
, ...
and Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...
.[ It inhabits tropical forests at elevations up to .][
]
Behaviour and biology
Cyclops roundleaf bats spend the day roosting in hollow trees, often in cavities as far from the ground as possible. Roosting colonies are generally small, with no more than twelve individuals, including one to three males and a number of females, although a number of male bats roost alone.[ Roosting cavities are often shared with other animals, such as scaly-tailed squirrels.][
They feed on insects, showing a preference for ]hawk moth
The Sphingidae are a family of moths (Lepidoptera) called sphinx moths, also colloquially known as hawk moths, with many of their caterpillars known as “hornworms”; it includes about 1,450 species. It is best represented in the tropics, but ...
s and cicada
The cicadas () are a superfamily, the Cicadoidea, of insects in the order Hemiptera (true bugs). They are in the suborder Auchenorrhyncha, along with smaller jumping bugs such as leafhoppers and froghoppers. The superfamily is divided into two ...
s, but also eating beetles, flies, and ants, among others. Their echolocation calls include a constant frequency component at 58 to 60 kHz, in addition to a frequency modulated
Frequency modulation (FM) is the encoding of information in a carrier wave by varying the instantaneous frequency of the wave. The technology is used in telecommunications, radio broadcasting, signal processing, and computing.
In analog freque ...
component. They have also been reported to make very high pitched, but audible, squeaking sounds while flying.[
There is a distinct breeding season, but its timing varies across the bats' range, at any time between December and July. ]Gestation
Gestation is the period of development during the carrying of an embryo, and later fetus, inside viviparous animals (the embryo develops within the parent). It is typical for mammals, but also occurs for some non-mammals. Mammals during pregna ...
lasts up to three and a half months, and results in the birth of a single offspring.[
]
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q309342
Hipposideros
Bats of Africa
Mammals described in 1853
Taxa named by Coenraad Jacob Temminck
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN