The lesser false vampire bat (''Megaderma spasma'') is a
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 ...
found in
South Asia
South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical
Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth descr ...
and
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...
from
Sri Lanka and
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
in the west to
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
and the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
in the east. They live in caves and tree hollows. They are
insectivorous.
The lesser false vampire bat has a
wingspan
The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan o ...
of up to and have a head-and-body length of around . Their forearms are normally around .
The lesser false vampire bat has yellowish veins through the wing, and when the wings are spread with light behind, they are given a prominent yellow/orange tinge. Their body colour ranges from grey-brown to blue-brown. Lesser false vampire bats live in rock
crevices, caves,
foliage
A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, s ...
and hollow trees, depending on availability, as well as hanging and sleeping on trees in general.
''Megaderma spasma'' is from the order Chiroptera and family Megadermatidae which comprises four genera and five species.
''M. spasma'' also known as lesser false vampire.
Its type locality was in Indonesia, Molucca Islands and Ternate.
There are two specimens of ''M. spasma'' collected in Sarawak Museum Unimas, one from Niah and another one from batu 16, Ulu Gombak. ''M. spasma'' was distributed in India to Indochina and Malay Peninsula, Sri Lanka, Andaman Islands, Sumatra, Borneo, Moluccas, Philippines, Sulawesi and other Indonesian islands.
In Borneo, it can found in Sepilok, Darvel Bay area in Sabah, Niah and Kuching in Sarawak, upper S. Kapuas in West and upper S. Tengah in South Kalimantan.
It is most closely related to the
greater false vampire bat
The greater false vampire bat (''Lyroderma lyra'') is a species of bat in the family Megadermatidae, the false vampire bats. It is native to Asia. It is also known as the Indian false vampire bat or greater false-vampire
Description
This speci ...
, which is the only other species in the genus ''Megaderma''.
''M. spasma'' has fur pale grey to grey-brown in colour.
Its noseleaf has long dorsal lobe with stiffened central ridge and broad convex flaps on the sides. Its ears are very large, joined at the base and it has no visible tail. Its echolocation pulses are short, low in density and broadband and its large ears are sensitive to echoes returning from their pulses and also sensitive to the sounds that prey generates.
''M. spasma'' usually roosts in groups in caves, pits, building, and hollow trees.
''M. spasma'' favours grasshoppers and moths
but sometimes they eat small vertebrates including other bats.
They have well developed, forward-pointing eyes and can locate prey visually.
''M. spasma'' usually roosts in a group of 3–30 individuals.
Their ecological importance may be both positive and negative to humans. They eat some insects which harm human crops, but they may carry and transmit certain diseases.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2358905
Megadermatidae
Bats of Asia
Bats of Southeast Asia
Bats of Indonesia
Bats of Malaysia
Mammals of Bangladesh
Mammals of Borneo
Mammals of Brunei
Mammals of Myanmar
Mammals of Cambodia
Mammals of India
Mammals of Laos
Mammals of the Philippines
Mammals of Singapore
Mammals of Sri Lanka
Mammals of Thailand
Mammals of Vietnam
Least concern biota of Asia
Mammals described in 1758
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
Bats of India