Waterhouse's leaf-nosed bat (''Macrotus waterhousii'') is a species of big-eared

bat Bats are flying mammals of the order Chiroptera (). 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 birds, flying with their very long spread-out ...

in the family Phyllostomidae. It is found in the

Greater Antilles The Greater Antilles is a grouping of the larger islands in the Caribbean Sea, including Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica, together with Navassa Island and the Cayman Islands. Seven island states share the region of the Greater Antille ...

(excluding

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

) in the

Cayman Islands The Cayman Islands () is a self-governing British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory, and the largest by population. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, which are located so ...

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

Hispaniola Hispaniola (, also ) is an island between Geography of Cuba, Cuba and Geography of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and the second-largest by List of C ...

(the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

and

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

) and

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

, as well as

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

(from

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into Municipalities of Sonora, 72 ...

to Hidalgo) south to

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

Behavior

This species roosts primarily in caves, but also in mines and buildings. The species is

insectivorous A robber fly eating a hoverfly An insectivore is a carnivorous animal or plant which eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which can also refer to the human practice of eating insects. The first vertebrate insectivores we ...

, primarily consuming insects of the order

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) or lepidopterans is an order (biology), order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera have been described, representing 10% of the total described species of living organ ...

and

Orthoptera Orthoptera () is an order of insects that comprises the grasshoppers, locusts, and crickets, including closely related insects, such as the bush crickets or katydids and wētā. The order is subdivided into two suborders: Caelifera – gras ...

. ''M. waterhousii'' does not require complete darkness in its roosting place, and can often be found near the entrance of a cave (with in 10–30 meters), or even partially lit buildings. It is possible to find this species in groups, but not as common as other bats; they are almost never in direct contact with one another. They typically leave their roost about 30 minutes after sundown.

Reproduction

Sperm cycle

Male ''M. waterhousii'' have an interesting cycle in their sperm production and peak times for successful mating. From December to early June, there are no mature sperm found within the male's reproductive tract. Starting in June, the spermatogenic cycle begins, leading to sperm being available (for mating) in August. Mature sperm can be found in the reproductive tract of males from August to early December. However, starting around September, a decrease in testes size can be observed.

Delayed development

Observed during the pregnancy of female ''M. waterhousii'', there seems to be a delay in the development of the offspring. It is possible that this is controlled by levels of Plasma Thyroxine (T4). During the first two trimester of pregnancy, levels of T4 are relatively low. But during the last trimester (and lactation), levels of T4 more than double typically. These corresponds in the observed delayed development of the offspring, as much of the development happen in that last trimester.

Echolocation and foraging

Like many bats, this species uses echolocation as a means to locate their prey. In particular, ''Macrotus waterhousii'' uses a low intensity, broadband-like call to aide in their search for food. The maximum frequency of a call is 73.65 kHz with a minimum of 46.19 kHz, creating a bandwidth of 27.46 kHz. The call ranges from about 1 second to 3 seconds. In addition, to echolocation, ''M. waterhousii'' uses the sound made by the prey itself to locate it. This type of foraging behavior leads to a preference for a cluttered habitat. As ''M. waterhousii'' is hunting, the frequency of calls decreases as it approaches its prey.

Parasites

The

nematode The nematodes ( or ; ; ), roundworms or eelworms constitute the phylum Nematoda. Species in the phylum inhabit a broad range of environments. Most species are free-living, feeding on microorganisms, but many are parasitic. Parasitic worms (h ...

''Torrestrongylus tetradorsalis'' was described in 2015. It is a

parasite Parasitism is a Symbiosis, close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives (at least some of the time) on or inside another organism, the Host (biology), host, causing it some harm, and is Adaptation, adapted str ...

of the small

intestine The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The tract is the largest of the body's systems, after the cardiovascular system. T ...

of the Waterhouse's leaf-nosed bat in Central

. It was collected from bats from the Sierra de Huautla Biosphere Reserve in the state of Morelos.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Waterhouse's Leaf-Nosed Bat Macrotus Mammals described in 1843 Taxa named by John Edward Gray Mammals of the Dominican Republic Mammals of Haiti Taxonomy articles created by Polbot