Individual captured via mist net (Costa Rica)
Its species name " alba" comes from Latin " albus" meaning "white". The genus name " Ectophylla" is from Ancient Greek " ektós" meaning "out" and " phúllon" meaning "leaf", referring to its nose-leaf. The Honduran white bat is the only member of Ectophylla, meaning it is a monotypic genus. Despite no longer being classified in the same genus, MacConnell's bat and the Honduran white bat are sister taxa-they are each other's closest relative. MacConnell's bat was once included in the genus Ectophylla, but it is now monotypic within Mesophylla. Within Phyllostomidae, it is in the subfamily Stenodermatinae. It belongs to the leaf-nosed bat family, Phyllostomidae. The holotype that Allen used to describe the new genus and species was collected by Charles Haskins Townsend near the Coco River in Honduras in 1887. The Honduran white bat was described as a new species, Ectophylla alba, in 1892 by American zoologist Harrison Allen. Its bright yellow ears, nose-leaf, and lips are a result of carotenoid deposition the mechanism of this deposition is being researched as a way to understand and combat macular degeneration in humans. Due to habitat loss, it is evaluated as near-threatened by the IUCN. It is found in Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and western Panama at elevations from sea level to 700 m (2,300 ft). Females can likely become pregnant twice per year, giving birth to one offspring at a time.
It is a specialist frugivore, consuming almost exclusively the fruits of one species of fig. It constructs "tents" out of understory plant leaves by strategically cutting the leaf ribs with its teeth it roosts in these tents during the day.
It has distinctive, entirely white fur, which is only found in six of the roughly 1,300 known species of bat. The genus and the species were both scientifically described for the first time in 1892. It is the only member of the genus Ectophylla. The Honduran white bat ( Ectophylla alba), also called the Caribbean white tent-making bat, is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomatidae.
0 kommentar(er)
