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Miller's long-tongued bat

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Miller's long-tongued bat
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiroptera
Family: Phyllostomidae
Genus: Glossophaga
Species:
G. longirostris
Binomial name
Glossophaga longirostris
Miller, 1898

Miller's long-tongued bat (Glossophaga longirostris) is a bat species found in northern Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, the Netherlands Antilles and the U.S. Virgin Islands.[1][2]

Taxonomy

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Miller's long-tongued bat was described as a new species in 1898 by American zoologist Gerrit Smith Miller Jr.. The holotype had been collected in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta of Colombia by Wilmot W. Brown Jr..[3] Six or seven subspecies are typically recognized.[4]

Description

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Glossophaga species are small, with average forearm lengths ranging from 31–42 mm (1.2–1.7 in). Miller's long-tongued bat has a braincase that is equivalent in length to its snout, whereas other members of the genus have a shorter snout relative to the braincase. Its dental formula is 2.1.2.32.1.3.3 for a total of 34 teeth.[4] Males weigh an average of 13.25 g (0.467 oz), while nonpregnant females weigh 12.81 g (0.452 oz).[5]

Biology

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Miller's long-tongued bat is nectarivorous, with cacti blossoms as an important food source.[6][5] Two breeding seasons occur annually: December–April and June–October.[4] The litter size is one pup.[6]

Range and habitat

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Miller's long-tongued bat is found in the following countries and territories: Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, the Netherlands Antilles, Guyana, Brazil, and Ecuador. In the Lesser Antilles its range extends northwards to St. Vincent. They roost in caves, houses, and rock crevices.[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b Solari, S. (2018). "Glossophaga longirostris". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T9275A22108249. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T9275A22108249.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ Simmons, Nancy B. (2005), "Chiroptera", in Wilson, Don E.; Reeder, DeeAnn M. (eds.), Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.), Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 312–529, ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0, retrieved 13 September 2009
  3. ^ Miller, G. S. (1898). Descriptions of five new phyllostome bats. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University. pp. 334–337. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  4. ^ a b c d Gardner, Alfred. Mammals of South America Volume 1. University of Chicago Press. p. 236-239.
  5. ^ a b Webster, W. D.; Handley, C. O. (1986). "Systematics of Miller's long-tongued bat, Glossophaga longirostris: with descriptions of two new subspecies" (PDF). Occasional Papers the Museum of Texas Tech University. 100.
  6. ^ a b Petit, Sophie (1997). "The Diet and Reproductive Schedules of Leptonycteris curasoae curasoae and Glossophaga longirostris elongata (Chiroptera: Glossophaginae) on Curaçao". Biotropica. 29 (2): 214–223. Bibcode:1997Biotr..29..214P. doi:10.1111/j.1744-7429.1997.tb00026.x. S2CID 83856061.