Animal Diversity Web U of M Museum of Zoology ADW Home ADW Home ADW Home University of Michigan Help About Aninal Names Teaching Special Topics About Us




Structured Inquiry Search — preview

Home -> Kingdom Animalia -> Phylum Chordata -> Subphylum Vertebrata -> Class Mammalia -> Order Chiroptera -> Family Mormoopidae -> Species Pteronotus parnellii

Pteronotus parnellii
Parnell's mustached bat



2010/02/07 04:42:49.615 US/Eastern

By Gabriel Gam

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiroptera
Family: Mormoopidae
Genus: Pteronotus
Species: Pteronotus parnellii

Geographic Range

Pteronotus parnellii is found from southern Mexico to northern Brazil (Herd 1983).

Biogeographic Regions:
nearctic (native ); neotropical (native ).

Habitat

Elevation
3000 m (high)
(9840 ft)


P. parnellii lives in edge habitats (Estrada 2001). These habitats range from humid to arid (Herd 1983). They also live in moist areas in forest (Gray 1843). They range in elevation from coastal lowland areas to 3000 m.

These animals are found in the following types of habitat:
tropical ; terrestrial .

Terrestrial Biomes:
forest ; rainforest ; scrub forest .

Physical Description

Mass
10 to 20 g; avg. 15 g
(0.35 to 0.7 oz; avg. 0.53 oz)


Length
73 to 102 mm; avg. 87.50 mm
(2.87 to 4.02 in; avg. 3.44 in)


Pteronotus parnellii have tufts of hair sticking out of the sides of their muzzles, hence the name "Parnell's Mustached Bat". Members of this species have long and narrow wings, and their wing aspect ratio is greater than most bats. Both their ears and tragus are narrow and pointed, and they have a furless chin. Their dental formula is i2/2 c1/1 p2/3 m3/3. During their annual molt, which takes place from May to July, their coat turns from a dark brown/blackish color to a brilliant orange/fulvous. The male is usually slightly larger than the female (Estrada 2001).

Some key physical features:
endothermic ; bilateral symmetry .

Reproduction

Number of offspring
1 (average)

Time to weaning
2.50 months (average)

The females are monestrous. The timing of pregnancy varies from region to region, but pregnancies generally take place from January to July (Gray, 1843). Males and females roost together only around the time of mating (Gray, 1843; Herd, 1983).

Key reproductive features:
gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; fertilization (internal ); viviparous .

Behavior

They leave their roost shortly after sunset and remain in flight for about 5-7 hours (Herd 1983). They usually roost individually within large caves or similar chambers (Gray 1843). They usually fly near the ground, often following natural depressions.

Key behaviors:
nocturnal ; motile ; colonial .

Food Habits

P. parnellii eats moths, butterflies, and beetles (Herd 1983).

Economic Importance for Humans: Negative

P. parnellii may carry rabies, Histoplasma, Scopulariopsis, mites, or bat flies, which are hazardous to humans (Herd 1983).

Economic Importance for Humans: Positive

This species feeds on insects that are sometimes injurious to humans. It has also served as a model in the study of echolocation.

Ways that people benefit from these animals:
research and education; controls pest population.

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List: [link]:
Lower Risk - Least Concern.

US Federal List: [link]:
No special status.

CITES: [link]:
No special status.

We have no text on this topic for this species. Look to the sidebar on the right for some limited information.

Other Comments

Their echolocation pulse is emitted from the mouth (Herd 1983).

For More Information

Find Pteronotus parnellii information at

Contributors

Gabriel Gam (author), University of Michigan.
Ondrej Podlaha (editor), University of Michigan.

References

Estrada, A., R. Coates-Estrada. 2001. "Bat species richness in live fences and in corridors of residual rain forest vegetation at Los Tuxtlas, Mexico" (On-line). Accessed October 9, 2001 at http://www.csa3.com/htbin/ids52/procskel.cgi.

Hall, E., K. Koopman, J. Smith. 1997. "Naked-backed Bats, Moustached Bats, or Leaf-lipped Bats" (On-line). Accessed October 10, 2001 at http://www.press.jhu.edu/books/walkers_mammals_of_the_world/chiroptera/chiroptera.mormoopidae.pteronotus.html.

Herd, R. 1983. Pteronotus parnellii. Mammalian Species, 209: 1-5.

2010/02/07 04:42:50.537 US/Eastern

To cite this page: Gam, G. 2002. "Pteronotus parnellii" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed February 09, 2010 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Pteronotus_parnellii.html.

Disclaimer: The Animal Diversity Web is an educational resource written largely by and for college students. ADW doesn't cover all species in the world, nor does it include all the latest scientific information about organisms we describe. Though we edit our accounts for accuracy, we cannot guarantee all information in those accounts. While ADW staff and contributors provide references to books and websites that we believe are reputable, we cannot necessarily endorse the contents of references beyond our control.

Other formats: OWL

Home  ¦  About Us  ¦  Special Topics  ¦  Teaching  ¦  About Animal Names  ¦  Help

Structured Inquiry Search — preview