Leptonycteris yerbabuenae was previously known as a subspecies: L. curasoae yerbabuenae. In older literature, this species has sometimes been referred to as L. sanborni.
Perception Channels: tactile ; chemical
Leptonycteris yerbabuenae is considered an endangered species in North America. Destruction of its primary food resources and general habitat by the tequila industry and agriculture is threatening its population numbers. This species is also especially vulnerable to extinction because it is a specialist, feeding on the nectar, pollen and fruit of several plant families present in southern North America and Central America. It is also especially susceptible because of its migratory habits. Conservation efforts should include food resources, roosting sites and protection of habitats along the migratory route (Arita and Santos-Del-Prado, 1999).
Temperate North American bats are now threatened by a fungal disease called “white-nose syndrome.” This disease has devastated eastern North American bat populations at hibernation sites since 2007. The fungus, Geomyces destructans, grows best in cold, humid conditions that are typical of many bat hibernacula. The fungus grows on, and in some cases invades, the bodies of hibernating bats and seems to result in disturbance from hibernation, causing a debilitating loss of important metabolic resources and mass deaths. Mortality rates at some hibernation sites have been as high as 90%. While there are currently no reports of Leptonycteris yerbabuenae mortalities as a result of white-nose syndrome, the disease continues to expand its range in North America.
US Federal List: endangered
CITES: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: vulnerable
Lesser long-nosed bats help to pollinate agave, from which tequila is made (Arita and Wilson, 1987).
Positive Impacts: pollinates crops
This species has a very close relationship with the cacti on which it feeds. Since lesser long-nosed bats are nectarivores with a relatively large foraging area, feeding results in both short and long distance pollen movements. By doing so, these bats help to create gene flow within and between populations of columnar cacti (Horner et al. 1998).
Through fecal analysis, it has been shown that this species also disperses the seeds of fruit on which it feeds (Rojas-Martinez et al. 1999).
Ecosystem Impact: disperses seeds; pollinates
The diet of lesser long-nosed bats consists of nectar and pollen from the night-blooming flowers of the Agavaceae, Bombaceae, Cactaceae, Convolvulaceae and Leguminosae. They also feed on the pulp of cactus fruit. They are not obligate cactus visitors. The diet is influenced by availability of possible food resources (Ceballos et al. 1997).
Lesser long-nosed bats forage at night, between 24:00 and 02:00, when flowers have accumulated substantial amounts of nectar. These bats begin by taking generally long commuting flights to a foraging area. Once they arrive at the foraging area (which usually consists of about one square kilometer), they survey many plants. Later, they may make return visits to several of those plants to feed (Horner et al. 1998).
Plant Foods: fruit; nectar
Primary Diet: herbivore (Frugivore , Nectarivore )
Arid and semi-arid regions of Mexico and southwestern United States, including the Sonoran Desert.
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native )
Leptonycteris yerbabuenae is found near cacti, usually living in caves in huge groups. The habitat ranges from desert scrub in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico to high elevations on wooded mountains further south in Mexico.
Habitat Regions: temperate ; tropical
Terrestrial Biomes: desert or dune ; scrub forest
Other Habitat Features: caves
Leptonycteris yerbabuenaee is a yellow-brown or cinnamon gray bat, with a total head and body measurement of approximately 3 inches (7.62 cm). The tongue measures approximately the same length as the body. This species also has a small noseleaf. The wingspan of Leptonycteris yerbabuenae is approximately 10 inches (25 cm) and the mass is roughly 23 g.
Average mass: 23 g.
Average length: 8 cm.
Average wingspan: 25 cm.
Sexual Dimorphism: sexes alike
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; bilateral symmetry
Little is known about the mating system and behavior of lesser long-nosed bats. It is known, however, that females converge on maternity colonies to birth and care for their young (Ceballos et al. 1997).
Little is known about the reproductive behavior of lesser long-nosed bats. It is hypothesized that the gestation period is approximately five months. It is not known whether gestation involves delayed implantation or delayed development. There are different mating/birthing schedules for different populations. In southern Mexico, females give birth in December or January; in Baja California, babies are born in March (Ceballos et al. 1997).
There is only one pup per litter. This bat is not bimodally polyestrous (it does not give birth twice a year). Sperm production is maximal during the late wet season (Ceballos et al. 1997).
Breeding interval: Breeding occurs once yearly.
Breeding season: Breeding season varies regionally.
Average number of offspring: 1.
Average gestation period: 5 months.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; viviparous
Females converge on maternity colonies, which consist of anywhere from several thousand to over one hundred thousand pregnant animals. The females do not come to the colony at the same time or during the same stage of pregnancy. The births are generally spread out over a one-month period. In the northern Sonoran Desert and in Arizona, females converge on the maternity colonies in mid- to late-April. This timing varies by population (Ceballos et al. 1997).
Each female cares for her single pup alone. In the maternity colonies, no attempts are made by mothers to nurse or feed others' babies. They do, however, exhibit other behaviors, such as visiting, touching and nosing others' pups several times per night (Ceballos et al. 1997).
The young begin to fly at approximately four weeks of age (Ceballos et al. 1997).
Parental Investment: altricial ; pre-fertilization (Provisioning, Protecting: Female); pre-hatching/birth (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Female)
The lesser long-nosed bat (Leptonycteris yerbabuenae) is a medium-sized bat found in Central and North America.[1] It is sometimes known as Sanborn's long-nosed bat or the Mexican long-nosed bat, though the latter name is better avoided since it is also used for the entire genus Leptonycteris and for one of the other species in it, the greater long-nosed bat (L. nivalis).
Originally described as a subspecies of the greater long-nosed bat,[2] it was later considered a subspecies of the southern long-nosed bat, before being confirmed as a distinct species.[1] Enthusiasts for the bats often refer to them simply as leptos because they are the best known members of the genus Leptonycteris. The scientific name is derived from the type locality, near Yerbabuena in Guerrero, Mexico.[2]
Lesser long-nosed bats are relatively small bats, with a total length as adults of around 8 centimetres (3.1 in), and weighing between 15 and 25 grams (0.53 and 0.88 oz), depending on the time of year. Males and females are similar in size, and virtually indistinguishable. As their common name implies, they have a long, narrow snout, and this terminates in a small triangular nose-leaf. While they do have three internal caudal vertebrae, they have no visible tail.[2]
The tongue of lesser long-nosed bats has a number of adaptations for lapping nectar, including long ridges and rough, conical papillae,[3] which may also help protect against periodontal disease by scraping the teeth clean. Their wings have a high wing loading, allowing for energy efficient long-distance flight in open habitats, at the expense of manoeuvrability.[4]
Only three other species of North American bat have a nose-leaf, and two of these, the Mexican long-tongued bat, and the California leaf-nosed bat, have a distinct tail, and also, in the latter case, much larger ears than lesser long-nosed bats do. They are more easily confused with their close relatives, the greater long-nosed bats, but, in addition to being about 10% larger, the latter have shorter, greyish fur, and proportionately longer wings.[2]
Adult lesser long-nosed bats are yellow-brown or grey above, with rusty brown fur below. Their ears are small.
Lesser long-nosed bats inhabit semi-arid grassland, scrub, or forest habitats below about 550 metres (1,800 ft). They are able to tolerate unusually high temperatures of up to 41 °C (106 °F), due in part to a low metabolic rate. They do not enter torpor or hibernate, but die at ambient temperatures of below about 10 °C (50 °F).[5]
In the north, they reach southern California, Arizona and New Mexico. However, they are only found as summer migrants in the United States and, more generally, north of the mid-Sonora, arriving in these regions between April and July, and migrating south again in September.[2] Some individuals have been estimated to migrate as far as 1,600 kilometres (990 mi) each year.[6] Their migratory patterns have been shown to follow a path determined by seasonal availability of food plants, with cacti, Agave, and plants of the C3 metabolic pathway being strong predictors of distribution.[7] They are found year-round in the western and southern parts of Mexico, and along the east coast, and in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras.[2]
There are no recognised subspecies.
Lesser long-nosed bats feed mainly on nectar from night-blooming plants such as saguaro, organ pipe cactus,[8] as well as century plant and other agaves. They are important pollinators of night-blooming cactus.[9] They may also eat some cactus fruits, and, during the winter, on pollen from a range of other plants as the opportunity arises.[2]
Lesser long-nosed bats roost during the day in large colonies of up to several thousand individuals in caves or abandoned mines, dispersing at night to feed. The size and composition of such colonies varies throughout the year, as the bats migrate to summer feeding grounds. At some times of the year, many colonies become occupied only by nursing females and their young, with males occupying smaller temporary roosts.[2]
The breeding season lasts from November to December for bats that migrate northward during the summer, but from May to June in those that give birth in the south. Despite the presence of two distinct mating seasons, individual bats mate only once a year. Gestation lasts about six months, and results in the birth of a single pup, during the time of local peak flower availability.[2]
Newborn young weigh 4 to 7 grams (0.14 to 0.25 oz) and are fully weaned at four to eight weeks of age. They are able fly after a month, but do not begin to exit the maternity cave for a further two to three weeks. They are known to live for up to at least eight years in the wild.[2]
The lesser long-nosed bat (Leptonycteris yerbabuenae) is a medium-sized bat found in Central and North America. It is sometimes known as Sanborn's long-nosed bat or the Mexican long-nosed bat, though the latter name is better avoided since it is also used for the entire genus Leptonycteris and for one of the other species in it, the greater long-nosed bat (L. nivalis).
Originally described as a subspecies of the greater long-nosed bat, it was later considered a subspecies of the southern long-nosed bat, before being confirmed as a distinct species. Enthusiasts for the bats often refer to them simply as leptos because they are the best known members of the genus Leptonycteris. The scientific name is derived from the type locality, near Yerbabuena in Guerrero, Mexico.
