Perception Channels: tactile ; chemical
M. macrophyllum is an uncommon bat scattered throughout Central and South America. It normally lives in the rainforest, and destruction to the rainforest limits habitats for M. macrophyllum (Nowak, 1999). In contrast, construction of roads with access and irrigation tunnels may be beneficial for M. macrophyllum (Harrison, 1975).
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
M. macrophyllum, like many bat species, controls insect problems through predation. Also, when bats congregate in caves and other habitats to roost, they produce guano in massive quantities. This guano can be mined for use as fertilizer for crops or just mined for its phosphorous content (Seymour and Dickerman, 1982).
Positive Impacts: produces fertilizer; controls pest population
When found in large colonies, M. macrophyllum, like all other insectivorous bats, can have a dramatic effect on the insect populations in the area. M. macrophyllum has more of an effect on the aquatic insect life than most bats just specializing in the predation of flying insects. (Harrison, 1975).
M. macrophyllum feed on insects, including water striders.
The anatomy of the posterior extremities is in some ways similar to that of fish-eating bats Noctilio and Pizonyx, and some researchers thought that M. macrophyllum had a similar diet as the fish eating bats. But further research reveals no evidence of aquatic hunting. Examination of the bats' stomachs found finely chewed insect remains, and wing fragments (probably lepidopterous and dipterous), confirming that most of the animals diet consists of flying insects although aquatic insects and blood from animals were found on occasion as well (Reid, 1997).
Primary Diet: carnivore (Insectivore )
M. macrophyllum is found throughout eastern Central America and South America (Emmons, 1997). First discovered in Brazil, at Rio Mucuri, M. macrophyllum is also found in localities in Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, British Guiana, Venezuela, and Colombia. The species ranges down to San Ignacio, Argentina and as far north as central Mexico (Harrison, 1975).
Biogeographic Regions: neotropical (Native )
M. macrophyllum is found in a variety of habitats including tropical deciduous forest, rain forests and rain forest clearings (Harrison, 1975). These bats are usually found near water pools. They roost singly or in small groups in wet tunnels, culverts, under bridges and in caves and abandoned buildings. The species is often found living in irrigation tunnels in Central and South America (Emmons, 1997). Specimens have been caught on tree trunks over water, hanging in sea caves, and in a vaulted cellar in Old Panamas ruins (French, 1999). One colony of M. macrophyllum, described by Harrison and Pendleton in 1975, lived in a water culvert under a road in Guatemala (Harrison,1975).
Habitat Regions: tropical
Terrestrial Biomes: forest ; rainforest
Seymour and Dickerman (1982) reported that of an original cohort of 90 bats, 41 were recaptured on later dates. Seven were recaptured for the last time after 232-239 days, eight after 334-341 days, 10 after 593-605 days, and 9 at the end of the study after 960-966 days(Eisenberg, 1989; Seymour and Dickerson, 1982).
Range lifespan
Status: wild: 500 (low) days.
Typical lifespan
Status: wild: 500 to 1000 days.
M. macrophyllum can be distinguished by its long tail enclosed within the broad interfemoral membrane, which is studded on the ventral side with a distinctive row of about seven vertical lines of dots, each ending with a bump on the straight rear edge of the tail membrane (Reid,1997). The wing membrane extends from the distal end of the tibia. The dorsum is dark brown and the ventral side is paler, and the wings and tail membrane are brown. Hair becomes paler toward the base and the wings and interfemoral membrane are naked (Harrison, 1975).
M. macrophyllum has long legs, hence its common name. Its feet are enlarged. Extremely large and powerful claws, which are as long as the animals' tibia, protrude from the hind feet of the bat. The ears are large, pointed, and slightly hairy on upper rim with a large tragus extending up into the ear, typical in this family of bats. The noseleaf, used in echolocation, is large with a vertical central ridge, as is also typical in the family. The rostrum is short, shorter than the width of the skull. The tympanic bulae are small and basioccipital pits are absent (Harrison, 1975).
The dentition is similar to Micronycteris, but the upper anterior premolar is reduced, slightly larger than the outer upper incisor, and the first and third lower premolar almost touch because they crowd the middle premolar (McCarthy, 1989). The gap between the canines is almost completely filled by the upper incisors, and the middle incisors are much larger than the outer incisors. The overall body form is slender.M. macrophyllum can be distinguished from all other small (forearm less than 40mm) leaf nosed bats because they have much longer tails (Emmons, 1997; Harrison, 1975).
Range mass: 7 to 11 g.
Range length: 80 to 100 mm.
Range wingspan: 34 to 45 mm.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; bilateral symmetry
Known Predators:
Females were pregnant at two different localities at two different times in Guatemala (Seymour and Dickerman, 1982). At El Recuerdo, the females were pregnant in the rainy season and at San Jose, they were pregnant in the dry season. Another study showed the testes of males obtained on October 16 to range between 4.6 and 5.1mm and a male collected on June 16 had testes measuring 5.7mm. Three of the males collected by Felton in 1956 in December were considered to be sexually active (Harrison, 1975).
Key Reproductive Features: gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual
In the 2 births described, the single embryo was 18mm and 17.5mm length in length. Even though at birth the embryos were quite small, the claws and feet were well developed and large, the feet and claws of both individuals measured 8mm. This was equal to the length of the specimens' forearms and nearly half the animals' length. The distinguishing nodules were already present at birth (Harrison, 1975).
Parental Investment: altricial
The long-legged bat (Macrophyllum macrophyllum) is a member of the Phyllostomidae family in the order Chiroptera. Both males and females of this species are generally small, with wingspans reaching 80mm with an average weight ranging between 6 and 9 grams.[2] The facial structure of these bats includes a shortened rostrum with a prominent noseleaf. The most defining feature of these bats however, is their long posterior limbs that extend farther than most Phyllostomidae bats. At the ends of these hind legs, the long-legged bat has abnormally large feet equipped with strong claws.[2]
The first specimen of M. macrophyllum was found in Brazil in 1855. Since then, these bats have been sighted in various locations across South America and Central America. In the northern regions of South America, the long-legged bat has been found in parts of Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Venezuela. In Central America, these bats have been spotted in Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. M. macrophyllum has also been located in parts of southern Mexico.[2] Although these bats are fairly small, they have been shown to have a large home-range of up to 150 hectares with females having slightly larger home-ranges than males.[3]
In general, M. macrophyllum is found in regions slightly north of the equator in rain forests and tropical deciduous forest habitats. In the majority of documented sightings, these bats were found near water sources such as lakes, streams, or sea caves off the Pacific coast.[2] It has been inferred that these bats live near water sources because of the abundance of insects at these sights.[3] In addition to being found near the water sources mentioned previously, these bats have been found roosting in man-made structures such as water culverts, modern buildings, and even ancient Panama ruins.[2]
Though bats can have a diet ranging from fruit to meat, M. macrophyllum is insectivorous, meaning that their diet mainly consists of insects. Stomach content analysis of these bats has revealed mainly winged insects, indicating that the majority of the insects that M. macrophyllum consumes are aerial insects. Although flying insects are the main food source of the long-legged bat, these bats have also been known to supplement their diet with animal blood, but not with fruit. Due to the prominence of its posterior extremities and large feet, researchers have suggested aquatic hunting in these bats similar to Noctilo fish-eating bats, but this has yet to be proven.[2]
The most commonly observed foraging strategy of M. macrophyllum is gleaning, in which a bat will hover over a body of water and pick up insects on the surface using its enlarged feet and long hind limbs. This system of foraging in M. macrophyllum differs from most other phyllostomid bats.[3] However, these bats are not limited to this gleaning foraging strategy alone; laboratory studies have shown that M. macrophyllum is also capable of aerial hawking, a foraging strategy in which bats prey on insects in midair.[4] These bats perform both of these foraging strategies equally effectively. This variation in foraging allows these bats to take advantage of the variety of insects in their environment, whether they are sitting on the water or hovering above it.[4]
Like many species in the order Chiroptera, M. macrophyllum uses echolocation to navigate its environment and detect its prey. These bats are able to do this by sending out sound waves and receiving these waves when they bounce off various objects. As the long-legged bat approaches an object, the frequency of their echolocation signals will increase so they are able to create a better spatial map.[5]
Unlike many bat species from the family Phyllostomidae that use low-intensity "whispering" echos, the long-legged bat has been shown to produce high-intense echolocation calls to detect its prey. M. macrophyllum will adjust the intensity of its calls depending on its environment. When in areas with high acoustic clutter, the bats will decrease their signal intensity, while in more open areas, the bats will increase their signal intensity. By increasing call intensity in a more open environment, this allows these bats to have a broader detection range for food. Average intensity output has been shown increase by 11 dB, corresponding to a 4x amplitude increase when echolocating in open environments compared to enclosed environments.[5]
The long-legged bat (Macrophyllum macrophyllum) is a member of the Phyllostomidae family in the order Chiroptera. Both males and females of this species are generally small, with wingspans reaching 80mm with an average weight ranging between 6 and 9 grams. The facial structure of these bats includes a shortened rostrum with a prominent noseleaf. The most defining feature of these bats however, is their long posterior limbs that extend farther than most Phyllostomidae bats. At the ends of these hind legs, the long-legged bat has abnormally large feet equipped with strong claws.
