Phyllostomidae Author Don E. Wilson Author Russell A. Mittermeier text 2019 2019-10-31 Lynx Edicions Barcelona Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats 444 583 book chapter http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6458594 adeeb71f-7f8d-4e00-bc9f-35089363f76e 978-84-16728-19-0 6458594 79. Banana Bat Musonycteris harrisoni French: Musonyctere des bananiers / German: Bananenfledermaus / Spanish: Musonicterio del bananero Other common names: Colima Long-nosed Bat , Trumpet-nosed Bat Taxonomy. Musonycteris harrisoni Schaldach & McLaughlin, 1960 , “ 2 km . southeast of Pueblo Juarez (formerly Hacienda LLa Magdalena), Colima , México .” This species is monotypic. Distribution. C Pacific coast of Mexico ( Jalisco to Guerrero ), reaching inland to Morelos , México , and Puebla states. Descriptive notes. Head-body 81-89 mm, tail 8-12 mm, ear 13-17 mm, hindfoot 10-14 mm, forearm 41-4-44-5 mm; weight 10-13-5 g. There is slight sexual dimorphism, with males having longer rostra (19-21 mm) than females (17-19-5 mm). The Banana Bat is small, with extremely elongated rostrum that harbors extremely long tongue. Fur is grayish brown; hair bases are paler. Ears are small and rounded. Uropatagium is complete, fully encloses short tail, and has dark, inverted U-shaped pattern. Rostrum is distinctly longer than post-rostral part of cranium. Dental formula is I 2 /0, Cl1/1,P2/35.M 3/3 ( x2 ) = 30. Dentition is characterized by missing lower incisors and large diastemata among cheekteeth. Habitat. Tropical dry forest on west coast of Mexico (“selva baja”), mostly in lowlands but up to elevations of ¢. 1700 m . Habitat of the Banana Bat is characterized by distinct dry and wet seasons. Food and Feeding. The Banana Batis a distinct nectar specialist and feeds almost entirely on nectar and pollen from a wide variety of nocturnal flowers, including columnar cacti, such as Pachycereus pecten-aboriginum ( Cactaceae ), trees such as Pseudobombax ellipticum and Ceiba spp. ( Malvaceae ), and some herbs such as Cleome spinosa ( Cleomaceae ). Its long tongue allowsit to extract nectar up to 7 cm inside flowers and gives it year-round access to all available nectar sources. Its common name is rather unfortunate and refers to it often being captured in banana plantations; however, because these plants came from the Old World,there is no evolutionary relationship between them and the Banana Bat. Breeding. The Banana Bat has one reproductive peak per year, with reproductive females observed mostly during dry season in March-April. Activity patterns. Banana Bats are nocturnal. Roost information is extremely limited, butit has been observed under rocky overhangs and in caves, mines, and culverts. Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Banana Bat generally occurs at lower densities than other sympatric nectarfeeding bat species such as the Lesser Long-nosed Bat ( Leptonycteris yerbabuenae ) or Pallas’s Long-tongued Bat ( Glossophaga soricina ). It probably roosts in very small groups. Status and Conservation. Classified as Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List. The Banana Bat occurs in Mexican tropical dry forest thatis highly threatened so its loss is of major conservation concern. Bibliography. Gonzalez-Terrazas et al. (2012), Ibarra-Cerdena et al. (2007), Marin et al. (2016), Orozco-Lugo et al. (2013), Ortega et al. (2009), Sperr et al. (2011), Tellez & Ortega (1999), Tschapka etal. (2008).