Allen's big-eared bat
Species of bat
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Allen's big-eared bat (Idionycteris phyllotis), also known as the lappet-browed bat, is a species of vesper bat in the monotypic genus Idionycteris. It occurs in Mexico and in Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado[2] in the United States.[1]
| Allen's big-eared bat | |
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Placentalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Family: | Vespertilionidae |
| Tribe: | Plecotini |
| Genus: | Idionycteris Anthony, 1923 |
| Species: | I. phyllotis |
| Binomial name | |
| Idionycteris phyllotis G.M. Allen, 1916 | |
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Description
Idionycteris phyllotis is a bat with large ears, weighing 8 to 16 grams. On the dorsal side they possess long and soft pelage,[3] (fur). Their fur is basally blackish in color with tips that are a yellow-gray color. They have a black patch on each shoulder, a tuft of white hair on the backside of the ears, as well as ventral hairs that are black with pale tips.[3] The calcar possesses a low keel. The uropatagium has 12 to 13 transverse ribs. The rostrum is flattened and broad.[3] They have distinctive lappets (disc-shaped protrusions), which project from the base of the ears onto the brow of the bat.[4]
I. phyllotis has an external morphology common to that of gleaning bats, and are thus well adapted for plucking stationary insects from surfaces.[3] To do this they have long tragi and ears, wings adapted for maneuverability and hovering flight, and a gracile jaw.[3] I. phyllotis) is the only species in North America known to emit long, constant frequency-frequency modulated echolocation calls.[2]
Range and habitat
Allen's big-eared bat inhabits the southwestern mountainous regions of Mexico and the United States. This species occupies a wide range in elevation, ranging from 855 m to 3,225 m, though most specimens reside at altitudes between 1,100 m and 2,500 m.[3]