Adhesive Devices on the Thumb of Vespertilionoid Bats (Chiroptera)

Thewissen, J. G. M.; Etnier, Shelley A.

doi:10.2307/1382762

Cited by 28 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Our data support the predictions from anatomical work that the disks of T. tricolor adhere to smooth surfaces by suction (Wimsatt and Villa R. 1970;Schliemann 1970b;Thewissen and Etnier 1995), with a secondary role for wet adhesion. The fluid-filled joint between the disk face and the substrate probably assists in maintaining a seal for suction, but the fluid can also provide the vehicle for wet adhesion.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

“…This arrangement, not seen in diskless bats, keeps the thumb clear of the disk on smooth surfaces, and appears to have diminished the functionality of the thumb as a means of gripping rough surfaces. Some vespertilionids without disks (Tylonycteris pachypus, Pipistrellus nanus, and Myotis bocagei) may also have some capacity for movement on smooth surfaces (Thewissen and Etnier 1995;Brosset 1966).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1), and most have proposed suction as the mechanism of sticking (Wimsatt and Villa R. 1970;Schliemann 1970aSchliemann , 1970bSchliemann , 1974Thewissen and Etnier 1995). De la Espada (1870) noted that its disks, when adhering to the skin of an observer, produced a sensation similar to that experienced when the air was drawn out of a thimble with the mouth and the tongue was placed over the opening.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sticking ability in Spix's disk-winged bat, <i>Thyroptera tricolor</i> (Microchiroptera: Thyropteridae)

Riskin¹,

Fenton²

2001

Can. J. Zool.

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Roosting Spix's disk-winged bats, Thyroptera tricolor, use disks on their wrists and ankles to cling to smooth leaves. In 584 trials we tested the ability of 31 T. tricolor and 121 other bats lacking disks (461 trials with 18 species from three families) to adhere to (i) medium-grade sandpaper, (ii) Lexan polycarbonate, (iii) solid sheet aluminum, and (iv) porous sheet aluminum. While T. tricolor readily adhered to smooth surfaces, the other species did not. Thyroptera tricolor did not show the same ability to adhere to rough surfaces as the other species that were tested. As was demonstrated by their performance on porous aluminum and sandpaper, the disks of T. tricolor worked by suction and sometimes by wet adhesion. In the course of adapting to adhere to smooth surfaces, T. tricolor appear to have lost some ability to roost on rough ones, although one adult T. tricolor climbed on a screen covering the inside walls of the polycarbonate cage by interlocking its thumb claws with the surface.Résumé : Pour se percher, les chauves-souris Thyroptera tricolor s'aident des ventouses qu'elles portent aux poignets et aux chevilles pour s'agripper à des feuilles lisses. Au cours de 584 essais, nous avons mesuré la capacité de 31 T. tricolor et de 121 autres chauves-souris sans ventouses (461 tests : 18 espèces à trois familles) de s'agripper à (i) du papier de verre de grain moyen, (ii) du polycarbonate Lexan, (iii) de l'aluminium en feuilles pleines et (iv) de l'aluminium en feuilles poreuses. Thyroptera tricolor s'accroche facilement à des surfaces lisses, alors que les autres espèces ne le peuvent pas. En revanche, T. tricolor semble moins habile que les autres espèces à s'agripper aux surfaces rugueuses. Comme le démontre leur performance sur de l'aluminium poreux et sur du papier de verre, les ventouses de T. tricolor collent par succion et parfois par adhésion humide. En s'adaptant à se coller aux surfaces lisses, T. tricolor semble avoir perdu de sa capacité de se percher sur des surfaces rugueuses, bien qu'un adulte ait été observé grimpant sur du grillage en entrecroisant les griffes de ses pouces avec la surface.[Traduit par la Rédaction] 2267Riskin and Fenton

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sticking ability in Spix's disk-winged bat, <i>Thyroptera tricolor</i> (Microchiroptera: Thyropteridae)

Riskin¹,

Fenton²

2001

Can. J. Zool.

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“…These morphological features are thought to be adaptations for roosting in small cavities with smooth surfaces such as the internodes of bamboo stalks or narrow crevices in trees and rocks (Feng et al 2008;Medway & Marshall 1970;Thewissen & Etnier 1995). Classically, the genus was regarded as containing only two species, T. pachypus (Temminck, 1840) and T. robustula Thomas, 1915, with several further taxa included as subspecies ( Fig.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative phylogeography of bamboo bats of the genus Tylonycteris (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae) in Southeast Asia

Tú

Csorba

Rüedi

et al. 2017

EJT

882

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D N A L i b r a r y o f L i f e , r e s e a r c h a r t i c l eurn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:DEFAD552-9C2E-497B-83CA-1E04E3353EA4 Abstract. In Southeast Asia, bats of the genus Tylonycteris Peters, 1872 have traditionally been classified into two wide-ranging species, T. pachypus (Temminck, 1840) and T. robustula Thomas, 1915. Our comparative phylogeographic analyses based on two mitochondrial and seven nuclear genes, combined with our multivariate morphological analyses, show that these species actually represent cryptic species complexes that share a similar biogeographic history in three major regions, i.e., Sundaland, southern European Journal of Taxonomy 274: 1-38 (2017) 2 Indochina, and northern Indochina. Our molecular dating estimates suggest that Pleistocene climatic oscillations and sea level changes have repeatedly isolated ancestral populations of Tylonycteris spp. in distant bamboo forest refugia. The analyses indicate, however, that populations of the T. pachypus complex were less affected by forest fragmentation in mainland Southeast Asia than those of the T. robustula complex. Accordingly, we propose several taxonomic changes within the genus Tylonycteris: the species T. fulvida and T. malayana are revalidated, and a new species, T. tonkinensis Tu, Csorba, Ruedi & Hassanin sp. nov., endemic to northern Indochina, is described.

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“…The autecological importance of bat roosts is suggested by numerous morphological and behavioral adaptations associated with roost occupancy in a wide range of species (Kunz, 1982;Thewissen and Etnier, 1995;Kunz and Lumsden, 2003;Dechmann et al, 2009;Santana et al, 2011), by the substantial energetic investment made by species that construct their own shelters (Dechmann et al, 2005;Rodríguez-Herrera et al, 2011), and by male defense of roosts in harem-forming species (Bradbury and Emmons, 1974;Morrison, 1979;Morrison and Morrison, 1981;Kunz and McCracken, 1996). Although some structures used as diurnal refugia-such as tree cavities and foliage-are seemingly abundant in many habitats, careful study of roost characteristics suggest that bats are highly selective about where they roost (Kunz and Lumsden, 2003), so ideal refugia may often be in short supply.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Roosting Ecology of Amazonian Bats: Evidence for Guild Structure in Hyperdiverse Mammalian Communities

Voss

Fleck

Strauss

et al. 2016

American Museum Novitates

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The ecological mechanisms that sustain high species richness in Neotropical bat communities have attracted research attention for several decades. Although many ecologists have studied the feeding behavior and diets of Neotropical bats on the assumption that food is a limiting resource, other resource axes that might be important for species coexistence are often ignored. Diurnal refugia, in particular, are a crucial resource for bats, many of which exhibit conspicuous morphological or behavioral adaptations to the roost environment. Here we report and analyze information about roost occupancy based on >500 field observations of Amazonian bats. Statistical analyses of these data suggest the existence of distinct groups of species roosting (1) in foliage, (2) exposed on the trunks of standing trees, (3) in cavities in standing trees, (4) in or under fallen trees, (5) beneath undercut earth banks, and (6) in arboreal insect nests; additionally, we recognize other groups that roost (7) in animal burrows, and (8) in rocks or caves. Roosting-guild membership is hypothesized to have a filtering effect on Amazonian bat community composition because some types of roosts are absent or uncommon in certain habitats. Among other applications of our results, cross-classifying bat species by trophic and roosting guilds suggests that the often-reported deficit of gleaning animalivores in secondary vegetation by comparison with primary forest might reflect habitat differences in roost availability rather than food resources. In general, ecological and evolutionary studies of Neotropical bats would be enhanced by considering both trophic-and roosting-guild membership in future analyses, but additional fieldwork will be required to determine the roosting behavior of many data-deficient species.

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Adhesive Devices on the Thumb of Vespertilionoid Bats (Chiroptera)

Cited by 28 publications

References 18 publications

Sticking ability in Spix's disk-winged bat, <i>Thyroptera tricolor</i> (Microchiroptera: Thyropteridae)

Sticking ability in Spix's disk-winged bat, <i>Thyroptera tricolor</i> (Microchiroptera: Thyropteridae)

Comparative phylogeography of bamboo bats of the genus Tylonycteris (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae) in Southeast Asia

Roosting Ecology of Amazonian Bats: Evidence for Guild Structure in Hyperdiverse Mammalian Communities

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