Postcarnial Anatomy of Micronycteris microtis (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae: Phyllostominae).

IRUZUBIETA VILLAGRA, MARIANA ANDREA; DÍAZ M. MÓNICA; BARQUEZ R.M.

Mendoza

Congreso; IMC-10 International Mammalogical Congress; 2009

International Federation of Mammalogists

An anatomical description of the postcranial skeleton of Micronycteris microtis (Chirotpera: Phyllostomidae: Phyllostominae), isoffered. This is a member of a family of neotropical bats, characterized by their wide range of feeding habits, and preferences for fooditems. Our study was based in a sample of specimens collected in two localities of northwestern Argentina, recently added to the listof bats of the country. The analysis was focused in comparing similarities and differences of three species of bats of the same family,but basically different with respect to their food preferences and habits. Micronycteris microtis is an insectivorous foliage-gleaningbat, that can also eat fruits. Its skeleton is described and compared with the skeleton of two other species already studied: Chrotopterusauritus, a carnivorous bat, and Glossophaga soricina, a nectarivorous bat. These two species were chosen in order to highlightmorphological differences and similarities between species holding different feeding guilds. Although the three species belong to thesame family they are fundamentally different in size and basic food habits and share similarities in the type of flight and highmaneuverability, which allows them to maintain a flight suspended and a great ability to avoid obstacles, which is reflected in thewide and short shape of the wings. We here describe, in detail, some skeletal structures such as the atlas, axis, femur, humerus,metacarpals, pelvis, prosternon, and scapula, among others.