Miller's long-tongued bat | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Chiroptera |
Family: | Phyllostomidae |
Genus: | Glossophaga |
Species: | G. longirostris
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Binomial name | |
Glossophaga longirostris
Miller, 1898
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Miller's long-tongued bat (Glossophaga longirostris) is a bat species found in northern Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, the Netherlands Antilles and the U.S. Virgin Islands. [1] [2]
Miller's long-tongued bat was described as a new species in 1898 by American zoologist Gerrit Smith Miller Jr.. The holotype had been collected in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta of Colombia by Wilmot W. Brown Jr.. [3] Six or seven subspecies are typically recognized. [4]
Glossophaga species are small, with average forearm lengths ranging from 31–42 mm (1.2–1.7 in). Miller's long-tongued bat has a braincase that is equivalent in length to its snout, whereas other members of the genus have a shorter snout relative to the braincase. Its dental formula is 2.1.2.32.1.3.3 for a total of 34 teeth. [4] Males weigh an average of 13.25 g (0.467 oz), while nonpregnant females weigh 12.81 g (0.452 oz). [5]
Miller's long-tongued bat is nectarivorous, with cacti blossoms as an important food source. [6] [5] Two breeding seasons occur annually: December–April and June–October. [4] The litter size is one pup. [6]
Miller's long-tongued bat is found in the following countries and territories: Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, the Netherlands Antilles, Guyana, Brazil, and Ecuador. In the Lesser Antilles its range extends northwards to St. Vincent. They roost in caves, houses, and rock crevices. [4]