| Tube-lipped Nectar Bat | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Family: | Phyllostomidae |
| Genus: | Anoura |
| Species: | A. fistulata |
| Binomial name | |
| Anoura fistulata Muchhala, Mena-Valenzuela & Albuja, 2005 |
|
The Tube-lipped Nectar Bat (Anoura fistulata) is a bat from Ecuador which was first described in 2005.[2] The species name fistulata is derived from the Latin word 'fistula', meaning 'tube'. It refers to the bat's lower lip which extends 3.3-4.8mm beyond the upper lip and is rolled into a funnel shape. The exact function of the tube-lip is unknown. The bat has the longest tongue (8.5 cm) relative to its body size of any mammal; its tongue is 150% the size of its overall body length.
By convergent evolution pangolins, the giant anteater, Myrmecophaga tridactyla, and the tube-lipped nectar bat all have tongues which are detached from their hyoid bone and extend past their pharynx deep into the thorax.[3] This extension lies between the sternum and the trachea.
Despite its exceptionally long tongue, the tube-lipped nectar bat has a varied diet that includes nectar, pollen and insects. This arrangement is possible due to its short jaw; the base of the tongue is in the bat's rib cage.[4] One plant, Centropogon nigricans with its 8-9 cm-long corollas, is pollinated exclusively by this bat.
| External identifiers for Anoura fistulata | |
|---|---|
| EOL | 7210618 |
| Also found in: [//species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Anoura_fistulata Wikispecies] | |