Cranial Shape and Diet Variation in<i>Myotis</i>Species (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae): Testing the Relationship between Form and Function

Ospina‐Garcés, Sandra M.; Luna, Efraín De; M., L. Gerardo Herrera; Flores‐Martínez, José Juan

doi:10.3161/15081109acc2016.18.1.007

Cited by 24 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Major cranial changes in bats related to the diet are associated with the coronoid (cor) and angular (an) processes of the jaw (related to the development of the temporalis and masseter muscles; Dumont, Herrel, Medellin, Vargas, & Santana, ; Maynard‐Smith & Savage, ; Nogueira, Monteiro, Peracchi, & De Araujo, ). This pattern is convergent in piscivorous species of bats, since in N. leporinus (Noctilionidae) a marked increase in the robustness of the coronoid (cor) and angular (an) processes is observed during postnatal ontogeny, standing out compared with other bats species with non‐piscivorous diets (Silva, ), as well as in the fisher vespertilionid Myotis vivesi , which exhibits changes in the position of the condylar (con) and angular (an) processes associated with the piscivory (Ospina‐Garcés et al, ). The diet of N. leporinus is mainly piscivorous (occasionally feeding on insects and crustaceans, Bordignon, ; Brooke, ), with highly variable prey sizes (fish from 3.4 to 15 cm, Bordignon, ; Brooke, ; Silva, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

“…In this sense, the carnivorous and piscivorous bats with high and wide skulls such as N. leporinus develop a notable biting force, exhibiting a greater insertion surface for the mandibular adductor muscles (Freeman, ; Ospina‐Garcés, De Luna, Herrera, & Flores‐Martinez, ; Van Cakenberghe, Herrel, & Aguirre, ) and a large and rounded cranial vault involving further development of the neocortex associated with the ability to capture prey (Eisenberg & Wilson, ), a fact also expected for other carnivorous bats specialized for predation (i.e. Chrotopterus sp., Trachops sp.).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Postnatal cranial ontogeny of the Greater Bulldog Bat Noctilio leporinus (Chiroptera: Noctilionidae)

2019

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We studied the postnatal development of the skull of Noctilio leporinus, examining the relationship between ectocranial elements, including shape changes and sutures closure and fusion. Most shape changes and structure development were observed at subadults and adults; zygomatic arch, sagittal crest, occipital process and mandibular processes developed noticeably up to the adult stage. Cranial sutures closure and fusion sequences of N. leporinus agree with that of hystricomorph rodents, artiodactyls, primates, sirenians and carnivores, beginning with the cranial vault followed by the basicranium, supporting a conserved pattern for mammalia. Detailed comparisons exhibit a complete cranial sutures fusion reached earlier at Desmodus rotundus regarding N. leporinus and Pteropus sp., and an early fusion for the sutura coronalis plus late fusion for the sutura sagittalis at N. leporinus regarding Desmodus rotundus. The drastic shape changes of cranial elements, as well as sutures closure and fusion in N. leporinus at subadults and adults, seem to be closely related to the acquisition of morphological specializations during stages of development when the fisher bat begins to feed independently.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Postnatal cranial ontogeny of the Greater Bulldog Bat Noctilio leporinus (Chiroptera: Noctilionidae)

2019

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“…, Santana & Cheung ), piscivorous bats exhibit differences in the cranial shape compared to their insectivorous counterparts (Ospina‐Garcés et al. , Santana & Cheung ). They have a relatively tall, short rostrum that is broad at the zygomatic arches, suitable for producing high bite forces at the expense of lower closing speed.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecology and evolutionary biology of fishing bats

Aizpurua

Alberdi

2018

Mammal Review

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A few of the >1300 bat species recognised worldwide are known to consume fish to various extents. However, empirical information about how and how much different bat species capture and consume fish is limited and is probably distorted due to the biases introduced by occasional observations. In this review, we aim to synthesise the knowledge so far generated on fishing bats, in order to 1) assess the incidence of fishing in different bat species; 2) discuss the evolutionary framework and origins of fishing behaviour; and 3) identify the ecological challenges of fishing and review the state of knowledge about kinetic, morphological, sensory, behavioural, and physiological adaptations related to fishing. Fishing bats can be clustered into three groups based on the incidence of fish consumption. Noctilio leporinus is the only species in which fishing is widespread (occurring in most populations) and common (occurring most of the time and carried out by many individuals). Myotis vivesi, Myotis pilosus, and Myotis capaccinii comprise the second group, characterised by exhibiting regular fishing behaviour that is restricted to a limited number of populations. Noctilio albiventris, Myotis daubentonii, and Myotis macropus are classified in a third group, because although the occasional presence of fish traces in faeces has been reported, regular fishing behaviour in the wild has not been confirmed. Fishing was developed independently multiple times in different bat lineages, probably under different selective pressures and ecological scenarios. Nevertheless, all fishing species face similar challenges in terms of detecting, capturing, handling, and metabolising fish, which require specific kinetic, morphological, sensory, behavioural, and physiological adaptations. Both basic information about fishing behaviour in different species and specific knowledge of the biological adaptation are still missing. Thus, in this review we identify gaps in the knowledge and suggest experimental approaches to overcome them.

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“…For example, animal-eating species in the Phyllostomidae have relatively convergent cranium and mandible morphology with carnivorous species, but are quite different from the insectivorous species [35]. In Myotis, the skull morphology of the facultatively piscivorous species and piscivorous species (Myotis vivesi) was quite similar, with both being significantly different from that of the insectivores [54]. Thus, skulls with high mechanical advantages in carnivorous bats including bird-eaters are the main reasons why they are able to prey on terrestrial vertebrates.…”

Section: Differences In Skull Morphology Among Species With Differentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Correlation of skull morphology and bite force in a bird-eating bat (Ia io; Vespertilionidae)

et al. 2020

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Background: Genetic and ecological factors influence morphology, and morphology is compatible with function. The morphology and bite performance of skulls of bats show a number of characteristic feeding adaptations. The great evening bat, Ia io (Thomas, 1902), eats both insects and birds (Thabah et al. J Mammal 88: 728-735, 2007), and as such, it is considered to represent a case of dietary niche expansion from insects to birds. How the skull morphology or bite force in I. io are related to the expanded diet (that is, birds) remains unknown. We used three-dimensional (3D) geometry of the skulls and measurements of bite force and diets from I. io and 13 other species of sympatric or closely related bat species to investigate the characteristics and the correlation of skull morphology and bite force to diets.Results: Significant differences in skull morphology and bite force among species and diets were observed in this study. Similar to the carnivorous bats, bird-eaters (I. io) differed significantly from insectivorous bats; I. io had a larger skull size, taller crania, wider zygomatic arches, shorter but robust mandibles, and larger bite force than the insectivores. The skull morphology of bats was significantly associated with bite force whether controlling for phylogeny or not, but no significant correlations were found between diets and the skulls, or between diets and residual bite force, after controlling for phylogeny.Conclusions: These results indicated that skull morphology was independent of diet, and phylogeny had a greater impact on skull morphology than diet in these species. The changes in skull size and morphology have led to variation in bite force, and finally different bat species feeding on different foods. In conclusion, I. io has a larger skull size, robust mandibles, shortened dentitions, longer coronoid processes, expanded angular processes, low condyles, and taller cranial sagittal crests, and wider zygomatic arches that provide this species with mechanical advantages; their greater bite force may help them use larger and hard-bodied birds as a dietary component.

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Cranial Shape and Diet Variation inMyotisSpecies (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae): Testing the Relationship between Form and Function

Cited by 24 publications

References 36 publications

Postnatal cranial ontogeny of the Greater Bulldog Bat Noctilio leporinus (Chiroptera: Noctilionidae)

Postnatal cranial ontogeny of the Greater Bulldog Bat Noctilio leporinus (Chiroptera: Noctilionidae)

Ecology and evolutionary biology of fishing bats

Correlation of skull morphology and bite force in a bird-eating bat (Ia io; Vespertilionidae)

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