Phyllostomid Bats A Unique Mammalian Radiation

Phyllostomid Bats: A Unique Mammalian Radiation by Theodore H Fleming, Liliana M. Dávalos, Marco A. R. Mello
October 5, 2020 | ISBN: 022669612X | English | 512 pages | PDF | 17 MB
With more than two hundred species distributed from California through Texas and across most of mainland Mexico, Central and South America, and islands in the Caribbean Sea, the Phyllostomidae bat family (American leaf-nosed bats) is one of the world's most diverse mammalian families. From an insectivorous ancestor, species living today, over about 30 million years, have evolved a hyper-diverse range of diets, from blood or small vertebrates, to consuming nectar, pollen, and fruit. Phyllostomid plant-visiting species are responsible for pollinating more than five hundred species of neotropical shrubs, trees, vines, and epiphytes-many of which are economically and ecologically important-and they also disperse the seeds of at least another five hundred plant species. Fruit-eating and seed-dispersing members of this family thus play a crucial role in the regeneration of neotropical forests, and the fruit eaters are among the most abundant mammals in these habitats.