Mormoopidae is one of the twenty families of bats in the mammalian order Chiroptera and part of the microbat suborder. Members of this family are called mormoopids and include ghost-faced bats, naked-backed bats, and mustached bats. They are found in South America, Central America, and southern North America, primarily in forests and caves, though some can be found in savannas. They range in size from the sooty mustached bat, at 4 cm (2 in) plus a 1 cm (0.4 in) tail, to the ghost-faced bat, at 8 cm (3 in) plus a 4 cm (2 in) tail. Like all bats, mormoopids are capable of true and sustained flight, and have forearm lengths ranging from 3 cm (1 in) to 7 cm (3 in). They are all insectivorous.[1] No mormoopids have population estimates, though the Paraguana moustached bat is categorized as an endangered species.
The eleven extant species of Mormoopidae are divided into two genera: Mormoops, with two species, and Pteronotus, with nine species. A few extinct prehistoric mormoopid species have been discovered, though due to ongoing research and discoveries the exact number and categorization is not fixed.[2]
Conventions
Conservation status codes listed follow the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Range maps are provided wherever possible; if a range map is not available, a description of the mormoopid's range is provided. Ranges are based on the IUCN Red List for that species unless otherwise noted.
Classification
The family Mormoopidae consists of eleven species in two genera: Mormoops and Pteronotus.
Family Mormoopidae
- Genus Mormoops (ghost-faced bats): two species
- Genus Pteronotus (mustached bats): nine species
Mormoopids
The following classification is based on the taxonomy described by the reference work Mammal Species of the World (2005), with augmentation by generally accepted proposals made since using molecular phylogenetic analysis, as supported by both the IUCN and the American Society of Mammalogists.[3]
| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antillean ghost-faced bat
|
M. blainvillei Leach, 1821 |
Caribbean | Size: 5–6 cm (2 in) long, plus 2–3 cm (1 in) tail 4–5 cm (2 in) forearm length[4] Habitat: Caves[5] |
LC
|
| Ghost-faced bat
|
M. megalophylla (Peters, 1864) Four subspecies
|
Southern North America, Central America, and northern South America
|
Size: 5–8 cm (2–3 in) long, plus 1–4 cm (0.4–1.6 in) tail 5–7 cm (2–3 in) forearm length[4] Habitat: Forest and caves[6] |
LC
|
| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big naked-backed bat
|
P. gymnonotus (Wagner, 1843) |
Mexico, Central America, and northern South America
|
Size: 5–7 cm (2–3 in) long, plus 1–3 cm (0.4–1.2 in) tail 5–6 cm (2 in) forearm length[4] Habitat: Forest, savanna, and caves[7] |
LC
|
| Davy's naked-backed bat
|
P. davyi Gray, 1838 Three subspecies
|
Mexico, Central America, and northern South America
|
Size: 5–6 cm (2 in) long, plus 1–3 cm (0.4–1.2 in) tail 4–5 cm (2 in) forearm length[4] Habitat: Forest and caves[8] |
LC
|
| Macleay's mustached bat
|
P. macleayii (Gray, 1839) Two subspecies
|
Cuba and Jamaica | Size: 4–6 cm (2 in) long, plus 2–3 cm (1 in) tail 4–5 cm (2 in) forearm length[4] Habitat: Caves[9] |
LC
|
| Mesoamerican common mustached bat
|
P. mesoamericanus Smith, 1972 |
Southern Mexico and Central America | Size: 7–8 cm (3–3 in) long, plus 2–3 cm (1 in) tail 5–7 cm (2–3 in) forearm length[10] Habitat: Forest[11] |
LC
|
| Paraguana moustached bat
|
P. paraguanensis (Linares & Ojasti, 1974) |
Northern Venezuela | Size: 6–7 cm (2–3 in) long, plus 1–3 cm (0.4–1.2 in) tail 5–6 cm (2 in) forearm length[10] Habitat: Forest and caves[12] |
EN
|
| Parnell's mustached bat
|
P. parnellii Gray, 1843 Six subspecies
|
Mexico, Central America, and northern and central South America
|
Size: About 6 cm (2 in) long, plus 1–3 cm (0.4–1.2 in) tail 5–6 cm (2 in) forearm length[10] Habitat: Caves and forest[13] |
LC
|
| Sooty mustached bat
|
P. quadridens (Gundlach, 1840) Two subspecies
|
Caribbean | Size: 4–5 cm (2 in) long, plus 1–3 cm (0.4–1.2 in) tail 3–4 cm (1–2 in) forearm length[4] Habitat: Caves[14] |
LC
|
| Wagner's common mustached bat
|
P. rubiginosus Wagner, 1843 |
Central America and northern South America | Size: 6–8 cm (2–3 in) long, plus 2–4 cm (1–2 in) tail 6–7 cm (2–3 in) forearm length[10] Habitat: Forest[15] |
LC
|
| Wagner's mustached bat
|
P. personatus Wagner, 1843 Two subspecies
|
Mexico, Central America, and northern and central South America
|
Size: 4–5 cm (2 in) long, plus 1–3 cm (0.4–1.2 in) tail 4–5 cm (2 in) forearm length[4] Habitat: Forest, savanna, and caves[16] |
LC
|
References
- ^ Nowak, p. 119
- ^ "Fossilworks: Mormoopidae". Paleobiology Database. University of Wisconsin–Madison. Archived from the original on February 19, 2025. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
- ^ Wilson, Reeder, pp. 426-427
- ^ a b c d e f g Chernasky; Motis; Burgin, p. 492
- ^ a b Miller, B.; Reid, F.; Arroyo-Cabrales, J.; Cuarón, A. D.; de Grammont, P. C. (2016). "Mormoops blainvillei". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T13877A22085914. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T13877A22085914.en.
- ^ a b Davalos, L.; Molinari, J.; Mantilla-Meluk, H.; Medina, C.; Pineda, J.; Rodriguez, B. (2019). "Mormoops megalophylla". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T13878A22086060. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T13878A22086060.en.
- ^ a b Solari, S. (2019). "Pteronotus gymnonotus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T18706A22077065. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T18706A22077065.en.
- ^ a b Solari, S.; Davalos, L. (2019). "Pteronotus davyi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T18705A22077399. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T18705A22077399.en.
- ^ a b Mancina, C.; Solari, S. (2019). "Pteronotus macleayii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T18707A22077903. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T18707A22077903.en.
- ^ a b c d Chernasky; Motis; Burgin, p. 493
- ^ a b Solari, S. (2016). "Pteronotus mesoamericanus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T88018392A88018395. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T88018392A88018395.en.
- ^ a b Solari, S. (2016). "Pteronotus paraguanensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T136610A21987754. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T136610A21987754.en.
- ^ a b Solari, S. (2016). "Pteronotus parnellii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T88017638A22077695. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T88017638A22077695.en.
- ^ a b Miller, B.; Reid, F.; Arroyo-Cabrales, J.; Cuarón, A. D.; de Grammont, P. C. (2016). "Pteronotus quadridens". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T18710A22076753. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T18710A22076753.en.
- ^ a b Solari, S. (2016). "Pteronotus rubiginosus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T88018592A88018595. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T88018592A88018595.en.
- ^ a b Davalos, L.; Molinari, J.; Mantilla-Meluk, H.; Medina, C.; Pineda, J.; Rodriguez, B. (2017) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Pteronotus personatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T18709A115145223. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T18709A22076876.en.
Sources
- Chernasky, Amy; Motis, Anna; Burgin, Connor, eds. (2023). All the Mammals of the World. Lynx Nature Books. ISBN 978-84-16728-66-4.
- Simmons, Nancy B. (2005). Wilson, Don E.; Reeder, DeeAnn M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World. Vol. 1 (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0.
- Nowak, Ronald M. (1994). Walker's Bats of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-4986-2.
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