Insular single leaf bat

Insular single leaf bat
Conservation status
Least Concern Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Chiroptera
Family:	Phyllostomidae
Genus:	Monophyllus
Species:	M. plethodon
Binomial name
Monophyllus plethodon Miller, 1900
File:Distribution of Monophyllus plethodon.png

The insular single leaf bat or Lesser Antillean long-tongued bat (Monophyllus plethodon) is a species of leaf-nosed bat. It is found on the Lesser Antilles islands in the Caribbean Sea.

Taxonomy

The insular single leaf bat was described as a new species in 1900 by Gerrit Smith Miller Jr. The holotype had been collected by P. McDonough in Saint Michael, Barbados.

Three subspecies are recognized: M. p. plethodon, M. p. luciae, and M. p. prater, with the Puerto Rican long-nosed bat (M. p. prater) extinct.

Description

It is a large member of the genus Monophyllus. It can be distinguished from similar species by its crowded upper premolars. The forearm is 38.8–45.7 mm (1.53–1.80 in) long; the total body length is 67–84 mm (2.6–3.3 in); and the tail is 8–16 mm (0.31–0.63 in) long. It weighs about 12.5–17.2 g (0.44–0.61 oz). The dental formula is 2.1.2.32.1.3.3 for a total of 34 teeth.

Range and habitat

The insular single leaf bat is distributed widely throughout the Lesser Antilles, occurring in Anguilla; Antigua and Barbuda; Barbados; Bermuda; the Caribbean Netherlands; Dominica; Guadeloupe; Martinique; Montserrat; Saint Barthélemy; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Lucia; Saint Martin, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. It utilizes a variety of habitats including forests and agricultural landscapes at elevation os 0–550 m (0–1,804 ft) above sea level.