Unusual echolocation behaviour of the common sword-nosed bat Lonchorhina aurita: an adaptation to aerial insectivory in a phyllostomid bat?

ABSTRACT: Most insectivorous bat species in the Neotropical family Phyllostomidae glean insects from ground, water or vegetation surfaces. They use similar and stereotypical echolocation calls that are generally very short (less than 1-3 ms), multi-harmonic and frequency-modulated (FM). By contrast, the common sword-nosed bat, Lonchorhina aurita, which has the longest noseleaf in the entire phyllostomid family, produces distinctly different echolocation calls. They are composed of a constant frequency (CF) component with a peak frequency of 45 kHz, followed by a short FM down-sweep at the end. With a mean call duration of 6.6 ms (max. 8.7 ms) when flying in the open they have the longest echolocation calls reported from phyllostomid bats. In cluttered environments, the CF-component is very sh

SUBMITTER: Gessinger G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6689612 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature