Insular single leaf bat

Description

Monophyllus plethodon is a bat from the genus Monophyllus that occurs in the Lesser Antilles,from Anguilla to Saint Vincent and Barbados.A fossil subspecies has been foundon Puerto Rico,Brother Anthony,1917,who is slightly larger than the living representatives of the species.These are divided into two subspecies: plethodon on Barbados and luciae Miller,1902 in the rest of the Lesser Antilles.M.plethodon is closely related to the only other species of the genus,Monophyllus redmani from the Greater Antilles,including Puerto Rico,which is somewhat smaller.The coat is brown to tan.The nose leaf is heart-shaped.The muzzle and tongue are long.As an adaptation to his diet,which consists of nectar,this type has brush-shaped,very sensitive protrusions on the mouth and,like other Glossophaginae,small brushes on the tip of the tongue.The total length is 67 to 84 mm,the tail length 8 to 16 mm,the hindfoot length 12 to 15 mm,the forearm length 38.8 to 45.7 mm,the skull length 21.4 to 24.2 mm,the wingspan such a 300 mm and the weight 12 to 17 g.