White-lined Broad-nosed Bat (Platyrrhinus lineatus) lives in tropical rainforest across Central and South America. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
Fascinating facts about the White-lined Broad-nosed Bat
- White-lined bats span a continent-wide belt, living from Colombia down the Andes through Ecuador and Peru, across to northeastern Brazil and as far south as northern Argentina. Their preference for damp forests ties them to the most moisture-rich parts of these rainforests, where they roost in tree tops, under leaves, lower branches during storms, and occasionally in caves.
- In most of its range the white-lined bat can breed year-round, but in northeastern Brazil pregnancies are confined to the early dry season in July through the end of the rainy season in early March, creating a bimodal pattern of breeding and lactation. Females usually give birth to a single pup, though twins can occur, and gestation lasts about 3.5 months (106 days).
- White-lined bats are highly social, forming small groups where mothers stay with their pups and females without young gather with a male and sometimes several other females. Males are thought to defend their access to groups of 1 to 15 females from other males, and these groups often travel together while foraging.
- A survey of 74 Phyllostomidae bats in an urban forest fragment of southeastern Brazil found that 31.1% of the bats carried ectoparasites: 82.6% hosted only Streblidae bat flies, 13.0% had only mites, and 4.4% were co-infested with both. Molecular testing revealed that 1.4% were positive for Ehrlichia sp., 20.3% for hemotropic Mycoplasma spp., and another 1.4% for Leishmania infantum.
- Targeted PCR screening of bats from an urban park in Brazil identified a mixed infection in Platyrrhinus lineatus with two leishmanial parasites: Leishmania infantum and Leishmania braziliensis. Detecting both species in a single host highlights the bat's capacity to harbor multiple medically important parasites, underscoring its potential role in the urban transmission cycles of leishmaniasis and the need for focused surveillance in city green spaces.
Sources
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At a glance
RangeCentral and South America
HabitatTropical rainforest
DietInsects and fruit
About the White-lined Broad-nosed Bat
In the twilight skies of the Neotropics, the White-lined Broad-nosed Bat dances on the wind, its dark silhouette punctuated by a gleaming stripe of white that runs like a beacon along its nose, as it pursues the fluttering insects that sustain it. With agile, almost ethereal movements, it flits and weaves through the forest canopy, its leathery wings beating at a hypnotic pace as it navigates the intricate tapestry of its nocturnal world. As it forages, its high-pitched calls echo through the trees, a symphony of sound that underscores the bat's remarkable adaptability and resilience in this vibrant, tropical realm.
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