Lesser mouse-tailed bats are considered to be "acoustically primitive" because they use signals with four or more harmonics and with little frequency variation (Whitaker Jr. and Yom-Tov, 2002). They emit long constant frequency (CF) calls at 30 to 34 kHz with a peak energy at 32 kHz (Davis, 2007). They emit these CF sounds when flying in open spaces for approximately 48 ms. When they fly in groups, lesser mouse-tailed bats emit CFs in three bands. However, when they fly solo the bat emits CFs in only one band. Frequency modulated (FM) sounds are produced only as they leave their roost or shortly before landing (Whitaker Jr. and Yom-Tov, 2002).
Communication Channels: acoustic
Perception Channels: tactile ; echolocation ; chemical
Populations of Rhinopoma hardwickii are common and widespread with no major threats of decline. In 1996 it was categorized as vulnerable, but was changed to least concern in 2004, and has sustained the same categorization ever since.
There are no known negative impacts of lesser mouse-tailed bats on humans.
There are no known positive effects of lesser mouse-tailed bats on humans. However, since they are insectivores, they may help control the population of insect pests.
Little is known of the ecosystem roles that lesser mouse-tailed bats play.
Lesser mouse-tailed bars are insectivorous bats with beetles making up about 50% of their diet. They also feed on moths and neuropterans, but their overall diet is much less diverse than other bats (Whitaker Jr. and Yom-Tov, 2002). Lesser mouse-tailed bats swoop and glide at 5 to 10 meters off the ground when in search of food (Davis, 2007).
Animal Foods: insects
Primary Diet: carnivore (Insectivore )
Lesser mouse-tailed bats (Rhinopoma hardwickii) range from as far east as Thailand westward through Burma, India, Pakistan, and Iran. They can also be found in the African Sahara mostly north of 15°N, but have been known to occupy as far south as Kenya.
Biogeographic Regions: palearctic (Native ); oriental (Native ); ethiopian (Native )
Lesser mouse-tailed bats inhabit deserts and semi-deserts where roosts and food are available. Within these climates they are generally found in grasslands and oases (Benda, Aulagnier, and Palmeirim, 2010), but can occasionally be found in gardens and orchards (Benda et al., 2004). Their roosts consist of dry caves, houses, pyramids, underground tunnels, and wells. In summer months, they roost in small crevices, fissures, or between boulders (Benda, Aulagnier, and Palmeirim, 2010).
Habitat Regions: tropical ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: desert or dune ; savanna or grassland
Other Habitat Features: agricultural ; caves
Little is known of the lifespan and longevity of lesser mouse-tailed bats.
Lesser mouse-tailed bats get their common name from their slender, long, free tail. The total body length ranges from 119 to 141 mm and the tail makes up approximately 57 to 70 mm of that. The hindfoot, ear, and forearm length measure 12 to 15 mm, 18 to 21 mm, and 52.4 to 60 mm respectively.
The skull of lesser mouse-tailed bats are short with 28 teeth and a dental formula of 1/2, 1/1, 1/2, 3/3. The skull is widest at the squamosal region of the zygomatic arch. Other distinguishing features of the skull include the loose tympanic bone and an inflated lacrimal region.
Lesser mouse-tailed bats are small, with tails generally longer than their forearms. Their backs are greyish brown to dark brown in color with pale undersides. The snouts have a small triangular noseleaf and their tragi are well developed. They have large rhomboidal pinna that are connected across the forehead and there are 10 transverse ridges that cross the ear. The uropatagium of lesser mouse-tailed bats are small and only enclose less than one quarter of the tail.
Range mass: 10 to 12 g.
Range length: 119 to 141 mm.
Sexual Dimorphism: sexes alike
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; bilateral symmetry
Barn owls are the only known predator of lesser moused-tailed bats.
Known Predators:
Anti-predator Adaptations: cryptic
Little is known of the mating systems of lesser mouse-tailed bats.
Although little is known about lesser mouse-tailed bat reproductive biology, they have a defined annual reproductive cycle. Insemination occurs between February and April, although ovulation does not occur until mid-March. Gestation lasts about 95 to 100 days and young are born between the second week of June and the end of July. Lactation lasts up to 20 days, during which time lactating females are segregated from the group.
Male lesser mouse-tailed bats take much longer than females to reach sexual maturity. Females become sexually mature between 8.5 to 9 months of age, whereas males do not become sexually mature until 16 to 17 months.
Breeding interval: Lesser mouse-tailed bats breed annually.
Breeding season: Lesser mouse-tailed bats breed from late February to mid April.
Average number of offspring: 1.
Range gestation period: 95 to 100 days.
Range weaning age: 20 (high) days.
Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 8.5 (low) months.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 9 months.
Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 16 to 17 months.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; viviparous ; delayed fertilization
Little is known about the parental investment of lesser mouse-tailed bats.
Parental Investment: altricial ; pre-hatching/birth (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female)
The lesser mouse-tailed bat (Rhinopoma hardwickii) is a species of microbat in the family Rhinopomatidae. Also referred to as Hardwicke's lesser mouse-tailed bat and long-tailed bat, it is named after Major General Thomas Hardwicke (1755–1835), an English soldier and naturalist who served many years in India. It is found in North Africa, some parts of central and eastern Africa, West Asia and east to the Indian subcontinent.[1]
The lesser mouse-tailed bat is a small bat with a long thin tail resembling that of a mouse, hence its name. It is covered with soft fur on the body, greyish to dark brown in colour, but not on its face, rear abdomen and rump. The lower parts are paler in colour.[2]
The snout of the lesser mouse-tailed bat has a small triangular shaped nose leaf. The large rhomboid-shaped ears have transverse ridges across the pinna and are connected across the forehead with well developed tragi. The uropatagium (flap of skin between the hindlimbs) is small and envelops less than a fourth part of the tail.[2]
The head and body length of the bat ranges from 62 to 71 millimetres (2.4 to 2.8 in) while the tail is 57 to 70 millimetres (2.2 to 2.8 in) long. Other lengths are as follows:[2]
The lesser mouse-tailed bat has a short skull, with a loose tympanic bone and inflated lacrimal region and which is broadest at the squamosal region of the zygomatic arch. It has 28 teeth. The dentition is as follows: 1/2, 1/1, 1/2, 3/3.[2]
The lesser mouse-tailed bat has the following subspecies:[3]
R. macinnesi, found in East Africa, was earlier considered as a subspecies of R. hardwickii by some authorities.[3]
The lesser mouse-tailed bat is found in the following countries :[1]
The lesser mouse-tailed bat is typically found in arid or semi-arid desert habitat, wherever roosts and adequate food may be found. This includes dry scrub, rocky areas, caves, deserted monuments, abandoned buildings, wells and other underground features. They have been recorded in oases and wadi gorges having Tamarix or Nerium oleander vegetation. In the hot summer months, these bats can be found resting in cracks, nooks and even amongst large rocks.[1]
These bats have been recorded in Algeria and Morocco to occur up to altitudes of 1,100 metres (3,600 ft) above sea level.[1]
Lesser mouse-tailed bats are insectivorous, feeding primarily on beetles, neuropterans and moths, many of which are considered pests by humans.[4] Their diet is less diverse than other bats with beetles comprising up to 50%.[2]
They accumulate fat in a fold of skin in the lower abdomen, which allows them to survive the winter when insect availability is low.[4][5]
Lesser mouse-tailed bats are well adapted to live in hot, dry climates. They have slits or valves just above their nostrils which they can open or close at will, helping to keep the dust out. The bats have physiological control over their kidneys to reduce water loss. During the hot months, these bats move into covered shelters to escape the heat.[4]
Though the bats are active throughout the year, they survive the winter months, when insect availability is low, by remaining in a torpor.[4] Lesser mouse-tailed bats hunt for insects at heights ranging from 5 to 10 meters off the ground,[2] often being mistaken for birds due to their pattern of swooping and gliding.[4]
The bats roost in colonies both small, ranging in size from 4 to 10 individuals, to large, numbering in the thousands. Females tend to group, especially lactating mothers.[2] They hang using both the thumbs and the feet and generally use a shelter for a single day only before moving on.[4]
Male lesser mouse-tailed bats mature at sixteen to seventeen months of age. Female bats become sexually mature at nine months of age and are monestrous i.e. they have one oestrus cycle per year. The mating season is generally in the months of February to April. Gestation lasts from 95 to 100 days and only one offspring is produced in a brood, usually in June–July. The young bats take flight at the age of five to six weeks.[2][4][5]
Lesser mouse-tailed bats are considered to be a primitive bat in terms of echolocation, primarily due to the reason that these bats produce signals with four or more harmonics with limited frequency variation.[2]
The bats make a variety of sounds, primarily constant frequency (CF) sounds of 48 milliseconds duration, with pronounced second harmonics. The choice of frequency depends upon whether the bat is flying alone, in which case the calls have a frequency of 32.5 kHz, or in a group, when the bats choose one of three frequencies, 30, 32.5 and 35 kHz, so as to avoid jamming each other.[4][6]
While landing or flying around in groups around the roost-site, lesser mouse-tailed bats emit frequency modulated (FM) sounds of 3 ms duration. After landing they produce a multi-harmonic pure tone of 100 ms duration, in which the main frequency predominates.[6]
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link) The lesser mouse-tailed bat (Rhinopoma hardwickii) is a species of microbat in the family Rhinopomatidae. Also referred to as Hardwicke's lesser mouse-tailed bat and long-tailed bat, it is named after Major General Thomas Hardwicke (1755–1835), an English soldier and naturalist who served many years in India. It is found in North Africa, some parts of central and eastern Africa, West Asia and east to the Indian subcontinent.
