Spix’s disk-winged bat
Spix’s disk-winged bat (Thyroptera tricolor ), is a species of bat in the family Thyropteridae. It is native to the Americas from Mexico to Brazil. The most prominent anatomical feature of this bat, which distinguishes it from other species, is the disks on its thumbs and hind feet. These circular disks act as suction cups, allowing the bats to cling onto and move along smooth surfaces.
Spix’s disk-winged bat has a white or pale yellow underbelly and a reddish brown to black dorsal surface. In a survey of this species individuals had an average forearm length of 36.8 mm and 35.57 mm for females and males, respectively. The adult weighs about ~4 grams.
Spix's disk-winged bat is native to the Neotropical realm. It is distributed in the nations of Venezuela, Tobago, Trinidad, Suriname, Peru, Panama, Mexico, Guyana, Guatemala, Honduras, French Guiana, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Belize, and Bolivia. It has a patchy distribution but a very wide range, and it is considered to be a least-concern species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Species abundance of the bat in its native Neotropical land may be limited by the availability of roosting sites. Whereas other species of bats are capable of aggregating in large numbers, hanging head-down by their toes from cave ceilings and hollow trees, T. tricolor is adapted to roosting in furled leaves, and its populations may be limited by the abundance of plants with this feature.
The species roosts communally. The mean colony size is six individuals and colonies have a sex ratio of 1:1. The disks do not prevent agile flight, and bats may circle furled leaves they seek to enter. They fly just a few meters above the forest floor.
The species is insectivorous, with adults consuming up to 0.8 grams of insects per night.
