Centurio senex (*)
Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Cladus: Synapsida
Cladus: Eupelycosauria
Cladus: Sphenacodontia
Cladus: Sphenacodontoidea
Cladus: Therapsida
Cladus: Theriodontia
Cladus: Cynodontia
Cladus: Eucynodontia
Cladus: Probainognathia
Cladus: Prozostrodontia
Cladus: Mammaliaformes
Classis: Mammalia
Subclassis: Trechnotheria
Infraclassis: Zatheria
Supercohors: Theria
Cohors: Eutheria
Infraclassis: Placentalia
Cladus: Boreoeutheria
Superordo: Laurasiatheria
Ordo: Chiroptera
Subordo: Yangochiroptera
Superfamilia: Noctilionoidea
Familia: Phyllostomidae
Subfamilia: Stenodermatinae
Tribus: Stenodermatini
Genus: Centurio
Species: Centurio senex
Subspecies (2): C. s. greenhalli – C. s. senex
Name
Centurio senex Gray, 1842
Type locality: Nicaragua, Chinandega, Realejo.
References
Gray, 1842. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, [ser. 1], 10: 259.
Conservation status: IUCN: Centurio senex (Least Concern)
Centurio senex in Mammal Species of the World.
Wilson, Don E. & Reeder, DeeAnn M. (Editors) 2005. Mammal Species of the World – A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. Third edition. ISBN 0-8018-8221-4.
Distribution
Venezuela to Tamaulipas and Sinaloa (Mexico)
Trinidad and Tobago
Vernacular names
English: Wrinkle-faced Bat.
The wrinkle-faced bat (Centurio senex) is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae and the only identified member of the genus Centurio. This bat is found in various countries in and around Central America. It eats fruit but is not classified within the fruit bats, and is instead classified as a leaf-nosed bat even though it does not have a leaf nose.[2] It has an unusually shaped skull which is thought to allow it to eat a wider range of foods than other bats.[3]
Description
Centurio senex is tail-less, medium-sized, and generally has a pelage of a drab brown to yellowish-brown colour.[2] It weighs around 17g.[3] Its face is hairless and is covered by convoluted outgrowths of skin (hence the name wrinkle-faced). These skin flaps are more pronounced in males than females. Males also possess a skin mask that can be used to cover their face. The wrinkle-faced bat has storage pouches in its mouth to allow it to store fruit. C. senex subsp. greenhalli differs from the more common C. senex subsp. senex by being larger and in having a more domed braincase, better developed sagittal crest, and relatively shorter maxillary toothrow.[2] Their skulls are extremely short and wide, which is thought to allow them to produce bite forces up to 20% higher than other bats of a similar size. They are able to generate the largest biting force, relative to their size, of any of the leaf-nosed bats.[3]
Diet
The species is entirely frugivorous (fruit-eating) although it is not known which types of fruit it consumes.[2] Elizabeth Dumont from the University of Massachusetts believes that the strong biting force of the bat allows them to survive through times when soft fruit (such as soft bananas, mangoes, papayas, etc.)[4][5] is scarce as they are able to eat tougher fruit than other bats.[3] Seed predation has been recorded in Mexican populations, which has been suggested as another function of the bite force.[6]
Reproduction
Females are thought to be both polyestrous and asynchronous, pregnant females have been recorded every month between January and August except May. Males emit a musky odour from the chin area to attract females. Their sperm morphology is unique in that the sperm head has a rounded nucleus and extremely pointed acrosome.[2]
Recent research on the bats in Costa Rica suggests that the bats exhibit Lek mating.[7]
Range
Centurio senex subsp. senex is found in Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama and Venezuela.[1] C. senex subsp. greenhalli is only found in Trinidad and Tobago.[2]
Etymology
The binomial name Centurio senex is formed from the Latin centurio meaning division into hundreds and senex referring to old people. This name was chosen as it was thought that the face of the bat looked like that of a one-hundred-year-old man.[2]
References
Miller, B.; Reid, F.; Arroyo-Cabrales, J.; Cuarón, A.D.; de Grammont, P.C. (2016). "Centurio senex". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T4133A22009493. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T4133A22009493.en. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
Snow, Jennifer; J. Knox Jones; David Webster (Nov 20, 1980). "Centurio senex". Mammalian Species. Jstor: American Society of Mammalogists (138): 1–3. doi:10.2307/3503871. JSTOR 3503871.
Gill, Victoria (21 August 2009). "Bizarre-looking bat's strong bite". BBC News. Retrieved 2009-08-24.
"Centurio senex (Wrinkle-faced Bat)" (PDF). Retrieved 2023-09-18.
"Centurio senex (Wrinkle-faced bat)". Animal Diversity Web.
Villalobos-Chaves, David (24 January 2016). "Seed predation by the wrinkle-faced bat Centurio senex : a new case of this unusual feeding strategy in Chiroptera". Journal of Mammalogy. Retrieved 2019-02-22.
Rodríguez-Herrera, Bernal; Sánchez-Calderón, Ricardo; Madrigal-Elizondo, Victor; Rodríguez, Paulina; Villalobos, Jairo; Hernández, Esteban; Zamora-Mejías, Daniel; Gessinger, Gloria; Tschapka, Marco (2020-11-11). "The masked seducers: Lek courtship behavior in the wrinkle-faced bat Centurio senex (Phyllostomidae)". PLOS ONE. 15 (11): e0241063. Bibcode:2020PLoSO..1541063R. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0241063. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 7657542. PMID 33175837.
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