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Phyllostomids have a nose for good food Digital endocasts of New world leaf-nosed bats indicate dietary preference Project ID: 000442636 Public
55 Media · 29 Specimens · Managed by: Allen Chochinov

Phyllostomidae (New World leaf-nosed bats) are a diverse family with members practicing a variety of diets, including insectivory, frugivory, nectarivory, and hematophagy. This diversity of diet is reflected in their sensory systems, particularly their sense of olfaction, and is key to the success of this clade. We assess the extent to which a more specialized olfactory system can be detected in observation of the brain through digital endocasts. Such as relationship would allow for the later diagnosis of olfactory ability in bats using only the skull and computed tomography. High-resolution X-ray computed tomography (microCT) scans of the skulls of 11 species of phyllostomid, 2 mormoopids, and a pteropodid bat were used to produce digital endocasts to quantify the variation in the olfactory bulbs and make additional comparisons of the full cranial endocasts. Accurate linear and volumetric measurements of the olfactory bulbs and the remainder of the endocasts were then gathered for comparison between the selected species. Principal component analyses (PCA) show a strong separation of frugivorous, insectivorous, and hematophagous species as well as a significant difference in olfactory bulb volume. Furthermore, ancestral character state reconstructions show that a relatively large olfactory bulb may be the ancestral condition of phyllostomids. Diet can be reliably predicted from endocast measurements, thus providing a framework for further assessment of fossil or extant bats.

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  ID Part Object Taxonomy Type Date Added Publication Status  
000471258 usnm:mammals Macrotus waterhousii Mesh 2022-10-03 Open Download  
000471255 Endocast usnm:mammals Macrotus waterhousii Mesh 2022-10-03 Open Download  
000471236 Endocast usnm:mammals Lonchorhina aurita Mesh 2022-10-03 Open Download  
000471233 Endocast usnm:mammals Lonchorhina aurita Mesh 2022-10-03 Open Download  
000458660 usnm:mammals Lonchorhina aurita Mesh 2022-09-01 Open Download  
000457002 Endocast usnm:mammals:USNM 590160 Balionycteris maculata Mesh 2022-08-16 Open Download  
000456999 Endocast usnm:mammals:USNM 362394 Glyphonycteris sylvestris Mesh 2022-08-16 Open Download  
000456993 Endocast usnm:mammals:USNM 362450 Phyllostomus discolor discolor Mesh 2022-08-16 Open Download  
000456990 Endocast usnm:mammals:USNM 335101 Glyphonycteris sylvestris Mesh 2022-08-16 Open Download  
000456987 Endocast usnm:mammals:USNM 362537 Lonchophylla robusta Mesh 2022-08-16 Open Download  
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