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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  
000454678 Endocast usnm:mammals:USNM 362548 Lonchophylla robusta Mesh 2022-08-05 Open Download  
000454654 Endocast usnm:mammals:USNM 364231 Micronycteris megalotis Mesh 2022-08-05 Open Download  
000454651 Endocast usnm:mammals:USNM 508485 Macrotus waterhousii Mesh 2022-08-05 Open Download  
000454648 Endocast usnm:mammals:USNM 508485 Macrotus waterhousii Mesh 2022-08-05 Open Download  
000454640 Endocast usnm:mammals:USNM 370056 Pteronotus parnellii Mesh 2022-08-05 Open Download  
000454634 Endocast usnm:mammals:USNM 388627 Pteronotus parnellii Mesh 2022-08-05 Open Download  
000454630 Endocast usnm:mammals:USNM 560779 Rhinophylla pumilio Mesh 2022-08-05 Open Download  
000454627 Endocast usnm:mammals:USNM 560571 Rhinophylla pumilio Mesh 2022-08-05 Open Download  
000454380 Skull usnm:mammals:USNM 560571 Rhinophylla pumilio Volumetric Image Series 2022-08-04 Open Download  
000454375 Skull usnm:mammals:USNM 560779 Rhinophylla pumilio Volumetric Image Series 2022-08-04 Open Download  
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