Fishes - Home

distinguished from the almost similar sized Fulvous Fruit Bat by the short
ears with white margins and the divergent nostrils. Male, usually bright
rufous above and yellowish below, sometimes tinged with olive, female
and young yellowish-grey. Lives in small colonies of 6 to 12 animals in
palm trees, among aerial roots of banyan and amongst foliage and the
branches of trees. Exceptionally in old buildings. A nectar and fruit feeder,
useful as a pollinating and seed dispersal agent, but like the other two
species very destructive in fruit orchards.
Six families of the Sub-order Microchiroptera or insect-eating bats are
recorded in the State.
The Rat-tailed Bats,Rhinopoma hardwickei(Gray 1831),
andRhinopoma microphyllum(Brunnich 1782) of the family
Rhinopomatidae, are distinguished by their long slender rat-like tail which
projects about ¾ its length from the inter-femoral membrane. Occur in dry
areas and avoid the heavy rainfall districts of the Konkan and Western
ghats. Roost during the day in caves, ruins and uninhabited dwellings in
sexually segregated colonies of 4 to over 80 individuals. Feed mainly on
flies and other soft-bodied insects.
The family Emballonuridae is represented by the GenusTaphozousor
Tomb Bats. Medium sized bats with most species having a ‘gular sac’ or
pouch under the chin and a flap of skin connecting the base of the forearm
and fingers forming a pouch. The commonest species is the Bearded Tomb
Bat,Taphozous melanopogon(Temminck) occurring in the Konkan, Deccan
and Vidarbha districts of Maharashtra. The general colour is grey or brown
of varying intensity. The male has a black beard under the chin. Roosts
during the day in colonies of a few hundreds or thousands in dark caves
and temples with a high ceiling, clinging to the walls or ceiling with all
four limbs. An allied speciesTaphozous longimanus(Hardwicke) recorded
in the Konkan and Ghats has the unusual habit for an insectivorous bat of
roosting in exposed areas and is often found under the eaves of roofs. Two
other species of Tomb batsTapozous theobaldiandTaphozous
saccolaimusalso found in the State, are uncommon.
FAUNA 601