Kingdom Animalia Order Chiroptera Genus Myzopoda Higher classification Myzopoda | Phylum Chordata Family Myzopodidae Scientific name Myzopoda aurita Rank Species | |
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Similar Myzopoda, Western sucker‑fo, Thyropteridae, Megadermatidae, Furipteridae | ||
The Madagascar sucker-footed bat, Old World sucker-footed bat, or simply sucker-footed bat (Myzopoda aurita) is a species of bat in the family Myzopodidae endemic to Madagascar, especially in the eastern part of the forests. The genus was thought to be monospecific until a second species, Myzopoda schliemanni, was discovered in the central western lowlands. It was classified as Vulnerable in the 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species but is now known to be more abundant and was reclassified in 2008 as of "Least Concern".
The bat is named for the presence of small cups on its wrists and ankles. They roost inside the rolled leaves of the traveller's tree, using their suckers to attach themselves to the smooth surface. Despite the name, it is now known that the bats do not use suction to attach themselves to roost sites, but instead use a form of wet adhesion by secreting a body fluid at their pads.
Because of its unique habitat, there are no ectoparasites on sucker-footed bats because the surface of the leaves are too smooth for arthropods. The majority of sucker-footed bats caught in eastern Madagascar were within or close to stands of traveller's trees, and according to research, the maximum distance they can travel while foraging is about 1.8 km (1.1 mi). Sucker-footed bats feed largely on beetles and small moths.