Buffy flower bat  (Erophylla sezekorni)

The buffy flower bat is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List (1).

A little-known, medium-sized bat found only in the West Indies, the buffy flower bat (Erophylla sezerkorni) is recognisable by its distinct, elongated, conical-shaped snout with steep forehead (3) (4). This enigmatic mammal has a narrow, pointed tragus, broad, naked wings, a small tail that extends slightly beyond the tail membrane, and a reduced noseleaf that is either notched or forked at the tip (2) (3) (4). The upperparts are highly variable in colour, ranging from cream to light grey-brown. The facial skin is lighter than the rest of the upperparts, and the underparts are a more uniform, lighter brown (3).   

The buffy flower bat occurs on Cuba, including the Isle of Pines, most major islands in the Bahamas, Jamaica and the Cayman Islands (1) (2) (5).

Typically, the buffy flower bat is found roosting on the ceiling or walls of deep, dark portions of caves with minimal air circulation and extreme humidity, but may sometimes roost in cooler caves exposed to some degree of sunlight (1) (3). It forages in tropical forest, plantations and gardens (4). 

A little-studied, enigmatic bat, hardly anything is known about the biology of the buffy flower bat. It is, however, a highly gregarious species and is thought to emerge from its daytime roosts later than other species of bat (1). Its diet is believed to consist largely of pollen, hence its common name, but may also comprise insects, fruit and nectar (1) (4). The buffy flower bat is thought to give birth to a single young each year, and the discovery of pregnant females on Cuba in February suggests that breeding takes place around this time (1) (3). It is likely that most females give birth around June, with the young subsequently weaned in September or October (3) (5).  

Where suitable foraging and roosting habitat is available, the buffy flower bat is a common species that often forms colonies comprising many thousands of animals. It is, however, intolerant of disturbance and a colony on the island of Cayman Brac is thought to have been abandoned due to disturbance from a road, which was diverted to within just a few metres of the roosting cave. In places its cave habitat is also threatened by mining and guano harvesting (1) (5).

In the absence of any major threats to the buffy flower bat, it has not been the target of any known conservation measures. A conservation priority for this species is the protection of its roosting caves (1).

For more information on the conservation of bats, see:

• Bat Conservation International:
  http://batcon.org/
• The Bat Conservation Trust:
  http://www.bats.org.uk/
• The IUCN/SSC Bat Specialist Group:
  http://www.batconservancy.org/chiroptera-specialist-group-bat-conservation.php