The insular single leaf bat or Lesser Antillean long-tongued bat (Monophyllus plethodon) is a species of leaf-nosed bat. It is found on the Lesser Antilles islands in the Caribbean Sea.

Taxonomy

The insular single leaf bat was described as a new species in 1900 by Gerrit Smith Miller Jr. The holotype had been collected by P. McDonough in Saint Michael, Barbados. Three subspecies are recognized: M. p. plethodon, M. p. luciae, and M. p. prater, with the Puerto Rican long-nosed bat (M. p. prater) extinct.

Description

It is a large member of the genus Monophyllus. It can be distinguished from similar species by its crowded upper premolars. The forearm is 38.8-45.7 mm long; the total body length is 67-84 mm; and the tail is 8-16 mm long. It weighs about 12.5-17.2 g. The dental formula is for a total of 34 teeth.

Range and habitat

The insular single leaf bat is distributed widely throughout the Lesser Antilles, occurring in Anguilla; Antigua and Barbuda; Barbados; Bermuda; the Caribbean Netherlands; Dominica; Guadeloupe; Martinique; Montserrat; Saint Barthélemy; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Lucia; Saint Martin, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. It utilizes a variety of habitats including forests and agricultural landscapes at elevation os 0-550 m above sea level.