Bat Development

Introduction

Short-tailed fruit bat Carollia perspicillata (embryonic stage 19)

The bat (chiroptera) family consists of about 1,000 species throughout the world today (90 in Australia) and is not a common model of mammalian embryonic development.

The taxon chiroptera can also be further divided into the Megachiroptera (flying foxes) and Microchiroptera suborders. Echolocation sounds have been shown to differ in Microchiroptera (vocal cords) and Megachiroptera (tongue clicks).

Links: original Bat page

Some Recent Findings

Contrasting genetic structure in two co-distributed species of old world fruit bat "The fulvous fruit bat (Rousettus leschenaulti) and the greater short-nosed fruit bat (Cynopterus sphinx) are two abundant and widely co-distributed Old World fruit bats in Southeast and East Asia. " Digital gene expression tag profiling of bat digits provides robust candidates contributing to wing formation "As the only truly flying mammals, bats use their unique wing - consisting of four elongated digits (digits II-V) connected by membranes - to power their flight. In addition to the elongated digits II-V, the forelimb contains one shorter digit (digit I) that is morphologically similar to the hindlimb digits. Here, we capitalized on the morphological variation among the bat forelimb digits to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying digit elongation and wing formation."

Taxon

Chiroptera

Genbank common name: bats

Taxonomy Id: 9397 Rank: order

Genetic code: Translation table 1 (Standard)

Mitochondrial genetic code: Translation table 2 (Vertebrate Mitochondrial)

Lineage( abbreviated ): Eukaryota; Fungi/Metazoa group; Metazoa; Eumetazoa; Bilateria; Coelomata; Deuterostomia; Chordata; Craniata; Vertebrata; Gnathostomata; Teleostomi; Euteleostomi; Sarcopterygii; Tetrapoda; Amniota; Mammalia; Theria; Eutheria; Laurasiatheria

Species Comparison

Carollia perspicillata

• (short-tailed fruit bat) Ovulation has a 24 hour variation with up to 2 days of variation in oviduct transit time, and gestation period is 113 - 120 days.

Myotis thysanodes and M. lucifugus

• Ovulation, fertilization, and implantation occur during the first 2 weeks of May and gestation is 50 - 60 days for both species.

Embryonic Stages - Carollia perspicillata

• 

  stage 10 to 13

• 

  stage 12 to 17

• 

  stage 18 to 24

Embryonic Bat Stages Carollia perspicillata

Stage	Key features	Somites	Age (dpc)	Uterus diameter (mm)	Crown-rump length (mm)	Mass (mg)
12	Forelimb buds form; tail bud forms; caudal neuropore closes; 3 pharyngeal arches.	21-29	40	5.75 (+/- 0.64)	3.4 (+/- 0.42)	4.3 (+/- 1.7)
14	Retinal pigment; nasal pits; end of somitogenesis; propatagium and plagiopatagium primordia; hindlimb AER.	36-40	44	6.95 (+/- 0.44)	5.35 (+/- 0.24)	24.6 (+/- 3.6)
15	Hand plate and footplate form; lens vesicle; auditory hillocks; premaxillary centers.		46	8.65 (+/- 1.20)	7.45 (+/- 0.92)	56 (+/- 13)
16	Nose-leaf primordium; pinna and tragus form; forelimb digital condensations, uropatagium primordium.		50	12.06 (+/- 1.45)	8.66 (+/- 1.05)	110 (+/- 30)
17	Tongue protruding; cervical flexure straightens; hindlimb interdigit tissue receding; eyes begin to close.		54	13.45 (+/- 1.34)	9.15 (+/- 1.34)	114 (+/- 45)
18	Free thumb; head and body smoother, rounder; eyes half-closed; postaxial flexure at wrist; calcar.		60	16.32 (+/- 0.98)	12.35 (+/- 1.16)	278 (+/- 83)
20	Distal forelimbs overlap over face; head larger; eyelids cover pigmented retina; claw primordia form.		70	20.0 (+/- 3.54)	16.35 (+/- 1.06)	617 (+/- 156)
22	Prominent, triangular nose-leaf; eyelids reopening; wing membranes corrugated; claws pigmented, hooked.		80	23.03 (+/- 2.68)	20.02 (+/- 0.26)	1527 (+/- 208)
24	Fetal period commences; eyes completely open; face and nose-leaf pigmenting.		90	23.53 (+/- 0.64)	21.13 (+/- 0.06)	2097 (+/- 199)

(Values are mean n= 2-6, +/- standard deviation, original table contains more detailed data)

Thanks to Prof Richard Behringer and Dr Chris J. Creteko Dept. of Molecular Genetics, University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, who provided images and stage information on the embryonic development of the Carollia perspicillata bat.

Embryonic Stages - Miniopterus schreibersii fuliginosus

• 

  Miniopterus schreibersii fuliginosus Stages 13-17

• 

  Embryonic stages 18-23

• 

  H. pratti Embryonic stages 11-22

• 

  Craniofacial development

Limb Development

Bat - adult and fetal limbs

A - Left limbs of adult Myotis ricketti. DI, DII, DIII, DIV and DV represent digits I-V of the forelimb

B, C - Left limbs of Miniopterus schreibersii fuliginosus in the Fetal Stage as an example of samples used for the Myotis ricketti libraries. Libraries Hand DI and Hand DII-V are constructed from forelimb digit I and digits II-V, respectively. Library Foot is constructed from hindlimb digits I-V.

Bar = 1 cm in A; bar = 1 mm in B and C.

Neural Development

The short-tailed fruit bat Carollia perspicillata Stage 14 embryo nervous system as identified by neurofilament antibody (brown) staining.

References

Search Pubmed: bat development | chiroptera development

Glossary Links

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Cite this page: Hill, M.A. (2024, April 19) Embryology Bat Development. Retrieved from https://embryology.med.unsw.edu.au/embryology/index.php/Bat_Development

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© Dr Mark Hill 2024, UNSW Embryology ISBN: 978 0 7334 2609 4 - UNSW CRICOS Provider Code No. 00098G