CONTENTS 



Page 



Introduction 5 



Acknowledgements 7 



On tlie systematics, distribution and ecology of New World flower bats 8 



Taxonomic position 8 



Geographic distribution 10 



Habitat, roosting behaviour, migration 12 



Activity patterns 15 



Feeding biology / Feeding ecology 16 



Chiropteran adaptations to nectari- and poUenivory 16 



Body size and weight 16 



Body shape 17 



Pelage 18 



Digestive tract 18 



Adaptations in host plants to chiropteropliily 20 



Size and constitution 20 



Blossom shape 20 



Blossom exposition 20 



Diet of various New World nectar feeding bat genera 21 



Sensory systems / Orientation 25 



Acoustic perception; echolocation 25 



Optical sense 25 



Olfactory sense / Olfactory perception 26 



Reproductive biology 26 



Cytology 31 



Material and methods 31 



Material 31 



Methods 32 



Descriptions 32 



Drawings 33 



Measurements 33 



Calculations 34 



Univariate analysis 34 



Allometrics 34 



Results 35 



Morphology of the species examined 35 



External morphology 35 



Skull morphology 45 



Skull descriptions of the single genera 46 



