Jamaican Flower Bat

Jamaican Flower Bat :: Phyllonycteris aphylla

Bad at Goodbyes :: Episode 087

On today’s show we learn about the Jamaican Flower Bat, a critically endangered flying mammal native to the Caribbean island nation of Jamaica. Its scientific name is Phyllonycteris aphylla and it was first described in 1898.

For more information about Jamaica Flower Bat conservation and bat conservation in general please see Bat Conservation International at https://www.batcon.org.

• (00:05) Intro
• (02:05) Species Information
• (27:22) Citations
• (29:29) Music
• (36:42) Pledge

Research for today’s show was compiled from:

• Baker, R. J., Groen, J. A., & Owen, R. D. (1984). Field key to Antillean bats (Occasional Papers, No. 94). Museum of Texas Tech University. – https://ttu-ir.tdl.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/d15e93d9-80de-45dc-95b8-3af88073278b/content
• Bat Conservation International. (2022, May 20). Globally significant Jamaican cave permanently protected to save critically endangered bats [Press release]. https://www.batcon.org/press/globally-significant-jamaican-cave-permanently-protected-to-save-critically-endangered-bats/
• Carstens, B. C. (2001). Phylogeny of the neotropical nectar-feeding bats (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) (Publication No. 1403850) Master's thesis, Michigan State University. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. https://www.proquest.com/openview/5e2c8907b5a92b9a86606531d3c6b86b/1
• Genoways, Hugh H., Baker, Robert J., Bickham, John W., & Phillips, Carleton J. (2005). Bats of Jamaica. Bats of Jamaica, 48, 1--155. – https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/249897
• iNaturalist – near Rock Spring Caverns, St. Mary, Jamaica
• Koenig, S. & Davalos, L. 2015. Phyllonycteris aphylla. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T17173A22133396. – https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T17173A22133396.en
• McFarlane, D. A. (1986). Cave bats in Jamaica. Oryx, 20(1), 27-30. – https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605300025874
• Miller, G. S., Jr. (1898). Descriptions of five new phyllostome bats. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 50, 326–337. – https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/1647828
• Oelbaum, P. J., Hall, R. P., Whyte, D. L., Stewart, R. S., Pauel, J., Kouwenberg, S., … Welch, K. C. (2024). Reproductive populations of the Critically Endangered bat Phyllonycteris aphylla at two new locations in Jamaica. Oryx, 58(5), 650–654. – https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605323001643
• National Environment and Planning Agency. (2011). 2012 - 2017 bat management plan for Jamaica. – https://www.cockpitcountry.com/pdfs/NEPA%20Bat%20Mgt%20Plan_2012-2017.pdf
• Pallardy, R. (2024, August 27). "We found 20 pairs of wings in an hour.” Culprit of Jamaica's dismembered bats caught on camera. Discover Wildlife. – https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/feral-cats-catching-bats-jamaica
• Sears, K. E., Behringer, R. R., Rasweiler, J. J., & Niswander, L. A. (2006). Development of bat flight: Morphologic and molecular evolution of bat wing digits. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 103(17), 6581–6586. – https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0509716103
• Wilson, D., Tikuye, B. G., Tefera, G. W., & Ray, R. L. (2025). Impact of bauxite mining on vegetation health in Jamaica: NDVI and aerosol optical depth analysis using remote sensing. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts A/B/C, 140, 104058. – https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pce.2025.104058
• Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamaican_flower_bat

Please find us on the web at Bad at Goodbyes and on instagram. Please subscribe and rate/review Bad at Goodbyes wherever you listen to podcasts. Please help spread the word about the show and about the species we feature. Please take care of each other, and all of our fellow travelers.

A note on accuracy: I strive for it! These episodes are well-researched and built from scholarly sources, hoping to provide an informed and accurate portrait of these species. That said, I’m a musician! I am not an academic and have limited scientific background. I may get things wrong! If you are using this podcast for scholarship of any kind, please see the cited sources and double-check all information.