Comparative Gastric Morphology of Old World Bats

I. In Light Microscopy

Abstract

Using gross morphological, histological and histochemical approaches, gastric mucosae of three Pteropodids, one Vespertilionid, one Rhinolophid and one Hipposiderid, all from Asia, are described and compared with that of an omnivorous Phyllostomatid. All are also compared with the gastric mucosae of various other American species. There are clear differences between the frugivorous bats of the New World and those of the Old World but the insectivorous species show a fairly great uniformity. This situation is tentatively related to the historical evolution and the dispersal of those animals.