Abstract
We studied the pollination of the epiphytic cactus Weberocereus tunilla (Weber) Britton and Rose at the La Selva Biological Station in the Atlantic lowland
rain forest of Costa Rica. The large, night-blooming, unpleasantly-smelling flowers
were suspended on elongated main stems that hang down as much as 2 m below canopy
tree branches, resulting in a unique form of flagelliflory. The only visitors to flowers
were three species of glossophagine bats: Glossophaga commissarisi, Hylonycteris underwoodi and Lichonycteris obscura. Patterns of nectar secretion and concentration were found to be typical for bat-pollinated
flowers. Flowering phenology and the occurrence of pollen on bats were recorded during
a 1-yr period. Preliminary observations suggest that at least two other Costa Rican
species of Weberocereus, W. biolleyi and W. trichophorus and possibly other species of the tribe Hylocereeae, are also pollinated by glossophagine
bats.
Key words
Cactaceae - Chiroptera - flagelliflory - Glossophaginae -
Glossophaga commissarisi
-
Hylonycteris underwoodi
- Phyllostomidae - pollination - rain forest -
Weberocereus tunilla
