理毛行为是动物防御寄生虫感染有效的行为策略之一。通过室内行为观察,对扁颅蝠(Tylonycteris pachypus)和褐扁颅蝠(T. robustula)的理毛行为进行了研究,分析理毛行为的种间差异,以及体表寄生虫负荷量对理毛行为的影响。结果发现,扁颅蝠和褐扁颅蝠理毛行为主要可分为舔拭及抓挠,两种蝙蝠舔拭行为的频次和持续时长均大于抓挠行为。舔拭和抓挠行为的频次具有种间差异,扁颅蝠舔拭行为的频次高于褐扁颅蝠,但是其抓挠行为频次则低于后者;而舔拭行为和抓挠行为的持续时长无种间差异。两种蝙蝠体表寄生虫负荷量与理毛行为的总时长和总频次均无相关性。这些结果表明,扁颅蝠和褐扁颅蝠的理毛行为可能受到中枢神经调控及外部刺激的共同作用。
Grooming behavior is evolved in animals in response to the costs associated with ectoparasites. In this study, ecotparasite densities and grooming behavior-including licking and scratching-of wild-caught lesser bamboo bat (Tylonycteris pachypus) and greater bamboo bat (T. robustula) were analyzed. The results indicated that both the frequencies and durations of licking were higher than those of scratching in both bat species, though T. pachypus licked more but scratched less than T. robustula. There were no difference in the durations of licking and scratching between the two bat species, and the durations and frequencies of grooming behavior of the two bat species were irrelevant with ectoparasite densities. These findings suggest that the grooming behavior of T. pachypus and T. robustula might be modulated by both the central control (programmed grooming) model and the peripheral stimulation (stimulus driven) model.