Innervation of wing membrane in Japanese little horseshoe bats, Rhinolophus cornutus

Abstract

The spinal nerves supplying the wing membranes of Japanese little horseshoe bats, Rhinolophus cornutus were studied. The wing membrane was innervated by nerve branches of the radial, ulnar, and median nerves, showing that the membrane was formed from the skin of the forelimb rather than that of the thoracolumbar skin. The radial nerve was mainly composed of the ventral rami of C7-T1, the ulnar nerve by C8-T2, and the median nerve by C8-T1. These components of R. cornutus tended to be from a narrower range of spinal nerves and to position more caudally than those of humans. In addition, the ulnar nerve showed a distribution pattern different from that of other mammals.