Western nectar bat
Species of bat
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The western nectar bat (Lonchophylla hesperia) is a species of bat within the Lonchophylla genus of chiroptera. It is a leaf-nosed bat in the family Phyllostomidae, and the subfamily Lonchophyllinae. It is found in Ecuador and Peru.[3]
| Western nectar bat | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Family: | Phyllostomidae |
| Genus: | Lonchophylla |
| Species: | L. hesperia |
| Binomial name | |
| Lonchophylla hesperia G.M. Allen, 1908[2] | |
 | |
Etymology
The western nectar bat was first described by Glover Morrill Allen in 1908. The name hesperia comes from the Greek word hesperos, meaning western. This refers to the geographical distribution of the western nectar bat as it has only been found in the western part of South America.[4]
Biology
Range and habitat
The Western nectar bat is endemic to northwestern Peru[7] and has been recorded in Peru and Ecuador.[3] Their distribution has only been recorded as west of the Andes Mountains.[8] The species has been categorized as restricted to areas lacking rainforest — arid desert to savanna and dry forest.[8] As of 2011, the western nectar bat is only known from 19 individuals from 9 locations,[3] 6 of which were captured in 1908.
Phylogeny
The following phylogenetic tree shows the currently known species of Lonchophyllini, the tribe that includes L. hesperia within the subfamily Lynchophyllinae.[5]
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