| Kalko's yellow-eared bat | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Family: | Phyllostomidae |
| Genus: | Vampyressa |
| Species: | V. elisabethae |
| Binomial name | |
| Vampyressa elisabethae Tavares, Gardner, Ramírez-Chaves, and Velazco, 2014 | |
Kalko's yellow-eared bat (Vampyressa elisabethae) is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae. [1] It is found in northern Panama.
The holotype of V. elisabethae was collected in 1961 in a montane evergreen forest (approximately 1,500 meters above sea level) in "Rancho Mojica", a locality 32 km far from Changuinola in Panama. Besides the holotype, just another four specimens are known, all were collected between 1961 and 1976. [2]
The species name honors Elisabeth Klara Viktoria Kalko, for her important contributions to bat ecology. Kalko worked intensively in Panama, mainly in Barro Colorado Island.
A recent study obtained cytochrome b gene sequences from the holotype, including it in a phylogenetic analysis of the genus. It was shown that it has a high degree of molecular divergence from the other Vampyressa. In the phylogeny it is recovered as the sister group of a clade composed by V. melissa and V. voragine. [3]