| Western round-eared bat | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Family: | Phyllostomidae |
| Genus: | Lophostoma |
| Species: | L. occidentale |
| Binomial name | |
| Lophostoma occidentale Davis & Carter, 1978 | |
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| Synonyms | |
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The western round-eared bat (Lophostoma occidentale) is a bat species found only on the Pacific coast of northwestern Ecuador.
It was described as a new subspecies of the white-throated round-eared bat in 1978 by Davis and Carter. As the white-throated round-eared bat was in the genus Tonatia at the time, the western round-eared bat had a trinomen of Tonatia silvicola occidentalis. [2] In 2011, it was recognized as a full species. In the same publication, it was established that Lophostoma aequatorialis was a junior synonym of L. occidentale. [3] Its species name " occidentalis " is Latin for "western."
Its forearm length is 51.2–56.8 mm (2.02–2.24 in). Its dorsal fur is long and dark brown, while the fur around its throat is whitish. It has white or pale gray patches of fur behind its ears. [3]
It is found in South America, where its range includes Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. It has been documented at elevations of 300–979 m (984–3,212 ft). [1]
As of 2016, it was evaluated as a near-threatened species by the IUCN. Its population has likely declined by 20-25% in the last three generations due to habitat destruction. [1]
The New World leaf-nosed bats (Phyllostomidae) are bats found from southern North America to South America, specifically from the Southwest United States to northern Argentina. They are ecologically the most varied and diverse family within the order Chiroptera. Most species are insectivorous, but the phyllostomid bats include within their number true predatory species and frugivores. For example, the spectral bat, the largest bat in the Americas, eats vertebrate prey, including small, dove-sized birds. Members of this family have evolved to use food groups such as fruit, nectar, pollen, insects, frogs, other bats, and small vertebrates, and in the case of the vampire bats, even blood.
The pygmy round-eared bat is a bat species from South and Central America.
The white-throated round-eared bat is a bat species found from Honduras to Bolivia, Paraguay and Brazil. It creates roosts inside the nests of the termite, Nasutitermes corniger. It thrives on a mainly insect-based diet, focusing on the surfaces of foliage to hunt, and also eats fruit and pollen. It has a very wide range and is a common species over much of that range, so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".
The greater round-eared bat is a bat species found in northeastern and southern Brazil, northern Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia. The species feeds on fruit as well as hunting small birds. Once caught, birds are taken to a shelter and consumed.
Lophostoma is a genus of Central and South American bats in the family Phyllostomidae.
The smoky bat is a species of bat in the family Furipteridae. It is the only species within the genus Amorphochilus. Its natural habitat is rocky shores.
Davis's round-eared bat is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae. It is found in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and southeastern Mexico.
The blunt-eared bat or Peruvian crevice-dwelling bat is a species of bat in the family Molossidae. It is monotypic within the genus Tomopeas and subfamily Tomopeatinae. It is endemic to Peru, where it is considered critically endangered. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Phyllostominae is a subfamily of bats that include big-eared, spear-nosed, sword-nosed bats and relatives.
The Matapalo broad-nosed bat is a species of leaf-nosed bat described in 2005. It is found in South America.
Thomas's big-eared brown bat is a species of vesper bat found in South America.
Kalko's round-eared bat is a species of leaf-nosed bat endemic to Panama.
Platyrrhinus albericoi is a species of leaf-nosed bat found in South America.
