Lonchophylla hesperia G. M. Allen 1908

93.

Western Nectar Bat

Lonchophylla hesperia

French: Lonchophylle dAllen / German: \Westliche Nektarfledermaus / Spanish: Loncéfilo de Allen

Taxonomy. Lonchophylla hesperia G. M. Allen, 1908,

“Zorritos,” Tumbes Department, northern Peru.

This species is monotypic.

Distribution. SW Ecuador and NW Peru.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 59-68 mm, tail 7-13 mm, ear 10-16 mm, hindfoot 8-15 mm, forearm 35-41 mm; weight c. 10 g. The Western Nectar Bat is mediumsized. Fur is soft and medium long. Dorsal fur is pale brown; venter is grayish brown and paler than dorsum. Snout is relatively long and slender; noseleaf is short and pointed, and base is broad and without free edges; and ears are short and rounded. Wings are attached to ankles; thumb is shorter than 6 mm; caudal membrane is short and not conspicuously furred; tail is short, reaching middle of membrane; and calcar shorter than foot. I' are much longer than I?, which are bordered by spaces.

Habitat. Tropical and subtropical dry forests in tropical arid Pacific coast and rain-shadow desert of the Rio Maranon Valley from sea level to elevations of ¢. 2000 m. The Western Nectar Bat is found in primary, secondary, selectively logged, and gallery forests and agricultural zones, such as cornfields and pastures with small patches of natural forest. It is expected to occur in adjacent lowlands. Ecuadorian localities are in subtropical dry forest, known as “Matorral Seco Montano” (dry mountain scrub), which is character ized by annual rainfall of 390-590 mm and annual mean temperature of 23-7°C;terrain is moderately inclined, with slopes of 30% or more. In Ecuador, one Western Nectar Bat was found roosting c. 4 m aboveground in a small, inhabited rustic dwelling, with a single room and no closed attic; it was found roosting with other species of bats such as the Common Vampire Bat (Desmodus rotundus), Pallas’s Long-tongued Bat (Glossophaga soricina), and the Fraternal Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeusfraterculus).

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. In Ecuador, a male Western Nectar Bat had scrotal testes in July.

Activity patterns. Western Nectar Bats are nocturnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Near Threatened on The IUCN Red List. The Western Nectar Bat is listed as endangered in Ecuador and vulnerable in Peru. It is rare and believed to be threatened by intense clearing of dry forest, diminishing its natural habitat. It does occur in disturbed areas, suggesting some tolerance to human activities.

Bibliography. Albuja (1999), Allen, G.M. (1908), Gardner (1976), Griffiths & Gardner (2008b), Koopman (1978), Pacheco et al. (2007), SERFOR (2018), Tirira (2011, 2017), Tirira et al. (2011), Tuttle (1970).