Mammalia, Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae, Lonchophylla hesperia G. M. Allen, 1908: second record of the Western Nectar Bat in Ecuador after 70 years

Abstract

Herein we report the second record for Lonchophylla hesperia in Ecuador, and the first one since 1939. We captured an adult male in a mountainous dry valley at Comunidad San Jacinto, Catamayo Valley, Loja Province, southwestern Ecuador. The dominant landscape consists of agricultural lands, mainly of corn fields and pastures; while the natural forest is restricted to small patches. A description of the species’ shelter and a predictive distribution model in Peru and Ecuador are presented, indicating the areas between the two countries were the habitat is climatically suitable for its presence.