''Anoura peruana'' is a species of bat from

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

and

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

. It was elevated to a species in 2010, after previously being considered a subspecies of

Geoffroy's tailless bat Geoffroy's tailless bat (''Anoura geoffroyi'') is a species of phyllostomid bat from the American tropics. Description Geoffroy's tailless bat is a medium-sized bat, measuring around in total length and weighing . It has dark to dull brown fur o ...

(''A. geoffroyi''). The females are larger than the males.

Taxonomy and etymology

It was described as a new species in 1844 by Swiss naturalist

Johann Jakob von Tschudi Johann Jakob von Tschudi (25 July 1818 – 8 October 1889) was a Switzerland, Swiss Natural history, naturalist, explorer and diplomat. Biography Tschudi was born in Glarus to Johann Jakob Tschudi, a merchant, and Anna Maria Zwicky. He studied ...

. Tschudi initially placed it in the genus ''

Glossophaga ''Glossophaga'' (long-tongued bat) is a genus of bats in the leaf-nosed bat family, Phyllostomidae. Members of the genus are native to the American Neotropics. Species *''G. antillarum'' (Rehn, 1902): Jamaican long-tongued bat, Jamaica. *''G ...

'' and the

subgenus In biology, a subgenus (plural: subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between t ...

''Choeronycteris'', with a scientific name of ''Glossophaga (Choeronycteris) peruana''. Beginning in 1878 at latest, it was published as

synonymous A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

with

. In 2010, however, researchers concluded that ''A. peruana'' was morphologically distinct enough to be considered a full species. Its

species name In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

"''peruana''" means "Peruvian."

Description

Several characters were used to differentiate ''A. peruana'' from Geoffroy's tailless bat. ''A. peruana'' has a larger skull; its

zygomatic arch In anatomy, the zygomatic arch, or cheek bone, is a part of the skull formed by the zygomatic process of the temporal bone (a bone extending forward from the side of the skull, over the opening of the ear) and the temporal process of the zygomati ...

es are incomplete; its

uropatagium The patagium (plural: patagia) is a membranous body part that assists an animal in obtaining lift when gliding or flight. The structure is found in extant and extinct groups of flying and gliding animals including bats, birds, some dromaeosaurs, ...

is smaller; and its fur is darker.

Biology and ecology

It is a

nectarivorous In zoology, a nectarivore is an animal which derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of the sugar-rich nectar produced by flowering plants. Nectar as a food source presents a number of benefits a ...

species of bat. Species of flowers that it visits includes '' Siphocampylus giganteus'', ''

Bomarea multiflora ''Bomarea multiflora'', the trailing lily, is a species of flowering plant in the alstroemeria family. It is a multi-stemmed vine native to Colombia and Ecuador. It is an invasive plant species in New Zealand and is listed on the National Pest P ...

'', ''

Leonotis nepetifolia ''Leonotis nepetifolia'', (also known as klip dagga, Christmas candlestick, or lion's ear), is a species of plant in the genus ''Leonotis'' and the family Lamiaceae (mint). It is native to tropical Africa and southern India. It can also be found ...

'', and '' Lamourouxia virgata''. It could be an important pollen disperser in its ecosystem, as large amounts of pollen have been detected on individuals.

Range and habitat

It is found in several countries in

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

, including

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

, and

. It is found at mid- to high-elevation regions of the

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q42266333 Anoura Bats of South America Mammals of Colombia Mammals of Peru Mammals described in 2010