''Lonchophylla orienticollina'' is a species of bat found in

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 ...

, Venezuela, and Ecuador.

Taxonomy

''L. orienticollina'' was described as a new species in 2008 by Dávalos and Corthals. The holotype had been collected in 1988 near

San Juan de Arama San Juan de Arama is a town and municipality in the Meta Department, Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast ...

. Its species name "''orienticollina''" is from Latin ''oriens'' meaning "eastern" and ''collis'' meaning "hill", referencing its distribution along the eastern Andes.

Description

''L. orienticollina'' is a medium-sized member of its genus, with individuals weighing . It has a forearm length of . The fur on its back varies in color, ranging from an intense orange to brown. Its belly fur is tawny olive in color. It is extremely similar in appearance to the

orange nectar bat The orange nectar bat (''Lonchophylla robusta'') is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae. It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela. Orange nectar bats in Costa Rica were observed utilising a ...

(''Lonchophylla robusta'') and

Handley's nectar bat Handley's nectar bat (''Lonchophylla handleyi'') is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Per� ...

(''Lonchophylla handleyi''),

sympatric In biology, two related species or populations are considered sympatric when they exist in the same geographic area and thus frequently encounter one another. An initially interbreeding population that splits into two or more distinct species sh ...

members of its genus.

Range and habitat

''L. orienticollina'' is found in several countries in northern South America, including Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela. It has been documented at a range of elevations from above sea level. Its habitat includes

old-growth forest An old-growth forestalso termed primary forest, virgin forest, late seral forest, primeval forest, or first-growth forestis a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance, and thereby exhibits unique ecological featur ...

, as well as fragmented forest.

Conservation

As of 2019, it is evaluated as a

data deficient A data deficient (DD) species is one which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as offering insufficient information for a proper assessment of conservation status to be made. This does not necessaril ...

species by the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

because its ecological requirements are not yet known.

References

{{taxobar, from=Q16573401 Lonchophylla Bats of South America Mammals described in 2008