The Mato Grosso dog-faced bat (''Neoplatymops mattogrossensis''), is a
bat species found in South America.
Taxonomy and etymology
It was described as a new species in 1942 by C. O. C. Vieira. The holotype was collected along the Juruena River
The Juruena River ( pt, Rio Juruena) is a long river in west-central Brazil, in the state of Mato Grosso.
Course
The Juruena originates in the Parecis plateau.
Within Mato Grosso the river defines the eastern boundary of the Igarapés do Juruen ...
north of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso
Mato Grosso ( – lit. "Thick Bush") is one of the states of Brazil, the third largest by area, located in the Central-West region. The state has 1.66% of the Brazilian population and is responsible for 1.9% of the Brazilian GDP.
Neighboring ...
.
Description
It is a small species of free-tailed bat
The Molossidae, or free-tailed bats, are a family of bats within the order Chiroptera.
The Molossidae is the fourth-largest family of bats, containing about 110 species as of 2012. They are generally quite robust, and consist of many strong-flyi ...
, with a forearm length of and weighing . It is sexually dimorphic, with males larger than the females. Its skull has a flattened appearance. Its dorsal fur is brown, while its ventral fur is white or gray.
Biology and ecology
The Mato Grosso dog-faced bat possibly has a harem social structure. In Venezuela, colonies consist of a single male and two to four females. It is a seasonal breeder, with females giving birth once per year at the beginning of the wet season. It is insectivorous
A robber fly eating a hoverfly
An insectivore is a carnivorous animal or plant that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which can also refer to the human practice of eating insects.
The first vertebrate insectivores were ...
.
Range and habitat
It is found in several countries in South America, including Brazil, 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 ...
, Guyana
Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...
, and Venezuela.[
]
Conservation
As of 2008, it is evaluated as a least-concern 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 ...
—its lowest conservation priority.[
]
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1830223
Mammals described in 1942
Molossidae
Bats of South America
Mammals of Colombia
Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN