''Sturnira parvidens'' is a species of

leaf-nosed bat The New World leaf-nosed bats (Phyllostomidae) are found from southern North America to South America, specifically from the Southwest United States to northern Argentina. They are ecologically the most varied and diverse family within the orde ...

found in Central America.

Taxonomy

It was described as a subspecies of the

little yellow-shouldered bat The little yellow-shouldered bat (''Sturnira lilium'') is a bat species from South and Central America. It is a frugivore A frugivore is an animal that thrives mostly on raw fruits or succulent fruit-like produce of plants such as roots, sho ...

(''Sturnira lilium'') in 1917 by American zoologist

Edward Alphonso Goldman Edward Alphonso Goldman (July 7, 1873 – September 2, 1946) was an American zoologist and botanist. He worked extensively in Mexico with Edward William Nelson and described and revised many groups of mammals. He was born Edward Alphonso Goltman ...

and given the

trinomen In biology, trinomial nomenclature refers to names for taxa below the rank of species. These names have three parts. The usage is different in zoology and botany. In zoology In zoological nomenclature, a trinomen (), trinominal name, or ternar ...

''S. lilium parvidens''. The

holotype A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of seve ...

had been collected in 1903 by Goldman and

Edward William Nelson Edward William Nelson (May 8, 1855 – May 19, 1934) was an American naturalist and ethnologist. A collector of specimens and field naturalist of repute, he became a member of several expeditions to survey the fauna and flora. He was part o ...

at "Papayo", given as northwest of

Acapulco Acapulco de Juárez (), commonly called Acapulco ( , also , nah, Acapolco), is a city and major seaport in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semicircular bay and has ...

, Mexico. The species name "''parvidens''" derives from Latin ''parvus'', meaning "small", and ''dens'', meaning "tooth". The little yellow-shouldered bat has been recognized as a

species complex In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often unclear. The taxa in the complex may be able to hybridize readily with each oth ...

, and some authors have considered ''S. parvidens'' as a separate species since 2000. In 2013, a genetic study further supported that it should be recognized as a full species. It forms a clade with '' Sturnira bakeri''.

Description

Individuals have a forearm length of approximately . It has small teeth. The fur of its back is dark brown, with individual hairs possessing three or four color bands. Its belly fur is paler in color with tricolored hairs. Its face is brownish-gray.

Range and habitat

''Sturnira parvidens'' occurs in many Central American countries, including: Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua. It has been documented at a range of elevations from above sea level.

References

{{taxonbar, from=Q21377101 Mammals described in 1917 Bats of Central America Sturnira Taxa named by Edward Alphonso Goldman