''Platyrrhinus ismaeli'' is a species of bat found in South America.

Taxonomy and etymology

It was described as a new species in 2005 by zoologist Paul Velazco. Its description was the result of a taxonomic split in Thomas's broad-nosed bat, ''P. dorsalis''. The

holotype A holotype (Latin: ''holotypus'') is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of s ...

was collected in May 1987 near Balsas District, Peru.

Phylogenetically In biology, phylogenetics () is the study of the evolutionary history of life using observable characteristics of organisms (or genes), which is known as phylogenetic inference. It infers the relationship among organisms based on empirical data ...

, it belongs to the "Andean"

clade In biology, a clade (), also known as a Monophyly, monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach t ...

of its genus. Other members of this clade are '' P. albericoi'', '' P. aurarius'', '' P. chocoensis'', '' P. dorsalis'', '' P. infuscus'', '' P. masu'', '' P. nigellus'', and '' P. vittatus''. '' P. masu'' is the

sister taxa In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree. Definition The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram: Taxon A and ...

of ''P. ismaeli'', or its closest relative. The

eponym An eponym is a noun after which or for which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. Adjectives derived from the word ''eponym'' include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Eponyms are commonly used for time periods, places, innovati ...

of the

species name In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms, altho ...

is Ismael Ceballos Bendezú, a Peruvian mammalogist. Velazco named the species after him "in recognition of his important contributions to the study of Peruvian bats."

Description

It is a medium-sized member of its genus, with a forearm length of and a body mass of . The fur on its back is dark brown, and its ventral fur is grayish. It has dark facial stripes of differing sizes. It has a stripe running down the length of its spine that is lighter than its facial stripes. Its

nose-leaf A nose-leaf, or leaf nose, is an often large, lance-shaped nose, found in bats of the Phyllostomidae, Hipposideridae, and Rhinolophidae families. Because these bats Animal echolocation, echolocate nasally, this nose-leaf is thought to serve a role ...

is longer than it is wide. Males and females are similar in appearance.

Biology

Little is known about its reproduction. A pregnant female was once documented in late January, while another female with more advanced pregnancy was documented in early March. It is "basically

frugivorous A frugivore ( ) is an animal that thrives mostly on raw fruits or succulent fruit-like produce of plants such as roots, shoots, nuts and seeds. Approximately 20% of mammalian herbivores eat fruit. Frugivores are highly dependent on the abundance ...

Range and habitat

It has been documented on both sides of the

Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...

in Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia. It occurs at relatively high elevation, from above sea level. It is often found in

montane forests Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...

Conservation

It is currently evaluated as

near-threatened A near-threatened species is a species which has been categorized as "Near Threatened" (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as that may be vulnerable to endangerment in the near future, but it does not currently qu ...

by the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

. Its most recent assessment in 2016 was a down-listing from its 2008 assessment as vulnerable.

References

External links

An image of this species is on page one
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2558596 Mammals described in 2005 Bats of South America Mammals of Colombia Mammals of Ecuador Mammals of Peru Platyrrhinus