Choco broad-nosed bat
{{Short description|Species of bat}}
{{speciesbox
| image =
| status = VU
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| genus = Platyrrhinus
| species = chocoensis
| authority = Alberico & Velasco, 1991
| synonyms = Vampyrops chocoensis
| range_map = Platyrrhinus chocoensis map.svg
}}
The Choco broad-nosed bat (Platyrrhinus chocoensis) is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae. It is native to Colombia, Panama, and Ecuador, where it is found in the Choco region lowlands.{{citation
| last = Simmons
| first = Nancy B.
| contribution = Chiroptera
| pages = 312–529
| title=Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed)
| editor-last = Wilson
| editor-first = Don E.
| editor2-last = Reeder
| editor2-first = DeeAnn M.
| url = https://www.departments.bucknell.edu/biology/resources/msw3/browse.asp?id=13801425
| publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press
| place = Baltimore
| year=2005
| isbn = 978-0-8018-8221-0
| access-date = 13 September 2009}} It is threatened by habitat loss. In 2013, Bat Conservation International listed this species as one of the 35 species of its worldwide priority list of conservation.{{cite web |url=http://www.batcon.org/images/stories/annualreports/AnnualReport2014.pdf |title=Annual Report 2013-2014 |author= |date=August 2014 |website=batcon.org |publisher=Bat Conservation International |access-date=May 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170707220911/http://www.batcon.org/images/stories/annualreports/AnnualReport2014.pdf |archive-date=July 7, 2017 |url-status=dead }}
Taxonomy
This species was first encountered in 1984 in Colombia. Its species name chocoensis is derived from the region where it was found, the Chocó Department.Alberico, M. S., & Velasco, E. (1991). Description of a new broad-nosed bat from Colombia. Bonner Zoologische Beiträge, 42, 237-239. A morphological study suggested that it may be the most basal (earliest offshoot) of its genus,Velazco, P. M. (2005). Morphological phylogeny of the bat genus Platyrrhinus Saussure, 1860 (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) with the description of four new species. Fieldiana Zoology, 1-53. however, another study using DNA suggested that the Platyrrhinus of the Chocó region diverged from Platyrrhinus of the Amazonian Craton, and that the white-lined broad-nosed bat was more basal.Velazco, P. M., & Patterson, B. D. (2008). Phylogenetics and biogeography of the broad-nosed bats, genus Platyrrhinus (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 49(3), 749-759.
Description
Their forearms are {{convert|47-51|mm|in|abbr=on}} long. They have a single whisker on their upper lip,Velazco, P.M., A.L. Gardner and B.D. Patterson. 2010. Systematic of the Platyrrhinus helleri complex (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae), with description of two new species. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 159: 785–812. and seven whiskers surrounding their nose-leaf. They have dark facial stripes. Their ears have well-defined folds.Velazco Garcia, P. M. (2009). Historical diversification in the neotropics: Evolution and variation of the bat genus platyrrhinus (Order No. 3381066). pp 16-28. Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global; SciTech Premium Collection. They have narrow dorsal stripes. Individual dorsal hairs are tricolored, with the base, mid, and tip of the hair different colors; ventral hairs are bicolored. The third metacarpal is shorter than the fifth metacarpal. They weigh approximately {{convert|30|g|oz|abbr=on}}, making them "medium-sized" for their genus.
Biology and ecology
Distribution
This species has been documented in two sites in the lowland of southern Panama. It has been found in over twenty sites in both Colombia and Ecuador. They live in the Pacific-facing side of Colombia and western Ecuador. They are found in lower elevation habitat, from {{convert|1-1000|m|ft|abbr=on|sigfig=2}} above sea level.
Conservation
In 2020, this species was listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, based on a projected decline of 50%. However, the decline appears more moderate now, and it is listed as vulnerable due to a projected decline of 30%. Its range includes protected areas, such as Utría National Natural Park and Los Katíos National Park, both in Colombia. Areas where the bat occur are being converted to agricultural use, particularly cocoa farming,Regan, E. C., Santini, L., Ingwall-King, L., Hoffmann, M., Rondinini, C., Symes, A., ... & Butchart, S. H. (2015). Global trends in the status of bird and mammal pollinators. Conservation Letters, 8(6), 397-403 which threatens the species. Illegal mining in Colombia is also responsible for its habitat destruction.