The western round-eared bat (Lophostoma occidentale) is a bat species found only on the Pacific coast of northwestern Ecuador.
It was described as a new subspecies of the white-throated round-eared bat in 1978 by Davis and Carter. As the white-throated round-eared bat was in the genus Tonatia at the time, the western round-eared bat had a trinomen of Tonatia silvicola occidentalis.[1] In 2011, it was recognized as a full species. In the same publication, it was established that Lophostoma aequatorialis was a junior synonym of L. occidentale.[2] Its species name "occidentalis" is Latin for "western."
Its forearm length is . Its dorsal fur is long and dark brown, while the fur around its throat is whitish. It has white or pale gray patches of fur behind its ears.[2]
It is found in South America, where its range includes Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. It has been documented at elevations of .
As of 2016, it was evaluated as a near-threatened species by the IUCN. Its population has likely declined by 20-25% in the last three generations due to habitat destruction.
