Patagonian bonneted bat explained

The Patagonian bonneted bat (Eumops patagonicus), also called the Patagonian dwarf bonneted bat, is a species of free-tailed bat found in Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay.

Taxonomy and etymology

It was described as a new species in 1924 by British zoologist Oldfield Thomas. Thomas had obtained the holotype from Argentinean-Italian scientist Roberto Dabbene, who worked in Buenos Aires at the time.[1] Its species name "patagonicus" means "belonging to Patagonia."[2] The Patagonian bonneted bat was widely considered a subspecies of the dwarf bonneted bat (Eumops bonariensis) from approximately 1932[3] until the 1990s.[4] Based on Gregorin et al.s 2016 classification, the Patagonian bonneted bat is a member of the bonariensis species group of the genus Eumops.Other members include the dwarf bonneted bat, E. delticus, and E. nanus.[5]

Description

It is a small member of its genus, with a forearm length of 44mm. Its head and body is 54mm; its tail is 31mm long; its ears are 14.5mm long.[1]

Range and habitat

Its range includes several countries in southern South America, including Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay.

Conservation

It is currently evaluated as least concern by the IUCN - its lowest conservation priority. It meets the criteria for this assessment because it has a large range, its population size is likely large, and it is not thought to be in rapid population decline.

Notes and References

  1. 10.1080/00222932408633035. XXXIII.—New South American small mammals. Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 13. 74. 234–237. 2009. Thomas. Oldfield.
  2. Braun. J. K.. Mares. M. A.. 1995. The mammals of Argentina: an etymology. Mastozoología Neotropical. 2. 2. 173–206. 2018-03-15. 2016-10-18. https://web.archive.org/web/20161018221813/http://www.sarem.org.ar/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/SAREM_MastNeotrop_2-2_05_Braun.pdf. dead.
  3. Sanborn. C. C.. 1932. The bats of the genus Eumops. Journal of Mammalogy. 13. 4. 347–357. 10.2307/1374140. 1374140.
  4. 10.1644/733. Eumops bonariensis. Mammalian Species. 733. 1–5. 2003. Hunt. John L. McWilliams. Lisa A. Best. Troy L. Smith. Kevin G. free.
  5. 10.1016/j.mambio.2016.01.002. A new species of Eumops (Chiroptera: Molossidae) from southeastern Brazil and Bolivia. Mammalian Biology - Zeitschrift für Säugetierkunde. 81. 3. 235. 2016. Gregorin. Renato. Moras. Ligiane Martins. Acosta. Luis Hernán. Vasconcellos. Karina Lobão. Poma. José Luis. Dos Santos. Fabrício Rodrigues. Paca. Roberto Carlos.