Dekeyser's nectar bat (Lonchophylla dekeyseri) is a bat species found in Brazil and Bolivia.Griffiths, T.A. and Gardner, A.L. 2008. Subfamily Glossophaginae Bonaparte, 1845. In: A.L. Gardner (ed.), Mammals of South America. Volume 1, pp. 224-244. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago. It is a member of the leaf-nosed bat family Phyllostomidae.
Discovery and etymology This species was initially encountered in August 1970 in Brasília National Park. It was described in 1983 by Valdir Taddei, Luiz Vizotto, and Ivan Sazima.TADDEI, V. A., VIZOTTO, L. D., & SAZIMA, I. (1983). PARA IDENTIFICAÇÃO DAS ESPÉCIES DO GÊNERO (CHIROPTERA, PHYLLOS. Ciência e Cultura, 35(5). The species was named dekeyseri in honor of French zoologist Pierre Louis Dekeyser.Beolens, B., Watkins, M., & Grayson, M. (2009). The eponym dictionary of mammals. JHU Press.
Description They weigh approximately . Their forearms are about long. Their dental formula is Their abdomens are paler than their backs.Moratelli, R., & Dias, D. (2015). A new species of nectar-feeding bat, genus Lonchophylla, from the Caatinga of Brazil (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae). ZooKeys, (514), 73. It is considered one of the smaller members of its genus.Woodman, N. (2007). A new species of nectar-feeding bat, genus Lonchophylla, from western Colombia and western Ecuador (Mammalia: Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae). Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, 120(3), 340-358. They have a relatively short skull compared to other Lonchophylla species. Their nose-leaf is small, measuring long and wide. Their ears are long and wide. The tragus tapers to a point, and is about long. The lower lip is grooved, and bordered with small, wart-like protuberances. The calcar is pronounced but short, at long.
Biology and ecology Their home range is . Home ranges consist of almost equal parts of the cerrado biome and pasture.Aguiar, L., Bernard, E., & Machado, R. B. (2014). Habitat use and movements of Glossophaga soricina and Lonchophylla dekeyseri (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) in a Neotropical savannah. Zoologia (Curitiba), 31(3), 223-229. It feeds on nectar. Plants in its diet include Hymenaea stigonocarpa, members of the Bauhinia genus (Bauhinia cupulata, B. multinervia, B. brevipes, B. megalandra, B. pauletia, B. ungulata, and B. rufa), and Luehea trees.Gibbs, P.E.; P.E. Oliveira & M.B. Bianchi. 1999. Postzygotic control selfing in Hymenaea stigonocarpa (Leguminosae-Caesalpinioideae), a bat-pollinated tree of the Brazilian cerrados. International Journal of Plant Sciences 160 (1): 72-78Gribel, R. & J. D. Hay. 1993. Pollination ecology of Caryocar brasiliensis (Caryocaraceae) in Central Brazil cerrado vegetation. Journal of Tropical Ecology 9 (2): 199-211. doi: 10.1017/S0266467400007173Heithaus, E.R.; T.H. Fleming & P.A. Opler. 1975. Foraging patterns and resource utilization in seven species of bats in a seasonal tropical forest. Ecology 56 (4): 841-854.Hokche, O. & N. Ramírez. 1990. Pollination ecology of seven species of Bauhinia L. (Leguminosae: Caesalpinioideae). Annals of Missouri Botanical Garden 77 (3): 559-572.Ramírez, N.; C. Sobrevila; N.X. Enrech & T. Ruiz-Zapata. 1984. Floral biology and breeding system of Bauhinia benthamiana Taub. (Leguminosae), a bat-pollinated tree in Venezuelan Llanos. American Journal of Botany 71 (2): 273-280. They also consume nectar from plants of the Lafoensia and Pseudobombax genera. In the dry season, which is when nectar is most abundant, they feed predominantly on nectar. In the wet season, however, they will increase their insect and fruit consumption.Coelho, D. C., & Marinho-Filho, J. (2002). Diet and activity of Lonchophylla dekeyseri (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae) in the Federal District, Brazil. Mammalia, 66(3), 319-330.
Pups are found July through November. They are thought to be monoestrous, breeding only once per year. Because the roosts contain more females than males, it is possible that they have a harem social structure. They emerge from their roosts shortly after dusk, and return just before dawn in the rainy season. In the dry season, they will return briefly around midnight before leaving again, returning again before dawn. They have 28 chromosomes.Almeida, B., Novaes, R. L. M., Aguieiras, M., de França Souza, R., Esbérard, C. E. L., & Geise, L. (2016). Karyotype of three Lonchophylla species (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae) from Southeastern Brazil. Comparative cytogenetics, 10(1), 109.
Habitat and range This bat is endemic to the Cerrado of Brazil. It is dependent on caves for its roosts during the day. It is found in dry forests with calcareous outcroppings.
Conservation One of the threats to this species is inappropriate efforts to eradicate vampire bats. Vampire bat culling techniques are often applied indiscriminately, and end up killing other species of bat, including endangered species. Methods include lighting dynamite in caves or cementing caves shut during the day while bats are roosting. Current vampire bat management practices have serious and significant negative effects on its population.Aguiar, L. M., Brito, D., & Machado, R. B. (2010). Do current vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus) population control practices pose a threat to Dekeyser's nectar bat's (Lonchophylla dekeyseri) long-term persistence in the Cerrado?. Acta Chiropterologica, 12(2), 275-282. In 1996, this species was evaluated as vulnerable by the IUCN, which was later revised to near threatened in 2008. In 2016, its status was again revised to endangered. It is listed as endangered because the population likely consists of fewer than 2,500 individuals, its distribution is patchy and limited, and its suitable habitat is rapidly declining. There are six identified subpopulations; each is thought to have fewer than 100 individuals. Because it is associated with karstic landscapes, it is threatened by disturbance from mining.
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