Chinese elder vs Chocoan Nectar Bat

Sambucus javanica compared with Lonchophylla chocoana

Key Differences

• Chinese elder is Least Concern while Chocoan Nectar Bat is Data Deficient.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Chinese elder	Chocoan Nectar Bat
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Dipsacales (Dipsacales)	Chiroptera (Bats)
Family	Viburnaceae	Phyllostomidae
Genus	Sambucus	Lonchophylla
Species	Sambucus javanica	Lonchophylla chocoana

Conservation Status

Chinese elder

LC — Least Concern

Chocoan Nectar Bat

DD — Data Deficient

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Chinese elder	Chocoan Nectar Bat
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Chinese elder

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Chocoan Nectar Bat

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Colombia and Ecuador.

Chinese elder

The Chinese elder (Sambucus javanica) is a species in the genus Sambucus. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Chocoan Nectar Bat

The Chocoan Nectar Bat (Lonchophylla chocoana) is a small, highly specialised bat in the family Phyllostomidae, endemic to the Chocó biogeographic region of northwestern South America — one of the wettest and most biodiverse regions on the planet, spanning the Pacific lowlands of Colombia and Ecuador. It belongs to the genus Lonchophylla, a group of nectarivorous (nectar-feeding) bats characterised by an elongated snout, a long, brush-tipped tongue adapted for reaching deep into flowers, and reduced cheek teeth reflecting their liquid diet. Like other lonchophyllines, the Chocoan Nectar Bat plays an important ecological role as a pollinator of night-blooming plants whose flowers are adapted for chiropterophily (bat pollination), including species of Bromeliaceae, Cactaceae, and various other families. It roosts in caves, tree hollows, and dense vegetation in lowland and foothill forests of the Chocó. The IUCN classifies this species as Data Deficient, reflecting limited survey data on its distribution, population size, and ecology. The Chocó region, despite its extraordinary biodiversity, is under severe pressure from deforestation for palm oil and other agro-industrial crops, and any specialist bat dependent on intact forest and its flowering resources is potentially vulnerable to habitat loss.