Chocoan Nectar Bat vs Handley's Nectar Bat

Lonchophylla chocoana compared with Lonchophylla handleyi

Key Differences

Chocoan Nectar Bat is Data Deficient while Handley's Nectar Bat is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Chocoan Nectar Bat	Handley's Nectar Bat
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Mammalia (Mammals)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order same	Chiroptera (Bats)	Chiroptera (Bats)
Family same	Phyllostomidae	Phyllostomidae
Genus same	Lonchophylla	Lonchophylla
Species	Lonchophylla chocoana	Lonchophylla handleyi

Evolutionary Relationship

Chocoan Nectar Bat and Handley's Nectar Bat share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Lonchophylla.

View Genus: Lonchophylla

Conservation Status

Chocoan Nectar Bat

DD — Data Deficient

Handley's Nectar Bat

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Chocoan Nectar Bat	Handley's Nectar Bat
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Chocoan Nectar Bat

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Colombia and Ecuador.

Handley's Nectar Bat

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Colombia and Ecuador.

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.