Climbing Flat-bean vs Collared Sprite

Dalbergia obovata compared with Thainycteris aureocollaris

Taxonomic Classification

Rank Climbing Flat-bean Collared Sprite
Kingdom Plantae (Plants) Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants) Chordata (Chordates)
Class Magnoliopsida (Dicots) Mammalia (Mammals)
Order Fabales (Legumes & Allies) Chiroptera (Bats)
Family Fabaceae Vespertilionidae
Genus Dalbergia Thainycteris
Species Dalbergia obovata Thainycteris aureocollaris

Conservation Status

Climbing Flat-bean

LC — Least Concern

Collared Sprite

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute Climbing Flat-bean Collared Sprite
Diet
Average Lifespan
Average Length
Average Weight

Habitat & Geographic Range

Climbing Flat-bean

Habitat

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

Collared Sprite

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Climbing Flat-bean

Climbing Flat Bean, Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis, commonly known as the Yard-long Bean or Asparagus Bean, is a vigorous climbing legume in the family Fabaceae widely cultivated across tropical and subtropical Asia for its extraordinarily long, edible pods. The pods, reaching up to 60–100 cm in length, are harvested when young and tender and are used extensively in Chinese, Southeast Asian, and South Asian cuisine. The species climbs trellises and poles using tendril-like, twining stems, producing purplish-white flowers that develop into the characteristic pendulous, slender bean pods. Like other Vigna species, it fixes atmospheric nitrogen through symbiotic bacteria in root nodules, improving soil fertility. Climbing Flat Bean is a warm-season crop requiring full sun, high temperatures, and adequate moisture, making it well suited to humid tropical and monsoon climates. It is an important food crop providing protein and vitamins for rural communities across Asia and is cultivated as a commercial vegetable in many tropical countries. The species is also grown in tropical America and Africa. Being a domesticated cultivar complex, its conservation status is not formally assessed in terms of wild populations, though the preservation of genetic diversity in cultivated landraces is an agricultural priority.

Collared Sprite

The Collared Sprite, known scientifically as <em>Thainycteris aureocollaris</em>, is a bat belonging to the order Chiroptera. <em>Thainycteris aureocollaris</em> is distinguished by a golden or pale collar of fur around the neck region, which gives rise to the species epithet "aureocollaris" — meaning golden-collared in Latin. The species inhabits diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Bats of this type are generally nocturnal, roosting during the day and emerging at night to forage on flying insects using echolocation. Detailed biological traits including typical lifespan, body length, and weight are poorly documented for this species in available literature. The Collared Sprite is currently assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, indicating that the global population is not currently considered to be at significant risk of decline.

Nature FYI Family

Explore more of the natural world across our sister sites.

Part of the Nature FYI family — FYIPedia