Chocoan Nectar Bat vs Ontong Java Flying Fox

Lonchophylla chocoana compared with Pteropus howensis

Key Differences

• Chocoan Nectar Bat is Data Deficient while Ontong Java Flying Fox is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Chocoan Nectar Bat	Ontong Java Flying Fox
Kingdom same	Animalia (สัตว์)	Animalia (สัตว์)
Phylum same	Chordata (สัตว์มีแกนสันหลัง)	Chordata (สัตว์มีแกนสันหลัง)
Class same	Mammalia (สัตว์เลี้ยงลูกด้วยน้ำนม)	Mammalia (สัตว์เลี้ยงลูกด้วยน้ำนม)
Order same	Chiroptera (ค้างคาว)	Chiroptera (ค้างคาว)
Family	Phyllostomidae	Pteropodidae (Fruit Bats)
Genus	Lonchophylla	Pteropus (Flying Foxes)
Species	Lonchophylla chocoana	Pteropus howensis

Evolutionary Relationship

Chocoan Nectar Bat and Ontong Java Flying Fox share a common ancestor at the Order level: Chiroptera. (ค้างคาว)

Conservation Status

Chocoan Nectar Bat

DD — Data Deficient

Ontong Java Flying Fox

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Chocoan Nectar Bat	Ontong Java Flying Fox
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.

Ontong Java Flying Fox

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

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.