New records and a taxonomic review prompts reassessment of Lonchophylla bokermanni, a rare bat endemic to the Brazilian Cerrado

Abstract

AbstractLonchophylla bokermanni is a nectar-feeding bat endemic to south-east Brazil that is currently categorized as Vulnerable in Brazil but as Data Deficient on the IUCN Red List. Originally described in the Cerrado savannah of Minas Gerais state in 1978, the species is known to occur in only two other nearby localities. In the last 2 decades individuals identified as L. bokermanni were recorded in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, increasing the known range of the species. A recent taxonomic review, however, has shown that Atlantic Forest individuals belong to a separate, new species, Lonchophylla peracchii. L. bokermanni, therefore, is known from only three localities, with an Extent of Occurrence of 1,506 km2. Because this EOO is < 5,000 km2, the species is known from <5 localities, and there is a presumed continued decline in its habitat extent and quality, it should be categorized as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. We recommend that the state of the three known populations of L. bokermanni be evaluated, and that surveys for further populations are required, particularly in Serra do Cipó National Park.