Guadeloupe big-eyed bat [SEP] parent taxon
Guadeloupe big-eyed bat
The Guadeloupe big-eyed bat ("Chiroderma improvisum") is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae. It is found in Guadeloupe and Montserrat. It is threatened by habitat loss mostly because of Hurricane Hugo, which destroyed 90% of the population of this bat in 1989. The species may be locally extinct in some areas of Guadeloupe.
Taxonomy and etymology.
The Guadeloupe big-eyed bat was described in 1976.
The holotype was collected in July 1974 in Baie
habitat.
In 2008, individuals of this species were captured in Montserrat, alleviating fears that it had gone extinct.
Before this individual was captured, the last Guadeloupe big-eyed bat documented on Montserrat was in 1984.
It is thought that the bat species of Montserrat could be threatened by dramatic natural events, such as hurricanes and volcanic eruptions.