Lesser Ghost Bat

About the Lesser Ghost Bat

The lesser ghost bat (Diclidurus scutatus) is a bat species found in South America. It is one of six bat species worldwide to have white fur. It was described by Wilhelm Peters in 1869 based on a specimen sent to the Paris Museum of Natural History by Arsène Onessim Barraquin. Barraquin had collected the specimen in Paraguay in 1859. Peters placed it in the genus Diclidurus. Its specific name, scutatus, is of Latin origin, meaning "shield-shaped". Its lineage diverged from other members of its genus around 5 million years ago at the end of the Miocene.

It has long, soft fur that is white or pale brown in color. It is one of only six bat species worldwide that have white fur; others are the other three species of Diclidurus, the Honduran white bat (Ectophylla alba), and the ghost bat (Macroderma gigas). Its claws are black in color. Its forearm is 51–58.9 mm (2.01–2.32 in) long. Forearm length can be used to distinguish it from the closely related northern ghost bat, Diclidurus albus, which has a forearm length of more than 60 mm (2.4 in). It weighs 13 g (0.46 oz). Adult males have two glandular pouches on their uropatagia. These pouches... Wikipedia →