Allen's yellow bat


Allen's yellow bat is a species of vesper bat. There is some taxonomic debate surrounding this species, with some authors considering Baeodon a genus rather than a subgenus. It is endemic to Mexico.

Taxonomy and etymology

It was described as a new species in 1892 by British zoologist Oldfield Thomas.
Thomas noted that the eponym for the species name "alleni" was Harrison Allen, calling him "the chief authority on North-American bats."
In 1906, Gerrit Smith Miller placed Allen's yellow bat into a newly-coined genus, Baeodon.
At present, some authors keep Allen's yellow bat as part of Rhogeessa within the subgenus Baeodon, while others believe that it is distinct enough that Baeodon should be considered a monotypic genus rather than a subgenus.

Description

It is a small species of bat, weighing only.
It has large ears, with long tragi.
The tragi are rounded at the tips, with a straight or slightly concave inner margin and a slightly convex outer margin.
The posterior edges of its wings are white.
It has a small and narrow calcar.
The head and body is, while the tail is long.
Its forearm length is.
Its dental formula is for a total of 30 teeth.

Range and habitat

It is endemic to Mexico, with its range encompassing several states in southwest Mexico.
It has been documented at a range of elevations, from above sea level.
However, most records of this species are at elevations greater than above sea level.
Its habitat consists of tropical deciduous forests, thorny forests, deciduous forests, and xeric shrublands.

Conservation

It is currently evaluated as least concern by the IUCN—its lowest conservation priority.
It meets the criteria for this assessment because it has a large geographic range; its range includes protected areas; and it lacks major threats to its continued existence.
However, it is infrequently encountered and is considered rare or locally uncommon.