First confirmed records of the rare Short-eared Bat, Cyttarops alecto Thomas, 1913 (Chiroptera: Emballonuridae), from the Orinoco Llanos of Colombia

Abstract

We confirm the occurrence of the rare bat Cyttarops alecto in piedmont and alluvial plain savannas of the Orinoco Llanos. Our records are the first for the species in Colombia in 22 years. The species was known only from Neotropical rainforests and one locality in the Cerrado formation in Brazil. Our records are supported with voucher specimens that match the diagnosis and variability described for the species. With these records, we reduce the geographical distribution gap between known Trans-Andean and Cis-Andean localities of this species in the northern Neotropics.