Identification and diagnosis of Anoura fistulata with remarks on its presumed presence in Bolivia

Anoura fistulata is the most specialized nectarivorous bat of the genus Anoura. Its relationships with other species of the genus are uncertain given its external morphological resemblance to all 4 species in the A. caudifer species complex. Here, we show how to properly diagnose A. fistulata and how the glossal tube, unique to this species, should be identified. We also reassess the putative presence of A. fistulata in Bolivia by revisiting the measurements and soft morphology characters of the specimen used for this published record. Our morphometric analyses show that the species in the A. caudifer complex overlap in their morphospace for 23 cranial and postcranial measurements and are indistinguishable using Principal Component Analyses or Linear Discriminant Functions. However, comparing dissections of A. fistulata from Ecuador to the Bolivian record show that it lacks the soft tissue characters unique to A. fistulata, indicating this specimen is an individual of A. caudifer rather than A. fistulata. Given that this was the only record for the country, A. fistulata is not known to occur in Bolivia.