Micronycteris giovanniae

Micronycteris giovanniae is a leaf-nosed bat known from Ecuador, described as a new species in 2007 from a single individual collected in 2001 in Esmeraldas Province, where it was netted in secondary forest that was being cleared. That holotype was still the only documented individual as of 2016. The name honours the American poet Nikki Giovanni, in recognition of her poetry and writings. Analysis of the cytochrome b gene places its closest relative as the Matses' big-eared bat, Micronycteris matses. It is a medium-sized member of its genus and, unlike some of its relatives, has dark belly fur; the single specimen had a forearm of 37 millimetres and weighed 8.6 grams. It has a karyotype of 2n = 40 with a fundamental number of 68, and 34 teeth.