Lonchophylla inexpectata

Lonchophylla inexpectata, the pale-bellied nectar bat, is a species of leaf-nosed bat of the family Phyllostomidae found in Brazil. It was described by Moratelli and Dias in 2015 from specimens of the dry lowland Caatinga of north-eastern Brazil, where it is recorded in the states of Pernambuco and Bahia, and it appears to be endemic to that biome. The name inexpectata is Latin for unexpected, a reference to the unexpected new taxonomic status of the pale-bellied Caatinga populations that had been assigned to other Lonchophylla. It is a small bat with a forearm of roughly 32 to 36 millimetres and a weight of about 7 to 9.5 grams. The fur is cinnamon brown above and whitish to pale gray below, and this contrast helps separate it from other Lonchophylla species, as does the unfurred proximal part of the forearm. It has not been assessed on the IUCN Red List, and its restriction to a highly threatened biome is a concern.