Peropteryx macrotis (Wagner, 1843) (Mammalia, Chiroptera, Emballonuridae), a newly recorded family, genus, and species of bat for Argentina

Abstract

We add the family Emballonuridae to the bat fauna of Argentina, with the new record of a specimen of Peropteryx macrotis (Wagner, 1843) from Salta Province, increasing to five the number of families of bats in the country. The new locality extends the distribution of this species by 663 km south from its previously southernmost known record in Bolivia and 812 km to the southwest from its nearest occurrence in Paraguay. Although the new record is from within the Yungas ecoregion, the specimen was found in an urban area. The presence of Emballonuridae in Argentina was thought to be highly probable; the lack of records could be due to the methods used for capturing bats in Argentina, which are not very effective for the species of this family.