Lesser Long-nosed Bat
Leptonycteris yerbabuenae Martínez & Villa-R., 1940
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.

Lesser Long-nosed Bat (Leptonycteris yerbabuenae) in Mexico
Juan Cruzado Cortés · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The lesser long-nosed bat (Leptonycteris yerbabuenae) is a medium-sized bat found in Central and North America. It is sometimes known as Sanborn's long-nosed bat or the Mexican long-nosed bat, though the latter name is better avoided since it is also used for the entire genus Leptonycteris and for one of the other species in it, the greater long-nosed bat (L. nivalis).
Originally described as a subspecies of the greater long-nosed bat, it was later considered a subspecies of the southern long-nosed bat, before being confirmed as a distinct species. Enthusiasts for the bats often refer to them simply as leptos because they are the best known members of the genus Leptonycteris. The scientific name is derived from the type locality, near Yerbabuena in Guerrero, Mexico.
Wikipedia contributors, Lesser long-nosed bat; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T09:13:21.524139+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Leptonycteris yerbabuenae Martínez & Villa-R., 1940
- Name authority
- Martínez & Villa-R., 1940
- Common name
- Lesser Long-nosed Bat
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Chiroptera
- Family
- Phyllostomidae
- Genus
- Leptonycteris
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
- subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
- infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
- orderChiroptera Blumenbach, 1779
- suborderYangochiroptera Koopman, 1984
- superfamilyNoctilionoidea Gray, 1821
- familyPhyllostomidae Gray, 1825
- subfamilyGlossophaginae Bonaparte, 1845
- tribeGlossophagini Bonaparte, 1845
- genusLeptonycteris Lydekker, 1891
- speciesLeptonycteris yerbabuenae Martínez & Villa-R., 1940
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Leptonycteris. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Curaçaoan Long-nosed BatLeptonycteris curasoae Miller, 1900 | PhyllostomidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Greater Long-nosed BatLeptonycteris nivalis (Saussure, 1860) | PhyllostomidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Leptonycteris curasoae yerbabuenae Martínez & Villa-R., 1940 Martínez & Villa-R., 1940 | synonym |
| Leptonycteris sanborni Hoffmeister, 1957 Hoffmeister, 1957 | synonym |
| Leptonycteris nivalis yerbabuenae Martínez & Villa-R., 1940 Martínez & Villa-R., 1940 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
North America
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=202347 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3TSK9. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.