Artibeus schwartzi, or Schwartz's fruit-eating bat, is a species of bat found in the Lesser Antilles. It was previously considered a subspecies of the Jamaican fruit bat, (A. jamaicensis). It has been hypothesized that it arose from hybridization of three Artibeus species: A. jamaicensis, A. planirostris, and an unknown third species.[2]
Taxonomy and etymology
A. schwartzi was described as a new subspecies of the Jamaican fruit bat in 1978.[3]
In 2007, however, Larsen et al. determined that A. schwartzi should be recognized as a full species based on genetic data.[2]
The eponym for the species name "schwartzi" is in honour of American biologist Albert Schwartz.[4]
As of 2016, it is assessed as a data deficient species by the IUCN.
Very little is known about this species, and its population size and trend are unknown.[1]
^Jones, J. K Jr (1978). "A new bat of the genus Artibeus from the Lesser Antillean Island of St. Vincent". Occasional Papers, the Museum, Texas Tech University. 51: 1–6.
^Beolens, B.; Watkins, M.; Grayson, M. (2009). The eponym dictionary of mammals. JHU Press. p. 367. ISBN978-0-8018-9533-3.