NEW YORK: A new species of nectar-feeding bat that had been misidentified for more than a century has been discovered in Brazil, new research shows.

The new species discovered unexpectedly amid research into the whole genus of Lonchophylla was named Lonchophylla inexpectata — inspired by the surprise element in the new discovery.

During their study Ricardo Moratelli and Daniela Dias from Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, found that some of the specimens had their ventral (abdominal) fur considerably paler and some of their measurements were inconsistent with those of the type material of L. mordax, which species they had previously been confused with.

Using specimens from all currently recognised Brazilian representative of the Lonchophylla genus, the scientists concluded that what they had thought a mere variation of the colouring, is in fact one of the species’ distinguishable characteristics.

Others include differences in the skull and the teeth morphology, showed the findings detailed in the journal ZooKeys.