Noteworthy Records of Bats From Nicaragua, with a Checklist of the Chiropteran Fauna of the CountryJones, J. Knox
Science
Noteworthy Records of Bats From Nicaragua, with a Checklist of the Chiropteran Fauna of the Country
Jones, J. Knox
Bats -- Nicaragua
Specimens from Los Cocos (three males and two females) were captured in
a mist net stretched across a large, quiet pool in a small stream. The
banks supported well-developed gallery forest, the understory of which
had been cleared for human habitation; grassland (grazed) and small
stands of secondary forest obtained beyond the riparian habitat.
Domestic ducks, a possible source of food, were observed sleeping along
the bank of this stream and on top of large boulders situated in the
stream. Males from this locality taken on 20 February, 4 April, and 18
July had testicular lengths of 5, 6, and 6.5 mm, respectively. Two
adult females collected there on 4 April were reproductively inactive.
An adult male (testes 6 mm) from near Condega was captured on 23 June
in a daytime roost in a small, cave-like crevice (see account of
_Peropteryx marcotis_), and one from northeast of Esquipulas (testes 5
mm) was netted on 14 March along a forest trail (see account of
_Vampyressa pusilla_).
Natalus stramineus saturatus Dalquest and Hall, 1949
_Specimens._--_Granada_: 6 km S Nandaime, 5. _Zelaya_: S side Río
Mico, El Recreo, 25 m, 2.
This funnel-eared species occupies an extensive geographic range
(northern México to Brazil) but appears to be relatively rare in Middle
America to the south of Guatemala. Our specimens represent the first of
this species to be reported from Nicaragua.
Both specimens from El Recreo, adult males, were caught by hand at
night after they flew through an open door into a small room, possibly
seeking insects that were swarming around a light bulb. Those from near
Nandaime (three males, two females) were caught in a mist net set over
the mouth of a well in which they were roosting; the well was
approximately 2 m in diameter, and the water level was about 5 m below
the rim. The females were not reproductively active (6 August).
We have compared our Nicaraguan material with a number of Mexican
specimens, including the holotype of _N. s. saturatus_ and topotypes of
_N. s. mexicanus_. We concur with Goodwin (1959) that in México there
are two rather distinct subspecies, between which a broad zone of
intergradation obtains. Our Nicaraguan specimens agree most closely
with _N. s. saturatus_, and, until additional comparative material is
available from Middle America, we tentatively refer them to that race.
Handley (1966b:770) and Starrett and Casebeer (1968:15), however,
regarded _mexicanus_ as the appropriate name for specimens from Panamá
and Costa Rica.
Selected measurements of two males from El Recreo are: length of
forearm, 41.2, 39.0 mm; greatest length of skull, 17.1, 16.5 mm;
zygomatic breadth, 8.4, 8.5 mm; mastoid breadth, 7.7, 7.6 mm; breadth
of braincase, 8.2, 8.1 mm; interorbital constriction, 3.2, 3.2 mm;
length of maxillary toothrow, 7.3, 7.1 mm.
Myotis albescens (E. Geoffroy St.-Hilaire, 1806)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account