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
Although this species is widespread in Middle America, it has been
known previously from Nicaragua only by a specimen from "Chontales"
(Miller, 1902:402). All of our specimens were captured in mist nets.
Two adult females (one taken on 28 February and the other on 8 March)
each carried a single embryo (13 and 18 mm in crown-rump length,
respectively); a female taken in April was lactating and had a flaccid
uterus suggesting relatively recent parturition. Adult females captured
in the months of June, July, and August evidenced no sign of
reproductive activity. Two of these were in dark, fresh pelage, but one
captured on 24 June and another on 28 July were molting. In both
individuals, active molt evidently had slowed or subsided and remnants
of the old pelage (rich ochraceous orange) were confined to a narrow
strip at the lateral edges of the body.
We tentatively apply the subspecies name _fuscus_ to our Nicaraguan
bats on geographic grounds; one of us (Smith) currently is
investigating geographic variation in the genus _Pteronotus_.
Pteronotus suapurensis (J. A. Allen, 1904)
_Specimens._--_Chontales_: Cuapa, 1. _Matagalpa_: 3 mi E San Ramón,
24. _Zelaya_: Cara de Mono, 25 m, 4.
This relatively poorly known monotypic species occurs from southern
Veracruz to the Amazon Basin. It has been reported from several
localities in Central America including one in Nicaragua (Goodwin,
1942a:88). Three pregnant females from near San Ramón (9 May) carried
embryos that had crown-rump lengths of 27, 27, and 28 mm, and two
netted on 24 April at Cara de Mono each had an embryo that measured 22
mm. All of our specimens are in bright pelage that is fulvous red in
color.
Micronycteris megalotis mexicana Miller, 1898
_Specimens._--_Carazo_: 3 km N, 4 km W Diriamba, 600 m, 5. _Granada_:
Hda. Mecatepe [2 km N, 11.5 km E Nandaime], 5. _Managua:_ 5 mi NW
Managua, 1. _Matagalpa_: Río Viejo, 7 mi WNW Darío, 4; 11 mi SE
Darío, 1. _Zelaya_: S end Isla del Maíz Grande, 9.
The individuals from Isla de Maíz Grande were shot on 30 June as they
flew from small caves and crevices in rocky outcrops on the south end
of the island. Of the three adult females obtained at that time, two
were lactating; each was accompanied by a young, the forearms of which
measured 19.7 (male) and 21.3 mm (female). Two adult males from Isla
del Maíz Grande had testes 2 mm in length.
TABLE 1.--Selected measurements of adults of two subspecies of
_Micronycteris megalotis_ from Nicaragua. Superscript numbers indicate
fewer specimens averaged than indicated in left-hand column.
Table Legend:
Col. A: Number of specimens averaged or catalogue number, and sex
Col. B: Length of forearm
Col. C: Greatest length of skull
Col. D: Zygomatic breadth
Col. E: Breadth of braincase
Col. F: Length of maxillary toothrow
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