Pleistocene Bats from San Josecito Cave, Nuevo Leon, MexicoJones, J. Knox
History
Pleistocene Bats from San Josecito Cave, Nuevo Leon, Mexico
Jones, J. Knox
Bats, Fossil; Paleontology -- Pleistocene
_Remarks._--The long-nosed bats from San Josecito Cave do not differ
appreciably from _Leptonycteris nivalis longala_ Stains, the largest
Recent subspecies of the species, and the subspecies that occurs in the
same geographic area today. Average and extremes of three cranial
measurements of 22 specimens from San Josecito Cave, followed in
parentheses by the average and extreme measurements of 23 adult _L. n.
longala_ from the type locality, 12 mi. S and 2 mi. E Arteaga, 7500
ft., Coahuila (after Stains, 1957: 356), are: Greatest length of skull,
28.2, 27.2-28.9 (27.5, 26.1-29.0); least interorbital constriction,
5.0, 4.8-5.4 (4.8, 4.1-5.4); breadth of braincase, 11.1, 10.6-11.6
(10.7, 10.1-11.2). The San Josecito specimens average larger than the
series of Recent specimens in all of these measurements, especially
breadth of braincase, but there is considerable overlap in each case
and the extremes of greatest length of skull and of least interorbital
constriction do not exceed the extremes in the Recent series.
_Desmodus stocki_, new species
_Holotype._--Cranium, lacking post-incisor dentition on the
left side, zygomatic arches and auditory bullae; Los Angeles
County Museum (CIT) No. 3129; from Pleistocene deposits of
San Josecito Cave, near Aramberri, Nuevo León, México.
_Referred material._--Twelve additional partial crania, LACM
(CIT) 2946-50, 3127-30, 3940-41, 2 unnumbered.
_Diagnosis._--Resembling the Recent _Desmodus rotundus_ but
differing from it as follows: Skull larger (see measurements
and Figs. 1-2), heavier and more massive; rostrum and
braincase relatively as well as actually broader,
interorbital region relatively more constricted; braincase
more rounded (less elongate) as viewed from above; nasals
less concave in lateral view; narial vacuity broader in
relation to greatest length of skull, more nearly
heart-shaped; palate broad, less concave medially;
mesopterygoid fossa relatively and actually broader
anteriorly, the sides nearly parallel; zygomatic arches
(judging from No. 2950, the only specimen with a complete
arch, the left) less rounded in outline, appearing broader
owing to the more constricted interorbital region.
Dentition larger and heavier than that in _rotundus_, but
otherwise differing only slightly from it; upper incisor
less concave on cutting surface (see Figs. 3-4); premolar
and molar slightly less bladelike, with heavier roots.
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