Read Ebook: Noteworthy Records of Bats From Nicaragua with a Checklist of the Chiropteran Fauna of the Country by Jones J Knox Smith James Dale Turner Ronald W

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Godman's bat was reported from Nicaragua by Handley , who used the locality designation "El Realejo" for the three specimens available to him. Actually, the three are from the nearby Hda. San Isidro, 10 km S Chinandega. We have taken three additional specimens as follows: Santa Rosa, 17 km N and 15 km E Boaco, 300 m, Boaco ; 2 km E Yal?, 900 m, Jinotega ; and Santa Mar?a de Ostuma, 1250 m, Matagalpa . Bats of this species have been taken as far north as the western Mexican state of Sinaloa .

Lichonycteris obscura Thomas, 1895

Selected measurements of the three males are, respectively: total length, 55, 58, 57 mm; length of tail, 7, 10, 9 mm; length of hind foot, 7, 9, 9 mm; length of ear, 10, 11, 11 mm; length of forearm, 30.9, 31.0, 30.8 mm; weight, 6.8, 6.8, 6.2 gms; length of testes, 1, 2, 2 mm; greatest length of skull, 18.5, 18.0, 17.9 mm; breadth of braincase, 8.1, 8.4, 8.3 mm; length of maxillary toothrow, 5.7, 5.5, 5.7 mm.

Carollia castanea H. Allen, 1890

Sturnira ludovici ludovici Anthony, 1924

Uroderma magnirostrum Davis, 1968

Selected measurements of the three Nicaraguan specimens are, respectively: total length, 65, 64, 67 mm; length of hind foot, 12, 11, 14 mm; length of ear, 16.5, 16, 18 mm; length of forearm, 42.2, 41.7, 45.2 mm; weight, 16.2, 13.8, 21.4 gms; greatest length of skull, 22.7, 23.4, 23.8 mm; zygomatic breadth, 12.4, 12.9, 13.1 mm; postorbital breadth, 5.8, 5.5, 5.9 mm; mastoid breadth, 10.9, 11.1, 11.1 mm; length of maxillary toothrow, 7.9, 8.1, 8.6 mm.

Vampyrops helleri Peters, 1866

Most of our specimens were captured in mist nets set over small streams bordered by gallery forest, or in banana groves. The range of ecological conditions in which this species was taken is represented by the semiarid environment of the Cosig?ina Peninsula in northwestern Nicaragua and the humid tropical forest in the vicinity of El Recreo in the Caribbean lowlands. Pregnant females were captured in March, April, June, July, and August, indicating that this species probably breeds throughout much of the year.

Vampyrodes major G. M. Allen, 1908

This large white-lined stenodermine was known previously from Nicaragua by a single specimen from an unknown locality . All of our specimens were caught in mist nets, which were set over streams at Santa Rosa and near Villa Somoza, and in a banana grove at El Recreo. Two pregnant females, captured on 11 and 13 July at Santa Rosa, each carried an embryo ; one of two other adult females captured there on 9 August also had an embryo but the other evidently was reproductively quiescent. Testes of adult males varied in length from 3 to 10 mm on the following dates : 25 February ; 21 March ; 17 June ; 13 July ; 27-28 July ; 3 August ; 5 August ; 9 August .

Vampyressa nymphaea Thomas, 1909

A pregnant female was captured in a mist net set in a small banana grove on the south side of the R?o Mico, El Recreo, 25 m, in the Caribbean lowlands, on 27 February 1968. This specimen provides the first record of the big yellow-eared bat from Nicaragua. The species was recently reported for the first time from Costa Rica ; it was characterized as uncommon in Panam? by Handley . The one Costa Rican locality of record also is in the Caribbean versant.

Selected external and cranial measurements of our female are: total length, 58 mm; length of hind foot, 11 mm; length of ear, 16 mm; length of forearm, 36.2 mm; weight, 12.3 gms; greatest length of skull, 21.1 mm; condylobasal length, 18.4 mm; zygomatic breadth, 12.3 mm; mastoid breadth, 10.5 mm; breadth across canines, 4.6 mm; breadth of braincase, 9.4 mm; length of maxillary toothrow, 7.2 mm; length of mandibular c-m3, 7.8 mm.

Vampyressa pusilla thyone Thomas, 1909

The only previous record of occurrence for the small yellow-eared bat from Nicaragua is based on an adult female from Hda. La Cumplida, 670 m, Matagalpa .

Selected external and cranial measurements of two males, followed by the average of six females are: length of forearm, 31.1, 30.8, 30.8 mm; greatest length of skull, 18.9, 18.9, 18.5 mm; zygomatic breadth, 11.0, 11.0, 10.6 mm; mastoid breadth, 9.5, 9.2, 9.2 mm; length of maxillary toothrow, 6.1, 5.9, 5.9 mm.

Chiroderma villosum jesupi J. A. Allen, 1900

This species has been reported in Middle America from as far north as southern M?xico. It evidently is uncommon in Costa Rica and Panam? . Our material, all collected from mist nets and consisting of 16 specimens from the northwestern department of Chinandega and one from Isla de Ometepe in Lago de Nicaragua, constitutes the first report of this bat from Nicaragua.

Four of five females taken in early March were pregnant; embryos averaged 26.0 mm in crown-rump length. Four females taken in July carried embryos 14, 20, 23, and 25 mm in length. Testes of five adult males captured in March and April had an average length of 4.4 mm, whereas those of two taken in July were 3 mm in length.

Artibeus toltecus hesperus Davis, 1969

Six of our specimens are females and each carried an embryo . Three adult males had testes 5, 6, and 7 mm in length. External measurements of our series are: total length, 55.9 mm; length of hind foot, 10.7 mm; length of ear, 14.8 mm; weight of four males, 9.9 gms; weight of six pregnant females, 14.9 gms.

Table Legend:

Col. A: Number of specimens averaged and sex Col. B: Length of forearm Col. C: Greatest length of skull Col. D: Zygomatic breath Col. E: Mastoid breadth Col. F: Length of maxillary toothrow

Average 6 40.3 20.3 12.1 10.7 6.6 Minimum 38.8 19.8 11.8 10.5 6.5 Maximum 41.5 20.5 12.5 10.9 6.8

Artibeus toltecus toltecus

This bat has been reported from Nicaragua previously by Andersen and Davis , based on a total of four specimens. We netted this species at Santa Mar?a de Ostuma in patches of cloud forest at a cafetal. The specimen from near Esquipulas was taken in a net placed across a trail in second growth forest. Two females collected on 11 April and one taken on 30 June were pregnant . Testes of a male netted on 14 March were 7 mm in length, whereas those of two obtained on 11 April measured 4 and 7 mm. Selected measurements of our six specimens are given in Table 2.

Artibeus watsoni Thomas, 1901

A female from Bonanza carried an embryo 14 mm in crown-rump length, whereas one from El Recreo was not reproductively active; one of two females netted near Villa Somoza in early August was pregnant . Seven adult males collected in late February and early March had an average testicular length of 5.9 mm; testes of two adults taken in late June and one captured in early August all measured 5 mm. The testes of young males were 2 or 3 mm in length.

Centurio senex senex Gray, 1842

Paradiso reviewed geographic variation in this unique bat, the type locality of which was restricted to Realejo, Chinandega, Nicaragua, by Goodwin . Because additional material had not been reported from Nicaragua, Paradiso felt it was "premature to restrict the type locality to a specific area in that country" , and preferred the more general designation "west coast of Mexico or Central America." In view of the fact that we now have specimens from but a few miles distant from Realejo , we see no reason to contest Goodwin's restriction of the type locality to that place.

Specimens from San Antonio were collected along a small stream, bordered by a bilevel gallery forest, in an area otherwise planted mostly to cane. Many trees of the lower level were covered by an extremely thick network of vines, which were interwoven with branches and supported fallen leaves and debris from the upper level. This situation led to formation of small "rooms" or "cubicles" under some shorter trees; the bats were shot as they hung from small branches under one such tree, which was in fruit. All of our other specimens were captured in mist nets.

Pregnant females were taken on the following dates : 25 February , 2 March , 15 March ; a nonpregnant female also was taken on 15 March. Five males captured at San Antonio on 9 and 10 March had an average testicular length of 5.6 mm. A male taken in July had testes 4 mm in length, whereas those of one obtained on 14 March were 5 mm long.

Selected measurements of 11 adults are as follows: length of forearm, 42.5 mm; condylobasal length , 14.8 mm; zygomatic breadth, 14.8 mm; interorbital breadth, 5.0 mm; breadth across upper molars, 10.6 mm; length of maxillary toothrow, 5.0 mm. These measurements generally agree with those given by Paradiso for 20 individuals from Panam?. Females in our series average slightly larger than do males in external and cranial measurements. Six males weighed an average of 22.9 gms; one nonpregnant female weighed 17.1 gms.

Diphylla ecaudata Spix, 1823

Specimens from Los Cocos 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 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 from near Condega was captured on 23 June in a daytime roost in a small, cave-like crevice , and one from northeast of Esquipulas was netted on 14 March along a forest trail .

Natalus stramineus saturatus Dalquest and Hall, 1949

This funnel-eared species occupies an extensive geographic range 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 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 .

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

Myotis elegans Hall, 1962

External and cranial measurements of our specimen, followed in parentheses by those of the female holotype from Veracruz, are: total length, 71 mm; length of tail, 32 mm; length of hind foot, 7 mm; length of ear, 11 mm; length of forearm, 32.9 mm; greatest length of skull, 12.5 mm; condylobasal length, 11.6 mm; zygomatic breadth, 8.2 mm; breadth of braincase, 5.8 mm; postorbital breadth, 3.2 mm; length of maxillary toothrow, 4.7 mm. Our female weighed 3.2 gms.

Myotis nigricans nigricans

Myotis simus riparius Handley, 1960

Eptesicus furinalis gaumeri

Davis reported two specimens of this species from Nicaragua, one from Carazo and the other from 1 mi SE Yalag?ina, 2600 ft, Madriz. The only other specimen on record from Nicaragua is from Greytown . Except for two individuals that were shot as they foraged in early evening, our specimens were captured in mist nets stretched over water or as described below.

A female pregnant with two embryos was captured on 22 April, whereas one taken on 5 July was lactating. Adult males taken in March and April had testes 5, 7, 9, and 10 mm long, respectively.

Rhogeessa tumida tumida H. Allen, 1866

This small vespertilionid occurs throughout much of Central America, but the available material still is insufficient to permit an accurate assessment of geographic variation in that region. All but one of our specimens were trapped in mist nets. Those captured near Diriamba were taken in a net stretched across a trail bordered by high cut-banks, whereas those from other localities were netted over small streams. The one bat from Bellavista was shot as it foraged in the evening along trees bordering the hacienda yard.

Two females taken on 5 March each had swollen uteri and may have been in an early stage of pregnancy. Others taken on 13 July, 9 August, and 15 August were reproductively inactive. Males had testes that measured 2.5 , 3 , and 2 mm.

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