University of Kansas Publications

Museum of Natural History






Volume 14, No. 1, pp. 1-8

October 24, 1960

Neotropical Bats from Western México

BY


SYDNEY ANDERSON

University of Kansas

Lawrence

1960

University of Kansas Publications, Museum of Natural History



Editors: E. Raymond Hall, Chairman, Henry S. Fitch,

Robert W. Wilson





Volume 14, No. 1, pp. 1-8

Published October 24, 1960





University of Kansas

Lawrence, Kansas





PRINTED IN

THE STATE PRINTING PLANT

TOPEKA, KANSAS

1960



28-4805

[Pg 3]

Neotropical Bats from Western México

BY



SYDNEY ANDERSON

Tropical fruit-eating bats of the genus Artibeus reach their northern
limits on the lowlands of the eastern and western coasts of
México. Recent students have placed the species of Mexican
Artibeus in two groups; one includes bats of small size and one
includes bats of large size (Dalquest, 1953:61; Lukens and Davis,
1957:6; and Davis, 1958:163). Three of the small species (A.
cinereus phaeotis, A. aztecus, and A. turpis nanus) and three of the
large species (A. hirsutus, A. jamaicensis jamaicensis, and A. lituratus
palmarum) have been reported as far north as Jalisco along the
west coast. A. cinereus phaeotis and A. turpis nanus are known
from as far north as southern Sinaloa, and A. hirsutus is known from
as far north as southern Sonora (Hall and Kelson, 1959:140, 141).
Additional specimens of A. hirsutus from Sonora, Sinaloa, and
Chihuahua, and specimens of A. lituratus and A. jamaicensis from
Sinaloa that extend the known ranges of these two species northward
are reported here; data on variation, distribution, and reproduction
concerning these three species are included. Also,
specimens of Sturnira lilium and of the genus Chiroderma from
Chihuahua that extend their known ranges northwestward are
reported.

Artibeus lituratus palmarum J. A. Allen and Chapman.—Specimens
from Eldorado (24°19', 107°20'), Sinaloa, extend the known
range of the species approximately 265 miles northwestward from
Huajimic (21°37', 104°21'), Nayarit. Skins and skulls of 11 specimens
(75211-75221, 7 males and 4 females) taken on November 13,
1957, 1 mi. S Eldorado, were prepared by William L. Cutter.
Skeletons of 12 specimens (75222-75233, 3 males and 9 females)
from Eldorado were obtained by Cutter on the same day. None
of the 13 females was pregnant. One specimen (75211, female)
is immature; it has open phalangeal ephiphyseal sutures (as do
four other larger individuals); this specimen measured 83 mm. in
total length, weighed 45 grams, and has a skull 26.6 mm. in greatest[Pg 4]
length, 22.4 mm. in condylocanine length, 13.4 mm. in lambdoidal
breadth, and has unusually small second (last) upper molar teeth,
each having about one half the occlusal area of the M2 of the
average adult in the series. None of the 23 specimens has a third
upper molar. All except one have both third lower molars; one
(75233) lacks the third lower molar on both sides of the jaw.
Facial stripes vary from conspicuous to inconspicuous, but are evident
in each of the 11 skins. The two skins having the darkest
pelage are both of males and are the only two skins having open
epiphyseal sutures. Five adult males and three adult females are
represented by skins. Three of the male skins are slightly darker
and less reddish than those of the three females, and the contrast
between paler neck and shoulders and other parts is slightly less
marked. The other two males are paler and more rufous than the
three females; the palest and most rufous of these two males is an
old individual having well-worn teeth. Dichromatism is not correlated
with age or with sex in this series, which, therefore, differs
from specimens reported by Lukens and Davis (1957:9) who
observed that dichromatism was correlated with sex. In size, as
shown in measurements below, in darkness of ventral pelage, and
in cranial features the specimens from Sinaloa agree with those
from Guerrero, and differ from specimens of Artibeus jamaicensis,
in the ways described by Lukens and Davis (loc. cit.).

Artibeus jamaicensis jamaicensis Leach.—A female (61088) obtained
on June 18, 1954, by Albert A. Alcorn, from 32 mi. SSE
Culiacan (24°26', 107°07'), Sinaloa, extends the known range of the
species approximately 415 miles northwestward from 2 mi. N. Ciudad
Guzmán (19°43', 103°28'), Jalisco. Two other females (61089-61090)
from central Sinaloa, collected on June 19, 1954, by A. A.
Alcorn, are from 1/2 mi. E Piaxtla (23°51', 106°38'). Each of the
three specimens contained a single embryo. The embryos (in the
order the specimens are listed above) measured 28, 26, and 25 millimeters.
The Sinaloan specimens are both paler and browner than
specimens from Jalisco and from eastern México, and the facial
stripes are more distinct, being as distinct in one specimen (61088)
as in any of the Artibeus lituratus reported here. Four additional
specimens from Jalisco are: 34232-34235, 3 males and 1 nonpregnant[Pg 5]
female taken by J. R. Alcorn at Hacienda San Martín
(20°18', 103°30'), 18 mi. W Chapala, 5000 feet, on July 12, 1949.
Each specimen of A. jamaicensis listed above lacks epiphyseal sutures
and both an upper and a lower third molar on each side. In
size, coloration of ventral pelage, and configuration of skull, the
specimens agree with the description of specimens from Guerrero
and differ from other species as reported by Lukens and Davis
(1957:7, 9).

Artibeus hirsutus Andersen.—One specimen (25053, in preservative)
of a series from 1/4 mi. W Aduana (27°02', 109°03'), 1600 feet,
Sonora, was cited by Hall and Kelson (1959:136) and reproductive
data from two skins (24841-24842) were mentioned earlier by
Cockrum (1955:490). In addition to these three specimens the
series includes 20 specimens in preservative (25052, 25054-25072).
All were collected on May 16, 1948, by J. R. Alcorn. Number
25070, on deposit in the Institute of Biology in Mexico City, and two
others (25053-25054) are not on hand as I write this, and have not
been examined by me. Artibeus hirsutus has recently been found
in northern Sinaloa and in southwestern Chihuahua. Three males
(75208-75210) from El Fuerte (26°24', 108°41'), Sinaloa, were obtained
on December 10, 1957, by William L. Cutter. Four specimens
(79441-79444, 2 males and 2 females) were captured in mist
nets on the north bank of the Río Septentrión, 1-1/2 mi. SW Tocuina
(27°07', 108°22'), 1500 feet, Chihuahua, on July 18, 20, and 21,
1958, by Kenneth E. Shain and me. I captured another (79445, a
male) in a hand net in an abandoned, horizontal mine shaft on the
north side of the Río Batopilas, at about 3500 feet elevation, across
the canyon from the village of La Bufa (27°09', 107°33'), Chihuahua,
on July 10, 1958. Eight specimens (12406-12413) in the Museum
of Natural History at the University of Illinois were collected on
July 22 and 23, 1956, in Santo Domingo Mine (26°55', 109°05'), 7
mi. SW Alamos, Sonora, by W. Z. Lidicker, W. H. Davis, and J. R.
Winkelman. Eight specimens (9981-9988) in the Los Angeles
County Museum were collected on July 26, 1953, by Kenneth E.
Stager, 5 mi. W Alamos in an old mine tunnel at Aduana. One
(36581) of six specimens (36581-36586, 4 males and 2 pregnant
females) from 2 mi. ENE Tala (20°39', 103°40'), 4500 feet, Jalisco,[Pg 6]
was reported by Hall and Kelson (1959:136); the locality being
erroneously cited as 8 mi. ENE Tala. These six specimens were
collected by J. R. Alcorn on February 28, 1950.

The 59 specimens from Guerrero are distributed by localities as
follows: 8 mi. N, 1 mi. W Teloloapan (Teloloapan is at 18°18',
99°54'), 3600 feet, 15 specimens (66432-66446, all males, including
one skeleton and two in preservative) obtained by Robert W.
Dickerman on February 7, 1955; Alpixafia, 4 kms. NW Teloloapan,
1540 M., 16 specimens (35219-35234, 5 males and 11 females) obtained
by Bernardo Villa R. on May 22 and 23, 1949; 1 mi. N
Teloloapan, 7 specimens (66447-66453, all males, including one in
preservative) obtained by Dickerman on February 8, 1955; 4 kms.
SE Teloloapan (Cerro Piedras Largas), 1760 M., 15 specimens
(35310-35324, 12 males and 3 females) obtained by Villa R. on
October 20 and 21, 1948; Puente de Dios, 1700 M., Yerbabuena
(= 8 mi. N, 1 mi. W Teloloapan), six specimens (28408-28413, 4
males and 2 females) obtained by Villa R. on July 25 and 29, 1948.
Six of the 16 Guerreran specimens taken in May are young as shown
by the open epiphyseal sutures; all other Guerreran specimens
lacked these sutures. Of 13 adult females from Guerrero, only two,
taken in May, contained embryos (one embryo in each).

The presence or absence of the third molar tooth was recorded
for 88 specimens (28 from Sonora, Sinaloa, and Chihuahua, and 60
from Guerrero and Jalisco). The third molar tooth is present on
both sides of the lower jaw in all specimens except one (12413
Univ. Illinois) from Sonora which lacks both upper and lower
third molars. The upper third molar is usually present on both
sides. The exceptions are as follows: the above mentioned Sonoran
specimen and one other Sonoran specimen, one specimen from
La Bufa, Chihuahua, two from Jalisco, and five from Guerrero
lack the tooth on both sides; two specimens from Guerrero and
one from Sonora lack the tooth on only one side. Facial stripes
are absent or present but inconspicuous in all specimens recorded
here. The generally grayish hue, hairiness of interfemoral membrane,
and configuration of skull described by Lukens and Davis
(1957:7) for A. hirsutus are evident in all the specimens reported
here. Skins of three adults from Sonora and Chihuahua are slightly[Pg 7]
browner and somewhat paler than skins of adults from Jalisco and
Guerrero.

Reproductive data from Sonora and Chihuahua are as follows:
of the five Chihuahuan specimens, two are immature (open epiphyseal
sutures); the one adult female (79443) contained a single
embryo 28 mm. in crown-rump length. Eight of 20 Sonoran specimens
taken in May are females, each of which lacks epiphyseal
sutures, and each contained one embryo. One embryo measured
8 mm. in length of uterine enlargement; all others are longer than
20 mm. from crown to rump, but vary in stage of development,
some having no pigmentation in the membranes and others having
pigmentation. The forearm is only 42 mm. long in one young
male from Sonora. Three of 8 Sonoran specimens taken in July
had open epiphyseal sutures but were of adult size. In summary
of the reproductive data by states, Artibeus hirsutus is known to
bear embryos in the following months: May in Sonora, July in
Chihuahua, February in Jalisco, and May in Guerrero. These data,
along with the presence of embryos and young of various ages
among specimens taken at the same place and time, indicate that
the species does not have a restricted breeding season.

A geographic overlap of the ranges of A. hirsutus and A. jamaicensis
from Guerrero to central Sinaloa is now known. But the two
species have not been taken at the same place within this region
of overlap.

Other species.—At the locality on the Río Septentrión, 1500 feet,
1-1/2 mi. SW Tocuina, Chihuahua, from which specimens of A. hirsutus
were obtained as mentioned previously, several other species of
tropical bats were captured, including Desmodus rotundus murinus
Wagner, Glossophaga soricina leachii (Gray), Chilonycteris parnellii
mexicana Miller, Sturnira lilium parvidens Goldman, and
Chiroderma (specimens not yet certainly identified to species).
The canyon of the Río Septentrión is steep and rocky, the tropical
vegetation occurs only in the bottom of the canyon, and unless construction
of a railroad had been in progress the area could have
been reached only after several days by means of a pack train.
From a distributional standpoint the occurrence of Sturnira and
Chiroderma 1-1/2 mi. SW of Tocuina is of unusual interest.

The published record of Sturnira lilium nearest to Tocuina is
from 2 mi. N Ciudad Guzmán (19°43', 103°28'), Jalisco, and the
nearest published record of the genus Chiroderma is of Chiroderma
isthmicum from Presidio (18°37', 96°47'), Veracruz (Hall and Kelson,
1959:126, 134). The Chihuahuan specimens extend the known[Pg 8]
range of Sturnira lilium approximately 585 miles northwestward
and that of the genus Chiroderma approximately 920 miles northwestward
from the localities noted above. Five specimens (79434-79438)
of Sturnira lilium, two adults and three immature individuals,
were taken from July 18 to July 22, 1958, by the author and
Kenneth E. Shain, as also were the two (79439-79440) Chiroderma.

To the list given by Koopman and Martin (1959:9) of neotropical
genera known to range farther north on the west coast of North
America than on the east coast there can now be added Artibeus,
Sturnira and Chiroderma (as noted above), Anoura, Choeronycteris
and Leptonycteris (Hall and Kelson, 1959:119, 120, 122; Hoffmeister,
1959:18), and Liomys (Hall and Kelson, 1959:536).

In view of these additional genera, and others that almost certainly
remain to be discovered farther north on the west coast,
the suggestion by Koopman and Martin (1959:11) that species
inhabiting humid tropical habitats, in general extend farther north
on the east coast of Mexico than on the west coast may need to be reconsidered.
On the west coast, areas of more humid tropical vegetation
and climate are more distant from the coastline as one proceeds
northwestward from Nayarit to Sonora. The broad band
of humid tropical vegetation along the coast is progressively reduced
in width, and crowded back against the mountains, and
still farther north consists of only small scattered remnants that are
difficult to visit, in the bottoms of deep canyons.

LITERATURE CITED

Cockrum, E. L.

1955. Reproduction in North American Bats. Trans. Kansas Acad. Sci.,
58:487-511.

Dalquest, W. W.

1953. Mexican bats of the genus Artibeus. Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington,
66:61-66.

Davis, W. B.

1958. Review of Mexican bats of the Artibeus "cinereus" complex.
Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, 71:163-166, 1 fig. in text.

Hall, E. R., and Kelson, K. R.

1959. The mammals of North America. The Ronald Press, N. Y., Vol.
I, xxx + 1-546 + 1-79 pp., 312 figs. and 320 maps in text, unnumbered
figures in text.

Hoffmeister, D. F.

1959. Distributional records of certain mammals from southern Arizona.
Southwest. Nat., 4:14-19, 1 fig. in text.

Koopman, K. F., and Martin, P. S.

1959. Subfossil mammals from the Gómez Farías region and the tropical
gradient of eastern Mexico. Jour. Mamm., 40:1-12, 1 fig. and 2
tables in text.

Lukens, P. W., Jr., and Davis, W. B.

1957. Bats of the Mexican state of Guerrero. Jour. Mamm., 38:1-14.

Transmitted August 18, 1960.

Transcriber's Notes

Both variations, Mexico (3 times) and México (4 times) are used.