Noteworthy Records Of Bats From Nicaragua, With A Checklist Of The Chiropteran Part 2

An adult male (testes 6 mm) yellow-shouldered bat from Daraili, 5 km N and 14 km E Condega, 940 m, in Madriz, provides the only specimen thus far reported from Nicaragua. _Sturnira ludovici_ evidently is relatively rare in Nicaragua and may be confined to the highlands in the north, whereas the smaller _S. lilium_ is abundant throughout the country and is the only other species of _Sturnira_ represented in our collections.

We provisionally refer our specimen to _S. l. ludovici_ pending Luis de la Torre's forthcoming review of the genus. Selected measurements are: total length, 77 mm; length of hind foot, 15 mm; length of ear, 19 mm; length of forearm, 44.8 mm; weight, 26.8 gms; greatest length of skull, 24.2 mm; zygomatic breadth, 14.2 mm; pos...o...b..tal breadth, 6.3 mm; breadth of braincase, 10.5 mm; length of maxillary toothrow, 6.8 mm.

Uroderma magnirostrum Davis, 1968

In the original description of _U. magnirostrum_, Davis (1968:680) reported one specimen from Nicaragua--a female in our collection from 3 km N and 4 km W Sapoa, 40 m, Rivas. We have two additional specimens, both from the relatively dry northwestern Departamento de Chinandega.

On 8 July 1966, a male (testes 2 mm) was netted under trees along a small stream at San Antonio, 35 m, and a female (one embryo 28 mm in crown-rump length) was netted on 4 March 1968 over a warm spring at a place 4.5 km N Cosiguina, 15 m. Judging from published records, this species is limited in Middle America to the Pacific versant.

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 (pregnant) gms; greatest length of skull, 22.7, 23.4, 23.8 mm; zygomatic breadth, 12.4, 12.9, 13.1 mm; pos...o...b..tal 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 h.e.l.leri Peters, 1866

_Specimens._--_Boaco_: Santa Rosa, 17 km N, 15 km E Boaco, 300 m, 3. _Carazo_: 3 km N, 4 km W Diriamba, 600 m, 2. _Chinandega_: Potosi, 5 m, 1; 6.5 km N, 1 km E Cosiguina, 10 m, 1; 4.5 km N Cosiguina, 15 m, 3; Hda. Bellavista, 720 m, Volcan Casita, 13.

_Chontales_: 1 km N, 2.5 km W Villa Somoza, 330 m, 4. _Granada_: Finca Santa Cecilia, 6.5 km SE Guanacaste, 660 m, 4. _Matagalpa_: Finca Tepeyac, 10.5 km N, 9 km E Matagalpa, 960 m, 1. _Nueva Segovia_: 4.5 km N, 2 km E Jalapa, 680 m, 2; 1.5 km N, 1 km E Jalapa, 660 m, 2. _Rivas_: 2 km N, 3 km E Merida, 200 m, Isla de Ometepe, 4; 4 km N, 4 km W Sapoa, 40 m, 1. _Zelaya_: S side Rio Mico, El Recreo, 25 m, 3.

Only two specimens of this small white-lined species have been reported previously from Nicaragua--one from 1 km NW La Gatiada, 1300 ft, Chontales (Davis _et al._, 1964:383), and the other from 3 mi NNW Diriamba, Carazo (Jones, 1964a:507). This bat was relatively rare in collections until the last decade or so. Handley (1966b:766) reported _V. h.e.l.leri_ as abundant in the lowland areas of Panama, and we found the same to be true in Nicaragua. We suspect that future investigations in Middle America will reveal this species to be a common member of lowland tropical communities. It is known as far north as southern Veracruz (Carter _et al._, 1966:494).

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 Cosiguina Peninsula in northwestern Nicaragua and the humid tropical forest (secondary growth) 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

_Specimens._--_Boaco_: Santa Rosa, 17 km N, 15 km E Boaco, 300 m, 8. _Chontales_: 1 km N, 2.5 km W Villa Somoza, 330 m, 2. _Zelaya_: S side Rio Mico, 25 m, 6.

This large white-lined stenodermine was known previously from Nicaragua by a single specimen from an unknown locality (J. A. Allen, 1910:112).

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 (4 and 27 mm in crown-rump length, respectively); one of two other adult females captured there on 9 August also had an embryo (35 mm in length) but the other evidently was reproductively quiescent. Testes of adult males varied in length from 3 to 10 mm on the following dates (testicular lengths in parentheses): 25 February (10 mm); 21 March (8, 8 mm); 17 June (3, 4 mm); 13 July (6 mm); 27-28 July (4, 4 mm); 3 August (4 mm); 5 August (3 mm); 9 August (4 mm).

We follow Starrett and Casebeer (1968:12) in the use of the specific name _major_, rather than _caraccioli_ as suggested by Cabrera (1958), Goodwin and Greenhall (1961), and Handley (1966b).

Vampyressa nymphaea Thomas, 1909

A pregnant female (crown-rump length of embryo 5 mm) was captured in a mist net set in a small banana grove on the south side of the Rio 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 (Gardner _et al._, 1970:721); it was characterized as uncommon in Panama by Handley (1966b:767). 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

_Specimens._--_Boaco_: Santa Rosa, 17 km N, 15 km E Boaco, 300 m, 5. _Chontales_: 1 km N, 2.5 km W Villa Somoza, 330 m, 1. _Managua_: Hda. San Jose, 2. _Matagalpa_: 2 km N, 6 km E Esquipulas, 960 m, 2.

The only previous record of occurrence for the small yellow-eared bat from Nicaragua is based on an adult female from Hda. La c.u.mplida, 670 m, Matagalpa (Starrett and de la Torre, 1964:60).

Two individuals taken near Esquipulas in mid-March, a pregnant female (crown-rump length of embryo 16 mm) and a male (testes 4 mm), were captured in nets set across trails cut through secondary forest. The wind was quite strong in this area at the time of our visit and only a few other species of bats--_Glossophaga soricina_, _Artibeus jamaicensis_, _A. toltecus_, _A. phaeotis_, _Uroderma bilobatum_, _Sturnira lilium_, _Centurio senex_, and _Diphylla ecaudata_--were taken in the same nets. The specimens from Boaco and Chontales were captured over small streams bordered by gallery forest. Four females collected at Santa Rosa on 21 March were pregnant; each carried a single embryo that measured 5, 18, 21, and 30 mm in crown-rump length; a male taken on the same date had testes that measured 3 mm.

Selected external and cranial measurements of two males, followed by the average (extremes in parentheses) of six females are: length of forearm, 31.1, 30.8, 30.8 (30.0-31.4) mm; greatest length of skull, 18.9, 18.9, 18.5 (18.1-18.8) mm; zygomatic breadth, 11.0, 11.0, 10.6 (10.4-10.9) mm; mastoid breadth, 9.5, 9.2, 9.2 (9.0-9.3) mm; length of maxillary toothrow, 6.1, 5.9, 5.9 (5.7-6.1) mm.

Chiroderma villosum jesupi J. A. Allen, 1900

_Specimens._--_Chinandega_: 6.5 km N, 1 km E Cosiguina, 10 m, 2; 4.5 km N Cosiguina, 15 m, 7; Hda. Bellavista, 720 m, Volcan Casita, 5; San Antonio, 35 m, 2. _Rivas_: 2 km N, 3 km E Merida, 200 m, Isla de Ometepe, 1.

This species has been reported in Middle America from as far north as southern Mexico. It evidently is uncommon in Costa Rica (see Gardner _et al._, 1970:722) and Panama (Handley, 1966b:767). 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, const.i.tutes the first report of this bat from Nicaragua.

Four of five females taken in early March were pregnant; embryos averaged 26.0 (25-29) 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 (3-7) mm, whereas those of two taken in July were 3 mm in length.

Artibeus toltecus hesperus Davis, 1969

When Davis (1969) named _A. t. hesperus_, he a.s.signed specimens only from as far south as El Salvador to the new subspecies, referring the three Nicaraguan examples of the species at his disposal to the nominal race. On the night of 6-7 April 1968, one of us (Smith) netted bats on the south part of Isla de Ometepe at a place 2 km N and 3 km E Merida, 200 meters in elevation. One net was set across, and another parallel to, a small, boulder-strewn stream; the surrounding area was planted to coffee and had a good canopy of tall deciduous trees. Among the bats captured at this location were 10 _A. toltecus_ that are referable to the subspecies _hesperus_, judging by their small size (Table 2).

Six of our specimens are females and each carried an embryo (range in crown-rump length 20-28 mm). Three adult males had testes 5, 6, and 7 mm in length. External measurements (extremes in parentheses) of our series are: total length, 55.9 (51-60) mm; length of hind foot, 10.7 (10-12) mm; length of ear, 14.8 (14-16) mm; weight of four males, 9.9 (8.8-11.5) gms; weight of six pregnant females, 14.9 (12.7-16.9) gms.

TABLE 2.--Selected measurements of two subspecies of _Artibeus toltecus_ from Nicaragua.

Table Legend:

Col. A: Number of specimens averaged and s.e.x 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

============================================================ A B C D E F ------------------------------------------------------------ _Artibeus toltecus toltecus_, Departamento de Matagalpa

Average 6 40.3 20.3 12.1 10.7 6.6 (3[Male], 3[Female]) Minimum 38.8 19.8 11.8 10.5 6.5 Maximum 41.5 20.5 12.5 10.9 6.8

_Artibeus toltecus hesperus_, Isla de Ometepe, Rivas

Average 10 38.0 19.4 11.5 10.2 6.3 (4[Male], 6[Female]) Minimum 37.0 18.8 11.2 9.8 6.1 Maximum 39.7 19.8 11.8 10.5 6.5 ------------------------------------------------------------

Artibeus toltecus toltecus (Saussure, 1860)

_Specimens._--_Matagalpa_: Santa Maria de Ostuma, 1250 m, 5; 2 km N, 6 km E Esquipulas, 960 m, 1.

This bat has been reported from Nicaragua previously by Andersen (1908:300) and Davis (1969:28), based on a total of four specimens. We netted this species at Santa Maria 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 (embryos 21, 26, and 12 mm, respectively, in crown-rump length). 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

_Specimens._--_Chontales_: 1 km N, 1.5 km W Villa Somoza, 330 m, 3.

_Nueva Segovia_: 7 km N, 4 km E Jalapa, 600 m, 1. _Zelaya_: Bonanza, 850 ft, 6; S side Rio Mico, El Recreo, 25 m, 6; Cara de Mono, 50 m, 1.

Davis (1970a:393-394) recently reviewed the systematic status of this small fruit-eating bat and recorded specimens from southeastern Nicaragua; the species was first reported from the country by Andersen (1908:290), based on a specimen from the Escondido River. Our additional material reveals that _A. watsoni_ occurs throughout eastern Nicaragua, the specimen from Nueva Segovia extending the known range as mapped by Davis (_loc. cit._).

A female from Bonanza (23 February) carried an embryo 14 mm in crown-rump length, whereas one from El Recreo (26 February) was not reproductively active; one of two females netted near Villa Somoza in early August was pregnant (embryo 21 mm in crown-rump length). Seven adult males collected in late February and early March had an average testicular length of 5.9 (5-7) mm; testes of two adults taken in late June and one captured in early August all measured 5 mm. The testes of young males (grayish pelage, partially unfused phalangeal epiphyses) were 2 or 3 mm in length.

Centurio senex senex Gray, 1842