Skeletal and dental variation within and between Mystacina species in southern New Zealand

Abstract

Dental and skeletal measurements of the lesser short‐tailed bat Mystacina tuberculata from Codfish Island were compared with those from the greater short‐tailed bat M. robusta from the southwest Muttonbird (Titi) Islands off Stewart Island. All M. robusta were larger than any M. tuberculata and differed in shape of teeth, as measured by lengths and widths, and also had relatively smaller wing elements given other size differences. The population of M. tuberculata on Codfish Island comprises significantly larger individuals, as indicated by maxillary teeth measurements, than the late Holocene population of M. tuberculata in northern South Island. Such a latitudinal trend is the opposite of that known for M. robusta. The differences in adjacent populations and the different morphological response of the two taxa with latitude strongly support the distinction of M. robusta and M. tuberculata at a species level. These data suggest that skeletal data have more discriminatory power than external measurement data for assessing interpopulation or intertaxon variation in short‐tailed bats. © The Royal Society of New Zealand 2004.