A new subspecies of Uroderma bilobatum (Chiroptera: Phyllostomatidae) from Middle America

Abstract

Karyotypic studies of the tent-making bat, Uroderma bilobatum Peters, have revealed that populations from southern Mexico to El Salvador in the Pacific versant of Middle America represent an un¬ described subspecies, for which we propose the name: Uroderma bilobatum davisi, new subspecies Holotype.—Adult female, skin and skull, no. 1 2644, The Museum, Texas Tech University, from 3 mi. NW La Herradura, La Paz, El Salvador, elevation about 20 meters; taken on 1 1 July 1971 by R. J. Baker and party, original number 455 of William J. Bleier. Description.—A small subspecies (see Table 1) of Uroderma bilo¬ batum; fundamental number (number of arms of the autosomal com¬ plement) 48; diploid number, 44 or 43. Comparisons.—The primary distinguishing characteristics of U. b. davisi are karyotypic, the fundamental and diploid numbers being 48 and 44 or 43 (Fig. 1) as opposed to 44 and 38 in convexum and molaris (karyotype illustrated by Baker and Lopez, 1970). Morphologically, the karyotype of U. b. davisi is distinguished from those of LI. b. molaris Davis, 1968, and U. b. convexum Lyon, 1902, by two large pairs of biarmed autosomes the size of the X chromosome {molaris and convexum have four such pairs) and a pair of biarmed autosomes smaller than the Y element (molaris and convexum have no small biarmed autosomes). Uroderma bilobatum davisi averages smaller both externally and cranially than either convexum or molaris (Table 1), but the