Dental anomaly in the yellow-shouldered bat, Sturnira lilium

Abstract

Abnormal dental formulas occur frequently in natural populations. Numerous cases of dental anomalies have been reported for many groups of mammals, and bats are the group with most dental anomalies among mammals. Here we describe the occurrence of a diastema in the position of the upper incisors in an individual of Sturnira lilium collected in southern Brazil. This is the first record of a diastema for the species. The dental anomaly reported here may be an isolated case present in this one individual, and without a permanent presence in the population since no other specimens with this type of anomaly were found in the region.