Browsing by Author "Simmons, Nancy B."
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Item Bats (Chiroptera) from Olduvai Gorge, early Pleistocene, Bed I (Tanzania). (American Museum novitates, no. 3846)(American Museum of Natural History., 2015-12-16) Gunnell, Gregg F.; Butler, P. M., 1912-2015.; Greenwood, Marjorie.; Simmons, Nancy B.Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania is most famous for producing some of the first discoveries of fossil hominins in East Africa. Zinjanthropus (= Paranthropus) boisei was initially discovered in 1959 from Olduvai Bed I. During screen-washing operations to search for more hominin material at Olduvai, an associated faunal assemblage was accumulated including 40 numbered specimens of fossil bats. Except for seven dental specimens, this collection consists entirely of postcrania, almost exclusively complete or fragmentary humeri representing both proximal and distal ends. Although briefly discussed in preliminary reports, these specimens have remained undescribed for over 50 years and have never been comprehensively compared to extant species. Our analyses indicate that the Olduvai bat fossils represent five families and nine genera, and include four new species: Myzopoda africana, n. sp., Cardioderma leakeyi, n. sp., Scotoecus olduvensis, n. sp., and Nycticeinops serengetiensis, n. sp. The Olduvai bat fossils come from the FLK North 1 and FLK NN1 levels, both of early Pleistocene age, and ranging between 1.80 and 1.85 Ma based on ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating techniques, respectively. Compared to the meager Pleistocene bat record from elsewhere on mainland Africa, the Olduvai bat assemblage, although richer, is similar in the predominance of vespertilionids. The East African Olduvai bat fauna differs from Pleistocene faunas from South Africa in including both Myzopoda and Cardioderma but lacking both hipposiderids and rhinolophids. These taxonomic differences are likely the result of differential sampling due to variation in roosting site preferences (cave-dwelling vs. non-cave-dwelling taxa) and foraging habitats (open vs. forested) in East and South Africa.Item The case for chiropteran monophyly. American Museum novitates ; no. 3103(New York, N.Y. : American Museum of Natural History, 1994) Simmons, Nancy B.Item The chiropteran premaxilla : a reanalysis of morphological variation and its phylogenetic interpretation ; American Museum novitates, no. 3585(New York, NY : American Museum of Natural History, 2007) Giannini, Norberto P.; Simmons, Nancy B.The mammalian premaxilla, which bears the incisor teeth, is composed of a body and two processes (nasal and palatine) that articulate with other rostral bones via four cranial sutures. In bats, the premaxilla is modified in many ways, and this variation has been extensively used in bat systematics. The premaxilla has provided characters to diagnose a number of important taxonomic groupings--most notably, the division of Microchiroptera into the infraorders Yinochiroptera and Yangochiroptera. Recent molecular studies have challenged the monophyly of Microchiroptera, and several families have been transferred to clades other than those in which they were placed traditionally. Because premaxillary characters have figured prominently among those used to establish the traditional classification of bats, we compared the anatomy of the bone across suprageneric bat groups and provide revised descriptions of its variation. On the basis of extensive material examined, we generated 16 new characters, of which at least 12 are partially applicable to all Chiroptera, and several of which are informative within specific bat groups. Three new characters code variation in the basic structure of the chiropteran premaxilla in a new way. As a result, the traditional character defining Yinochiroptera (a "movable premaxilla") was found to lack an anatomical basis; by contrast, Yangochiroptera was still supported. Still, a tree search using just the new premaxillary characters recovered Yinochiroptera as monophyletic. Even with a low character-to-taxon ratio, premaxillary characters recover a number of clades recognized in recent phylogenetic studies of bats. Mapping of characters onto the latest molecular and morphological chiropteran trees required many more extra steps in the former than in the latter. Our interpretation of premaxillary variation in bats suggests two opposing trends in different lineages: one toward weakening and eventual loss of the bone, and the other toward a strengthening via suture fusion. We conclude that, despite some homoplasy, the chiropteran premaxilla is richer in potentially phylogenetically informative characters than previously thought and that it should be explored further in systematic studies of bats at a variety of systematic levels.Item Element homology and the evolution of dental formulae in megachiropteran bats (Mammalia, Chiroptera, Pteropodidae) ; American Museum novitates, no. 3559(New York, NY : American Museum of Natural History, 2007) Giannini, Norberto P.; Simmons, Nancy B.Variation in dental formulae observed in megachiropteran bats poses element homology problems. Identity of individual teeth has been controversial, with authors differing in their assessment of individual tooth homology, particularly with respect to incisors and premolars, in several taxa. Also, newly described taxa exhibit dental formulae whose implications for tooth homology have been little discussed. We compared crown morphology, tooth replacement, and dental anomalies in representatives of all megachiropteran genera. Our observations confirm the generalized megachiropteran dental formula (34 teeth represented by I1, I2, C, P1, P3, P4, M1, M2, i1, i2, c, p1, p3, p4, m1, m2, and m3) and establishes the homology of each tooth in most megachiropteran taxa in which reduction in tooth number has taken place. Some of our conclusions confirm presumed homologies postulated by previous authors, but in other cases new homology assignments are proposed. Uncorroborated assignments are reduced to just two taxa, Harpyionycteris and Nyctimeninae, both of which remain problematic with respect to homologies of the incisor dentition. Mapping tooth presence/absence on previously published phylogenetic trees reveals modest levels of ambiguity and homoplasy in patterns of tooth reduction in Pteropodidae, and indicates that reversals involving the reappearance of an ancestrally lost tooth may have taken place. Our results are consistent with dental field theory, which explains both reversals and anomalies as a regulatory variation that does not affect element homology because the latter is supported by structural genes.Item Extraordinary local diversity of disk-winged bats (Thyropteridae, Thyroptera) in northeastern Peru, with the description of a new species and comments on roosting behavior. (American Museum novitates, no. 3795)(American Museum of Natural History., 2014-01-27) Velazco, Paúl M.; Gregorin, Renato.; Voss, Robert S.; Simmons, Nancy B.Species of Thyroptera are insectivorous foliage-roosting bats that inhabit lowland moist forests (including gallery formations in savanna landscapes) from Mexico to southeastern Brazil. Although four species are currently recognized, only one or two species were previously known to occur at most localities. Recent inventory work in northeastern Peru has documented the local cooccurrence of four species of Thyroptera, one of which is here described as new. The new species (T. wynneae), which also occurs in Brazil, can easily be recognized by a combination of diagnostic morphological traits. The latter include small size, tricolored ventral pelage, long and woolly hairs between the shoulders, a uropatagium with the proximal half densely covered by long hairs, wing tips sparsely covered by long hairs, a calcar with two lappets and five tiny skin projections between the foot disk and the proximal lappet, a rostrum considerably shorter than the braincase, third lower incisors that are subequal in height to the first and second lower incisors, and third lower incisors with two well-developed accessory cusps. We illustrate the crania of all five known species of Thyroptera and provide a key based on craniodental and external characters. Unexpectedly high local diversity of these elusive bats poses a challenge for future inventory research and raises interesting questions about ecological-niche partitioning in Neotropical bat communities and the evolutionary history of thyropterids.Item The importance of late Quaternary climate change and karst on distributions of Caribbean mormoopid bats. (American Museum novitates, no. 3847)(American Museum of Natural History., 2015-12-28) Soto-Centeno, J. Angel.; O'Brien, Margaret (Margaret Elizabeth); Simmons, Nancy B.The bat family Mormoopidae includes three species with distributions in the Caribbean. These taxa--Mormoops blainvillei, Pteronotus parnellii, and P. quadridens--roost predominantly in hot cave chambers where temperatures may reach 40° C and humidity is close to 100%. We tested the hypothesis that mormoopid bat extirpations in this region were due to climatic changes and the loss of suitable cave environments due to flooding caused by sea level rise associated with the late Pleistocene to Holocene (ca. 10 ka) climate change transition. Ecological niche models (ENMs) were developed to estimate the current, mid-Holocene, and Last Glacial Maximum distributions of these three bat species and to assess whether suitable climatic habitat for these taxa had been stable across time in the Caribbean. Additionally, we examined the importance of karst formations (where hot caves typically form) as a predictor for the distributions of Caribbean mormoopid bats. Our results show that mormoopid bat distributions in the Caribbean have remained relatively stable over time with climate ENMs indicating up to a 19% expansion in the amount of suitable habitat from late Pleistocene to the present. Presence of karst was a good predictor when used alone or when combined as karst-climate ENMs. Fossil evidence shows that some populations of mormoopids became extirpated as recently as 3.6 ka. These data, taken together with our conclusion that suitable climate habitat for mormoopid bats existed in the Caribbean beyond late Pleistocene to Holocene transition, suggest that these bats may have survived this climate change event by roosting outside their characteristic hot cave environment.Item Mammalian diversity and Matses ethnomammalogy in Amazonian Peru. Part 4, Bats (Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, no. 451)(American Museum of Natural History., 2021-08-27) Velazco, Paúl M.; Voss, Robert S.; Fleck, David W. (David William), 1969-; Simmons, Nancy B.In this report, the fourth of our monographic series on mammalian diversity and Matses ethnomammalogyin the Yavarí-Ucayali interfluvial region of northeastern Peru, we document the occurrence of 98 species of bats, including 11 emballonurids, 2 noctilionids, 66 phyllostomids, 1 furipterid, 4 thyropterids, 7 vespertilionids, and 7 molossids. New species based on specimens collected in this region (Peropteryx pallidoptera, Micronycteris matses, Hsunycteris dashe, Sturnira giannae, and Thyropterawynneae) have already been described elsewhere, but noteworthy distributional and taxonomicresults newly reported here include the first specimen of Diclidurus isabella from Peru and the diagnosis of Glossophaga bakeri as a species distinct from G. commissarisi. Lists of examined voucher specimens, identification criteria, essential taxonomic references, and summaries of natural history observations are provided for all species. Original natural history information reported herein includes numerous observations of roosting behavior obtained by indigenous Matses collaborators. We assess the Yavarí-Ucayali bat inventory for completeness and conclude that more species remain to be discovered in the region, where as many as 116 species might be expected. Most of the “missing” species (those expected based on geographic criteria but not actually observed) are aerial insectivores, a guild that is notoriously difficult to sample by mistnetting. Of the 98 species in the observed regional fauna, only 71 are known to occur sympatrically at Jenaro Herrera, by far the best-sampled locality between the Yavarí and Ucayali rivers. Faunal comparisons with extralimital inventories (e.g., from Brazil, Ecuador, and French Guiana) suggest that frugivorous bats are substantially more speciose in western Amazonia than in eastern Amazonia, a result that is consistent with previous suggestions of an east-to-west gradient in the trophic structure of Amazonian mammal faunas. As previously reported, the Matses have only a single name for “bat,” but they recognize the existence of many unnamed local species, which they distinguish on the basis of morphology and behavior. However, by contrast with the well-documented accuracy of Matses observations about primates and other game species, recorded Matses monologs about bat natural history contain numerous factual errors and ambiguities. Linguistic underdifferentiation of bat diversity and inaccurate natural history knowledge are both explained by cultural inattention to small, inedible, and inoffensive nocturnal fauna.Item The mammals of Paracou, French Guiana, a Neotropical lowland rainforest fauna. Part 1, Bats. Bulletin of the AMNH ; no. 237([New York] : American Museum of Natural History, 1998) Simmons, Nancy B.; Voss, Robert S."This report describes the results of bat inventory fieldwork at Paracou, a lowland rainforest locality in northern French Guiana. Working within a 3-km radius over the course of 168 sampling days from 1991 to 1994, we captured 3126 bats, of which about 78% were taken in ground-level mistnets, 10% in mistnets suspended above ground level, and 12% at roosts. We identified a total of 78 species, including 10 emballonurids, 2 noctilionids, 1 mormoopid, 49 phyllostomids, 1 furipterid, 1 thyropterid, 5 vespertilionids, and 9 molossids. Among our taxonomic results, we describe a new species of Micronycteris (sensu stricto) to honor André Brosset, pioneering monographer of rainforest bat faunas in India, Africa, and South America. In addition, we report the first records of eight other species from French Guiana: Centronycteris maximiliani, Peropteryx kappleri, Saccopteryx gymnura, Micronycteris homezi, Micronycteris schmidtorum, Molossops paranus, Molossus sinaloae, and Promops centralis. Most of these were previously known from Surinam, but the range extensions are significant for Saccopteryx gymnura (ca. 900 km), Micronycteris homezi (2200 km), and M. schmidtorum (1500 km). Altogether, the known bat fauna of French Guiana now consists of 102 species. The following significant taxonomic results are also reported herein. (1) Comparison of Paracou specimens referable to Peropteryx macrotis (Wagner) with the holotype of P. trinitatis Miller supports the conclusions of recent investigators that these taxa are separate species. (2) Morphological variation among specimens of small Choeroniscus from Paracou, together with examination of type material and a critical review of the literature, suggest that C. minor (Peters), C. intermedius (Allen and Chapman), and C. inca Thomas are conspecific; the oldest available name for the species is Peters'. (3) Glyphonycteris Thomas (including Barticonycteris Hill as a synonym), Micronycteris Gray (including Xenoctenes Miller as a synonym), and Trinycteris Sanborn are rediagnosed as distinct genera; Lampronycteris Sanborn and Neonycteris Sanborn, two other erstwhile subgenera of Micronycteris (sensu lato), should also be treated as full genera. (4) Micronycteris homezi Pirlot, based on a lost holotype and previously considered a nomen dubium, is redescribed and rediagnosed as a valid species. (5) Micronycteris megalotis (Gray) and M. microtis Miller are distinct species represented by sympatric collections from Paracou and other material similarly interpreted by recent investigators. (6) Mimon bennettii (Gray) and M. cozumelae Goldman are diagnosable as distinct species by consistent external and craniodental character differences. (7) Ectophylla H. Allen is rediagnosed to include Mesophylla Thomas in recognition of the sister-group relationship between E. alba H. Allen and E. macconnelli (Thomas). (8) The recent hypothesis that Sturnira lilium (E. Geoffroy) and S. luisi Davis are conspecific is rejected as implausible because of trenchant cranial character differences. (9) The Venezuelan and French Guianan specimens recently identified in the literature as Eptesicus andinus J.A. Allen are not conspecific with the holotype of that species; instead, examination of type specimens, other comparative material, and the primary literature suggests that this material is referable to E. chiriquinus Thomas. (10) All currently accepted synonymies for taxa included within Davis's (1966) andinus group of Eptesicus are apparently incorrect; in our view, E. andinus is a senior synonym of E. montosus Thomas and E. chiralensis Anthony, whereas E. chiriquinus is a senior synonym of E. inca Thomas. (11) We review the contents of Cynomops Thomas, currently ranked as a subgenus of Molossops Peters, and tabulate diagnostic characters for the four species we regard as valid: M. abrasus (Temminck), M. greenhalli (Goodwin), M. paranus (Thomas), and M. planirostris (Peters). (12) Molossus barnesi Thomas is a valid species readily distinguishable from both M. molossus (Pallas) and M. coibensis J.A. Allen. Analyses of our sampling results indicate that (1) distinct sets of species are effectively sampled by different capture methods; (2) distinct sets of species inhabit different local habitats; and (3) increased sampling effort with any method generally results in more species, although the rate of accumulation declines with sample size (number of captures). Based on nonparametric statistical extrapolations, we estimate that the Paracou bat fauna probably consists of somewhere between 85 and 95 species; the more conservative richness estimator suggests that our inventory is perhaps about 90% complete. Judging from the known or inferred behaviors of the rare taxa (singletons and doubletons) in our data, most of the local species missing from this inventory are probably aerial insectivores, gleaning insectivores, or nectarivores. In terms of higher taxonomic composition, the bat fauna at Paracou is typical of those found throughout the humid Neotropical lowlands. A quantitative analysis of faunal similarity at the species level among 14 rainforest localities chosen as exemplars clusters the Paracou list with others previously reported from the Guiana subregion of Amazonia, next with lists from elsewhere in Amazonia, and lastly with Central American lists. Not surprisingly, pairwise similarity values show a positive correlation between faunal resemblance and geographic proximity within the Neotropical rainforest biome. Many (47%) of the bat species in the Paracou fauna are essentially pan-Neotropical in distribution and most of these are also known from habitats other than rainforest. The remaining species exhibit more restricted geographic distribution patterns, but true Amazonian endemics constitute only a minor fraction of the Paracou bat fauna. Species richness comparisons among inventory sites are complicated by problems of inconsistent methodology, habitat representation, and sampling effort. For example, the apparently exceptional diversity of emballonurids, phyllostomines, and molossids in the Paracou fauna is plausibly explained by our intensive use of elevated netting and roost surveys, and by prolonged effort, all of which factors act to reduce the well-known capture bias of ground-level mistnets (which consistently undersample these taxa in the short term). However, the low richness of carolliines and stenodermatines at Paracou by comparison with most other Amazonian (especially western Amazonian) localities is apparently real. The only approximately valid statistical comparison of species richness that we can make between sites based on published capture-frequency data suggests an increase of approximately 50% in understory bats from eastern Central America to Amazonia, but the real or artifactual nature of this estimated difference remains to be evaluated. A trophic classification of Paracou bats indicates that aerial insectivores are the most speciose feeding guild in the local fauna, followed by gleaning animalivores, frugivores, and nectarivores; omnivores, sanguivores, and piscivores are minor components. Patterns of differential habitat use among species within some feeding guilds can be inferred from our capture-frequency data, notably for aerial insectivores and frugivores. By contrast, gleaning animalivores appear to be largely restricted to primary forest, a puzzling phenomenon previously reported from other Neotropical rainforest localities. To facilitate future inventory fieldwork we provide (1) detailed descriptions of survey and capture methods, (2) illustrations of most local habitats recognized as distinct, (3) complete breakdowns of capture frequencies by method and habitat for each species, (4) photographs of numerous roosts at which bats were captured, and (5) descriptions and/or illustrations of useful characters for identifying species hitherto frequently confused in the field. Finally, we make recommendations for improving bat inventory efficiency, suggest minimal standards for reporting inventory data, urge the adoption of quantitative methods for intersite diversity comparisons, and comment on the prospects for rapid diversity assessment of rainforest bat faunas"--P. 3-4.Item The mammals of Paracou, French Guiana, a Neotropical lowland rainforest fauna. Part 2, Nonvolant species. Bulletin of the AMNH ; no. 263([New York] : American Museum of Natural History, 2001) Voss, Robert S.; Lunde, Darrin P.; Simmons, Nancy B.This report describes the results of nonvolant mammal inventory fieldwork at Paracou, a lowland rainforest locality in northern French Guiana, and concludes the faunal analysis introduced by our previous monograph on the bats of Paracou (Simmons and Voss, 1998). Working within a 3-km radius over the course of 202 sampling dates from 1991 to 1994, we recorded a total of 64 nonvolant species by conventional trapping, arboreal platform trapping, pitfall trapping, diurnal and nocturnal hunting, and interviews with local residents. Included in this total species count are 12 marsupials, 9 xenarthrans, 6 primates, 10 carnivores, 5 ungulates, and 22 rodents. Systematic research with nonvolant mammal specimens collected as voucher material resulted in the discovery of new taxa, documented range extensions of previously described species, and helped resolve many longstanding taxonomic problems: (1) Gracilinanus emiliae (Thomas), herein reported for the first time from French Guiana, is redescribed and its known geographic distribution documented; based on examination of type material and original descriptions, G. longicaudus Hershkovitz is considered a junior synonym of G. emiliae, but Marmosa agricolai Moojen is not. (2) A new genus is proposed for Gracilinanus kalinowskii Hershkovitz, a taxon previously known only from eastern Peru, in recognition of its trenchant morphological differences from all other known didelphimorph marsupials. (3) Marmosops parvidens (Tate) and M. pinheiroi (Pine), the latter originally described as a subspecies of the former, are distinct species that occur sympatrically at Paracou; based on examination of type material, other taxa hitherto synonymized with M. parvidens are also judged to be valid species, including M. juninensis (Tate) and M. bishopi (Pine). (4) Monodelphis brevicaudata (Erxleben), M. glirina (Wagner), and M. palliolata (Osgood) are all distinct species diagnosable by unique combinations of morphological traits; based on examined specimens, M. brevicaudata (with type locality emended herein as Kartabo, Guyana) appears to be endemic to the Guiana subregion of Amazonia and to include both bicolored and tricolored phenotypes; a neotype from Cayenne, French Guiana, is designated to fix the application of Viverra touan Shaw as the oldest available name for the tricolored form. (5) Saguinus midas (Linnaeus) and S. niger (E. Geoffroy), currently treated as synonyms or conspecific races, are unambiguously diagnosable species that do not appear to be sister taxa; a neotype is designated to conserve current usage of niger E. Geoffroy for the black-handed tamarin of southeastern Amazonia. (6) Two new small species of Neacomys are described from material collected at Paracou; their diagnostic attributes are documented by detailed comparisons with other like-sized congeners from northern South America. (7) Nectomys melanius Thomas is recognized as a species distinct from N. squamipes (Brants) and N. palmipes J.A. Allen and Chapman; however, N. parvipes Petter is not a valid taxon and is herein synonymized with N. melanius. (8) The diagnostic characters of Neusticomys oyapocki (Petter and Dubost), a species previously known only from the holotype, are reevaluated and illustrated from freshly collected material. (9) Oecomys auyantepui Tate and O. paricola (Thomas), previously treated as synonyms, are valid species distinguished by consistent cranial differences and occupy allopatric ranges north and south of the Amazon, respectively. (10) A critical examination of small Oecomys specimens from Paracou and other Guianan localities supports the conclusions of other investigators that O. rutilus Anthony and O. bicolor (Tomes) are unambiguously diagnosable species. (11) Oligoryzomys fulvescens (Saussure) and O. microtis (J.A. Allen), currently regarded as valid allopatric species occurring north and south of the Amazon, respectively, are difficult to diagnose unambiguously and may be conspecific; new information is provided about the hitherto ambiguous type locality of the latter taxon. (12) Rhipidomys nitela Thomas is reported from French Guiana for the first time and its previously unpublished diagnostic differences from other congeners are tabulated and discussed. (13) A lectotype is designated for Coendou melanurus (Wagner), and the species is redescribed based on all known specimens in North American and European museums; diagnostic differences between this species and C. insidiosus (Olfers) are illustrated for the first time. (14) A red-rumped agouti (Dasyprocta) is designated as the neotype of Mus aguti Linnaeus to preserve current usage of Dasyprocta prymnolopha (Wagler) for the black-rumped agouti. (15) The diagnostic differences between red and green acouchies (Myoprocta) are discussed and a neotype is designated for Cavia acouchy Erxleben to fix the application of that name to the red species; other nominal taxa of Myoprocta are identified as red or green acouchies based on examination of type material and original descriptions. (16) The diagnostic morphological traits of Proechimys cuvieri Petter and P. guyannensis (E. Geoffroy) are reevaluated and discussed based on character variation in topotypical (French Guianan) material. Analyses of our sampling results indicate that distinct sets of nonvolant species are effectively sampled by different inventory methods, and that increased sampling effort with any method generally results in more species. Although the rate of discovery of new species always decreases with increasing sample size, none of our graphs of species accumulation indicate that an asymptotic value was reached with any method. Instead, nonparametric statistical extrapolations suggest that the Paracou nonvolant mammal fauna consists of somewhere between 69 and 74 species; by implication, our nonvolant inventory is about 86-93% complete. Most missing species are probably marsupials and rodents, but one or two expected primate species might have been locally extirpated by hunters prior to our fieldwork. In terms of higher taxonomic composition, the Paracou nonvolant mammal fauna is typical of those found throughout the humid Neotropical lowlands. However, a quantitative analysis of nonvolant faunal similarity at the species level among 12 exemplar rainforest inventories first clusters the Paracou list with others from the Guiana subregion of Amazonia, next with lists from elsewhere in Amazonia, and lastly with Central American lists. Pairwise similarity values likewise show an obvious positive correlation between faunal resemblance and geographic proximity within the Neotropical rainforest biome. At least 24 species (38%) of the Paracou nonvolant fauna are Amazonian endemics, but 18 (28%) are essentially pan-Neotropical in distribution; the remaining 22 species exhibit a variety of distributional patterns that suggest past connections among different sets of currently disjunct rainforested regions. Species richness comparisons among nonvolant faunal inventories are complicated by a variety of familiar problems including inconsistent methodology, presence or absence of certain key habitats, and uneven sampling effort. A conservative interpretation of sampling results from La Selva (Costa Rica), Paracou, and Manu (Peru), however, suggests progressive increases in richness of about 23% from Central America to the Guianas, and of about the same amount from the Guianas to western Amazonia; over the entire gradient (Central America to western Amazonia), the net increase in observed richness is at least 50%. Whereas rodents are consistently the most diverse clade in all well-sampled nonvolant faunas, rankings of other orders by relative richness exhibit considerable site-to-site variation, at least some of which appears to reflect real geographic differences in taxonomic diversity rather than sampling artifacts. Nonvolant rainforest mammals are hard to classify into trophic guilds due to behavioral plasticity and incomplete knowledge of relevant natural history. Preliminary guild comparisons among three exemplar faunas, however, suggest that the Paracou nonvolant community is substantially less diverse in arboreal frugivores and more diverse in terrestrial animalivores than are nonvolant communities at some Central American and western Amazonian sites. Subsistence and recreational hunting has clearly affected local populations of some nonvolant mammals at Paracou; whereas popular game species (e.g., large primates) were seldom sighted, density compensation may explain high local densities of certain other taxa (e.g., Potus flavus and Cuniculus paca). Patterns of differential habitat use between closely related nonvolant species at Paracou were mostly observed within the terrestrial granivore/frugivore guild...Item Morphology and evolution of sesamoid elements in bats (Mammalia, Chiroptera). (American Museum novitates, no. 3905)(American Museum of Natural History., 2018-08-17) Amador, Lucila Inés.; Giannini, Norberto P.; Simmons, Nancy B.; Abdala, Virginia.Sesamoids are skeletal elements found within a tendon or ligament as it passes around a joint or bony prominence. Here we review the distribution of sesamoids in bats, the only mammals capable of powered flight. Our survey included bat species representing most extant families as well as two key Eocene fossil bats in which sesamoids are exquisitely preserved, Onychonycteris finneyi and Icaronycteris index. We identified 46 separate sesamoid elements (or sets of elements) from dissections of selected bat taxa, with no more than 23 of these present in any given species. Among the sesamoids identified in our survey, 12 have not previously been described in bats. We also identified seven sesamoids previously described in the literature that are not present in our sample of species. No sesamoids were found to be exclusive to the fossil taxa in our study; all the sesamoids observed in Onychonycteris and Icaronycteris have apparent homologs among extant species. We mapped the presence/absence of the 46 sesamoids onto a bat phylogeny. Based on these optimizations, we discuss homology issues and evolutionary history of some of the most taxonomically widespread sesamoids. Functional inferences regarding some sesamoids can be made based on what is known about bat musculoskeletal morphology, although further biomechanical studies are required to test the hypotheses proposed here. Sesamoids will continue to be a source of interesting insights about the evolution of bats and their unique locomotor abilities.Item Morphology, function, and phylogenetic significance of pubic nipples in bats (Mammalia, Chiroptera). American Museum novitates ; no. 3077(New York, N.Y. : American Museum of Natural History, 1993) Simmons, Nancy B.Item A new Amazonian species of Micronycteris (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae) with notes on the roosting behavior of sympatric congeners. American Museum novitates ; no. 3358(New York, NY : American Museum of Natural History, 2002) Simmons, Nancy B.; Voss, Robert S.; Fleck, David William, 1969-Micronycteris sensu stricto is a diverse group of small to medium-sized phyllostomid bats characterized by large rounded pinnae that are connected at the base by an interauricular band of skin. Eight species are currently recognized, including three with dark venters (hirsuta, megalotis, microtis) and five with pale venters (brosseti, sanborni, schmidtorum, minuta, homezi). As many as seven species can occur sympatrically at Amazonian localities. In this paper we describe a new dark-bellied species from the lowlands of northeastern Peru and document its diagnostic external and craniodental characters. We also summarize information about diurnal roosting habitats for the new species and its Amazonian congeners, and we emphasize the importance of nonconventional collecting methods for future studies of phyllostomine diversity in Neotropical rainforests.Item A new dichromatic species of Myotis (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) from the Nimba Mountains, Guinea (American Museum novitates, no. 3963)(American Museum of Natural History., 2021-01-13) Simmons, Nancy B.; Flanders, J.; Bakwo Fils, E. M.; Parker, Guy; Suter, Jamison D.; Bamba, Seinan; Keita, Mamady Kobele; Morales, Ariadna E.; Frick, Winifred F.The genus Myotis is a diverse group of vespertilionid bats found on nearly every continent. One clade in this group, the subgenus Chrysopteron, is characterized by reddish to yellowish fur and, in some cases, visually striking dichromatic wing pigmentation. Here, we describe a new dichromatic species of Myotis (Chrysopteron) from the Nimba Mountains in Guinea. The new species is superficially similar to Myotis welwitschii, but phylogenetic analyses based on cytochrome b data indicated that it is actually more closely related to M. tricolor. Discovery of this new taxon increases the number of Myotis species known from mainland Africa to 11 species, although patterns of molecular divergence suggest that cryptic species in the Chrysopteron clade remain to be described. This discovery also highlights the critical importance of the Nimba Mountains as a center of bat diversity and endemism in sub-Saharan Africa.Item A new family of large omnivorous bats (Mammalia, Chiroptera) from the late Eocene of the Fayum Depression, Egypt, with comments on use of the name "Eochiroptera". (American Museum novitates, no. 3857)(American Museum of Natural History., 2016-05-09) Simmons, Nancy B.; Seiffert, Erik Remington.; Gunnell, Gregg F.A new fossil from the late Eocene BQ-2 locality in the Birket Qarun Formation in the Fayum Depression of northern Egypt (dated to ~37 mybp) does not fit within the diagnosis of any previously described family of bats from Africa or any other continent. Known from a partial maxilla, this taxon has dilambdodont tribosphenic molars with a well-developed, symmetrical, W-shaped ectoloph lacking a distinct mesostyle but with a strong parastyle and shallow U-shaped ectoflexus--all traits that are found in most archaic bat families and that are probably plesiomorphic for bats. However, this taxon also has an M2 with a large metaconule cusp and a large, bulbous hypocone set low on the posterolingual corner of the tooth, neither of which occur in any known bat family, living or extinct. Also notable is the size of the new BQ-2 bat, which appears to have been approximately the same size as the largest extant bats with dilambdodont dentitions, falling well within the size range of plant-eating megabats and carnivorous bats from several extant lineages. The combination of traits in the new BQ-2 bat suggests that it was omnivorous, probably including insects, small vertebrates, and plant material [in] its diet. In this regard it represents an ecological niche previously unknown among archaic Eocene bats, which are otherwise thought to have been strictly animalivorous. Because extinct Eocene bat families exhibit considerable mosaic evolution in morphological traits, do not seem to have inhabited a uniform ecological niche, and do not form a monophyletic group, we argue against use of the name "Eochiroptera" to collectively refer to these taxa.Item New genus and species of nectar-feeding bat from the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae, Glossophaginae). (American Museum novitates, no. 3747)(American Museum of Natural History., 2012-06-25) Nogueira, Marcelo R.; Lima, Isaac P. de.; Peracchi, Adriano Lúcio.; Simmons, Nancy B.The lowland Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil is well known for its biological diversity and numerous endemic taxa. Among bats collected recently at the Reserva Natural Vale and previously in the Floresta Nacional de Goytacazes, in the state of Espírito Santo, are specimens easily recognized as nectar-feeding glossophagines, but that exhibit a suite of morphological traits that preclude assignment to any of the 10 genera currently recognized in the subfamily Glossophaginae. Here we describe a new genus and species based on this material. This new taxon, named Dryadonycteris capixaba, is diagnosed based on both external and craniodental features, including traits not seen in other nectar-feeding phyllostomids, such as similar-sized calcar and foot and inflated maxillary bones. The combination of character states seen in Dryadonycteris suggests that it belongs in the tribe Choeronycterini, subtribe Choeronycterina, but the mosaic nature of primitive and derived states seen in this taxon precludes easy assessment of its relationships to other choeronycterine genera. Future explicit phylogenetic analyses of morphological data and DNA sequencing studies will be necessary to resolve its phylogenetic position within Choeronycterini.Item A new mormoopid bat from the Oligocene (Whitneyan and early Arikareean) of Florida, and phylogenetic relationships of the major clades of Mormoopidae (Mammalia, Chiroptera). (Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, no. 434)(American Museum of Natural History., 2019-06-17) Morgan, Gary S.; Czaplewski, Nicholas J.; Simmons, Nancy B.A new genus and species of fossil bat, Koopmanycteris palaeomormoops, representing an ancient member of the endemic Neotropical family Mormoopidae, is described from the Oligocene of Florida. This new species is known from two paleokarst deposits in northern peninsular Florida, the early Oligocene (Whitneyan, 30-32 Ma) I-75 Local Fauna in Alachua County and the late Oligocene (early Arikareean, 26-28 Ma) Brooksville 2 Local Fauna in Hernando County. The discovery of Koopmanycteris extends the fossil record of the Mormoopidae back in time almost 30 million years. Compared to most other described taxa of North American Tertiary bats, the fossil sample of Koopmanycteris palaeomormoops is substantial, consisting of 50 specimens including: P4, all lower teeth from p3 through m3, dentary, petrosal, humerus, proximal radius, and femur. Koopmanycteris is morphologically intermediate between the two living genera of mormoopids, Mormoops and Pteronotus, but is most similar to the former taxon. Characters shared by Koopmanycteris and Mormoops include: large anterolabial basin on P4; large, double-rooted p3; secondary process ventral to angular process on dentary; absence of groove separating capitulum into medial and lateral portions on distal humerus; presence of prominent ridge on posterolateral edge of distal humeral shaft; rounded extremity on proximal radius; and presence of a prominent ridge or tubercle on posterodistal shaft of femur. All of these features appear to be relatively derived, with the exception of the large, double-rooted p3. In several mandibular characters, Koopmanycteris more closely resembles Pteronotus, including: pronounced posteroventral process on the symphysis; lack of curvature of ventral edge of horizontal ramus between posterior edge of symphysis and p4; and less pronounced dorsal upturning of ascending ramus compared to Mormoops. Koopmanycteris retains the primitive dental morphology of Mormoops, with a large double-rooted p3, and the primitive posterior mandibular morphology of Pteronotus, with the lesser degree of dorsal flexion of the ascending ramus. A phylogenetic analysis including all known extant mormoopid lineages as well as representative outgroups from other noctilionoid clades confirms that Koopmanycteris and Mormoops are sister taxa. These findings indicate that the lineages leading to Pteronotus and Mormoops were distinct by ~30 Ma. The fossil record tentatively indicates that the Mormoopidae originated in North America in the early Oligocene or earlier, and may not have reached South America until the Pliocene following the onset of the Great American Biotic Interchange. Several lines of evidence support this hypothesis: (1) the earliest fossil record of the Mormoopidae is in the early Oligocene of Florida; (2) the greatest diversity and endemism of modern mormoopid species is in the West Indies; and (3) the absence of a pre-late Pleistocene record, lack of endemism, and marginal recent distribution of mormoopids in South America. Most species of living mormoopids are obligate cave dwellers, suggesting that the occurrence of caves and paleokarst deposits has affected both their modern distribution and fossil record.Item New records of flying foxes (Chiroptera, Pteropus sp.) from Seram, Indonesia, with notes on ecology and conservation status. (American Museum novitates, no. 3842)(American Museum of Natural History., 2015-11-23) Tsang, Susan M.; Wiantoro, Sigit.; Simmons, Nancy B.Bat species in the genus Pteropus (flying foxes) occur throughout most of Southeast Asia, but little is known about their distribution and patterns of local diversity across much of Indonesia. To help address this problem, a field survey of Pteropus species in Central and West Seram, Maluku Province, Indonesia, was conducted in 2012 and 2013. This study resulted in new records of rare Moluccan bats, including new locality records for four near-endemic species: P. chrysoproctus, P. melanopogon, P. ocularis, and P. temminckii. Together with data from additional specimens, these records provide new information about morphological variation in Moluccan Pteropus. High local diversity of large-bodied bats with restricted geographic ranges raises interesting questions about evolution in Pteropus and about ecological niche partitioning in Paleotropical pteropodid communities. More monitoring efforts in Maluku are needed, as the roosts located during the 2012-2013 survey are some of the only known sites where these species may be found, and none of these sites are located in protected areas. Without updated natural history data and taxonomic revision, proper management decisions cannot be made for any of these threatened species despite mounting anthropogenic pressure on their populations.Item A new species of Micronycteris (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae) from northeastern Brazil : with comments on phylogenetic relationships. American Museum novitates ; no. 3158(New York, N.Y. : American Museum of Natural History, 1996) Simmons, Nancy B.Item A new species of nectar-feeding bat of the genus Hsunycteris (Phyllostomidae, Lonchophyllinae) from northeastern Peru. (American Museum novitates, no. 3881)(American Museum of Natural History., 2017-06-19) Velazco, Paúl M.; Soto-Centeno, J. Angel.; Fleck, David W. (David William), 1969-; Voss, Robert S.; Simmons, Nancy B.A new species of the nectarivorous bat genus Hsunycteris is described from lowland Amazonian forest in northeastern Peru. The new species, H. dashe, can be distinguished from other congeners by its larger size; V-shaped array of dermal chin papillae separated by a wide basal cleft; metacarpal V longer than metacarpal IV; broad rostrum; lateral margin of infraorbital foramen not projecting beyond rostral outline in dorsal view; well-developed sphenoidal crest; large outer upper incisors; weakly developed lingual cusp on P5; and well-developed, labially oriented M1 parastyle. A phylogenetic analysis of cytochrome-b sequence data indicates that H. dashe is sister to a clade that includes all other species of the genus including H. cadenai, H. pattoni, and a paraphyletic H. thomasi. We provide a key based on craniodental and external characters of all four known species of Hsunycteris.Item A new species of Peropteryx (Chiroptera, Emballonuridae) from western Amazonia with comments on phylogenetic relationships within the genus. (American Museum novitates, no. 3686)(American Museum of Natural History., 2010) Lim, Burton K.; Engstrom, Mark D.; Reid, Fiona, 1955-; Simmons, Nancy B.; Voss, Robert S.; Fleck, David W. (David William), 1969-We report the discovery of a new species of doglike bat (Peropteryx) from the lowland Amazonian forests of Ecuador and Peru. It has transparent wing membranes that are faintly tinged brown with pale-brown arms and digits; ears that are separated on the forehead; and a skull with small, shallow pterygoid pits that are anterolateral to an undivided basisphenoid pit and that are separated by a mesopterygoid extension. These characters distinguish the new species from morphologically similar species with which it was previously confused (P. leucoptera and P. macrotis). A molecular phylogenetic analysis of unlinked loci from each of the four genetic transmission systems of mammals (mitochondrial, nuclear-autosomal, X, and Y chromosomes) independently corroborated the placement of the new species as the sister taxon to a clade that includes P. kappleri, P. macrotis, and P. trinitatis; the basal lineage for the genus is P. leucoptera. This phylogeny suggests that transparent wings (sometimes described as "white" but actually lacking pigment), the traditional character used to diagnose Peronymus, is not a unique synapomorphy. Furthermore, based on a molecular dating analysis, the depth of divergence of Peropteryx is equivalent to that of another New World emballonurid genus (Balantiopteryx). Therefore, Peronymus does not warrant higher-level recognition as a subgenus or genus.