Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Geographic Variation in the Lesser Noctilio, Noctilio albiventris (Chiroptera)

1976; Oxford University Press; Volume: 57; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.2307/1379440

1545-1542

William B. Davis,

Species Distribution and Climate Change

Based on the study of 537 specimens of the lesser noctilio, Noctilio alhiventris Desmarest, from throughout the geographic range of the species, four geographical areas of differentiation are here recognized. One comprises the region from Honduras southward to central Colombia and western Venezuela. There the bats are medium in size for the species and normally the brightest in color. For this taxon the appropriate name is Noctilio albiventris minor Osgood. The second area comprises the Upper Amazon Basin, the eastern versant of the Cordillera Oriental northward to the vicinity of Caracas, Venezuela, thence southward along the coast at least to Suriname. In this region the bats are the largest and darkest for the species. The valid name for this taxon appears to be Noctilio albiventris affinis D'Orbigny. The third area comprises the southern parts of Venezuela, Guyana and Suriname, the Lower Amazon Basin and the coastal areas of eastern Brazil as far as the Rio São Francisco. There the bats are the smallest of the species and usually dark in color, but in some individuals the venter is pale buff. For this taxon the earliest available name is Noctilio albiventris albiventris Desmarest. The fourth area comprises the drainage basin of the Río Paraná in southern Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina. There the bats are again medium in size for the species and normally greyish brown above and buff to orange-buff below. This taxon appears to be without a name and herein is described as a new subspecies and named in honor of the late South American mammalogist Dr. Angel Cabrera LaTorre.