Taxonomy and geographic variation of the bats of the genus Phyllostomus

Abstract

As interpreted in this study, the genus Phyllostomus Lace�pède consists of four species, viz. P. discolor (Wagner), P. latifolius (Thomas), P. elongatus (E. Geoffroy) and P. hastatus (Pallas). Phyllostomus discolor occurs from Mexico to Argentina; P. hastatus occurs from Hondorus to southeastern Brazil; P. elongatus is restricted to South America in Columbia, Venezuela, the Guianas, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia; P. latifolius is known only from the Kanuku Mountains of Guyana. The Andes mountain range has been the major factor influencing the geographic variation of P. discolor and P. hastatus; these mountains are a definite barrier to gene flow in these two species. The arbitrary division of P. d. verrucosus (Elliot) and P.d. discolor (Wagner) in the Panama Canal Zone is untenable, as is the former recognition of 6 subspecies of P. hastatus. Only two subspecies of P. discolor and P. hastatus are recognized in the present study. P. discolor verrucosus and P. h. panamensis J. A. Allen occur west of the Andes Mountains and P. d. discolor and P. h. hastatus (Pallas) occur east of these mountains. The Andes Mountains probably have been an effective barrier to gene flow between populations of P. elongatus; however, the paucity of specimens west of the Andes preclude a thorough analysis of the effectiveness of this barrier in this species..