Reassessment of the evolutionary relationships within the dog‐faced bats, genus <i>Cynomops</i> (Chiroptera: Molossidae)

Moras, Ligiane Martins; Tavares, Valéria da Cunha; Pepato, Almir R.; Santos, Fabrício R.; Gregorin, Renato

doi:10.1111/zsc.12169

Cited by 24 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 60 publications

(78 reference statements)

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“…(), Dávalos (), and Moras et al. (). Promops and Histiotus were represented in the original tree by one and two species, respectively, and did not require phylogenetic information to guide the replacements.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative morphology and scaling of the femur in yangochiropteran bats

2019

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Better known by their remarkable forelimb morphology, bats are also unique among mammals with respect to their hindlimbs. Their legs are rotated through 180°, generally reduced in size, and in some extant taxa particular bones (e.g. fibula) can even be absent. The femur is the main leg bone, but to date few bat studies have considered its morphology in detail, none in a wide-scale comparative study. Yangochiroptera is the largest bat taxon, spans nearly three orders of magnitude in body mass, and is highly diverse both in ecology and behavior, representing a good model for comparative analyses. Here, we describe the anatomy of the femur in a large sample of yangochiropteran bats (125 species, 70 genera, and 12 families), and explore major trends of morphological variation and scaling patterns in this bone. We used 13 categorical characters in the anatomical description and five linear dimensions in the quantitative analyses. Based on the categorical data, each family studied here was diagnosed, and those from the Neotropical region were included in an identification key. From the phylogenetic principal component analysis (pPCA) we showed that, in addition to size, major axes of variation in bat femur are related to robusticity and head morphology, features that are clearly distinct among some families. We also generated a phylomorphospace based on pPCA scores, highlighting convergences in femur shape. Molossidae, Mystacinidae, and Desmodontinae were grouped based on their greater robusticity, a pattern that was also recovered from categorical data. In these families, we found anatomical features (e.g. presence of tubercles and posterior ridges on the greater trochanter, long or medially/distally displaced lateral ridges on the shaft) that are well-known from their functional link with quadrupedal locomotion. Using phylogenetic regressions, we found out that compared with body mass, femur length scaled with negative allometry, as expected, but that femur width scaled isometrically, counter to expectations. As a result, robusticity index (the ratio of width to length), scaled with positive allometrylarger bats tended to have more robust hindlimbs. At species level, our most remarkable finding was related to Myotis simus, which presented the most robust femur (for its size) among yangochiropterans. Our results reinforce the informative potential of the chiropteran femur from both taxonomic and functional perspectives. Furthermore, the allometric trends seen in this bone may help understand the strategies adopted by flying vertebrates to deal with the high energetic cost of flight and, at the same time, evolve diversified foraging behaviors.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative morphology and scaling of the femur in yangochiropteran bats

2019

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“…Cynomops, Eumops, Molossops, Molossus, Neoplatymops and Nyctinomops represent six of the 16 genera of Molossidae recognized, and Eumops is the most diverse genus in the Neotropics (Medina et al, 2014). The complexity is even greater within the genus, since subspecies are recognized for many of its species (Eger, 1977;Timm and Genoways 2004;Simmons, 2005;Gregorin, 2009;Bartlett et al, 2013;Moras et al, 2016). Ryan (1991aRyan ( , 1991b was one of the first to study the external morphology of the glans in Molossidae species.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Morphological and histological characters of penile organization in eleven species of molossid bats

Comelis

Bueno

Góes

et al. 2018

Zoology

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The penis is the reproductive organ that ensures efficient copulation and success of internal fertilization in all species of mammals, with special challenges for bats, where copulation can occur during flight. Comparative anatomical analyses of different species of bats can contribute to a better understanding of morphological diversity of this organ, concerning organization and function. In this study, we describe the external morphology and histomorphology of the penis and baculum in eleven species of molossid bats. The present study showed that penile organization in these species displayed the basic vascular mammalian pattern and had a similar pattern concerning the presence of the tissues constituting the penis, exhibiting three types of erectile tissue (the corpus cavernosum, accessory cavernous tissue, and corpus spongiosum) around the urethra. However, certain features varied among the species, demonstrating that most species are distinguishable by glans and baculum morphology and glans histological organization. Major variations in glans morphology were genus-specific, and the greatest similarities were shared by Eumops species and N. laticaudatus. The greatest interspecific similarities occurred between M. molossus and M. rufus and between Eumops species. Save for M. molossus and M. rufus, morphology of the baculum was species-specific; and in E. perotis, it did not occur in all specimens, indicating that it is probably under selection. In the histological organization, the most evident differences were number of septa and localization of the corpora cavernosa. In species with a baculum (Molossus, Eumops and Nyctinomops species), the corpora cavernosa predominantly occupied the dorsal region of the penile glans and is associated with the proximal (basal) portion of the baculum. In species that do not have a baculum (Cynomops, Molossops and Neoplatymops species), the corpora cavernosa predominantly occupied the ventro-lateral region of the glans.

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“…For African free-tailed bats, Lamb et al (2011) documented mean cyt- b genetic distances of 10.6% among four species of Mops , and a mean of 7.4% among seven species of Chaerephon . In the Neotropics, Moras et al (2016) found that cyt- b divergence averaged 9.7% among eight species of the genus Cynomops , and López-Baucells et al (2018) documented 12.1% mean sequence divergence among six species of Eumops in the mitochondrial COI locus. Differentiation between continental African Otomops species falls below the 5% threshold commonly found for species-level differences ( Bradley & Baker, 2001 ), but this is also the case for many other bat genera ( Velazco & Patterson, 2008 , 2013 ) and even for small, terrestrial species such as shrews ( Demos et al, 2016 , 2017 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

On the taxonomic status and distribution of African species ofOtomops(Chiroptera: Molossidae)

Patterson

Webala

Bartonjo

et al. 2018

PeerJ

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BackgroundFree-tailed bats of the genus Otomops are poorly known, and most species are documented from a handful of widely scattered localities. Recently, two allopatric species of Otomops were recognized in continental Africa: Otomops martiensseni (Matschie, 1897) in southern, central and western Africa, and the new species O. harrisoni Ralph et al., 2015 in the northeast and in Yemen.MethodsWe collected additional samples of Otomops in Kenya and Rwanda where the ranges of these taxa approach one another to clarify their geographic ranges and taxonomic status. Mitochondrial and nuclear intron sequences served to identify and delimit species; we also documented their echolocation call variation and ectoparasite complements.ResultsOtomops martiensseni, the southern African species, was documented in northern Kenya in Marsabit National Park. O. harrisoni, the northeastern African–Arabian species, was documented in southern Kenya and in a cave in Musanze District, Rwanda. Moreover, individuals of both species were found together at the Musanze cave, establishing them in precise spatial and temporal sympatry. Analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear loci identify no evidence of admixture between these forms, although available samples limit the power of this analysis. Echolocation call differences are also apparent among the three localities we analyzed. Three orders of insects and two families of mites are newly reported as ectoparasites of O. harrisoni.DiscussionOur results corroborate species rank for O. harrisoni and establish a zone of potential geographic overlap with O. martiensseni spanning at least 800 km of latitude. The new records establish the species in sympatry in northern Rwanda and add an additional species to the bat faunas of both Kenya and Rwanda. Future studies are needed to understand Otomops roosting requirements and movements, thereby explaining the paucity of known colonies and yielding better estimates of their conservation status. The discovery of mixed roosting associations in Rwanda invites further investigation.

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Reassessment of the evolutionary relationships within the dog‐faced bats, genus Cynomops (Chiroptera: Molossidae)

Cited by 24 publications

References 60 publications

Comparative morphology and scaling of the femur in yangochiropteran bats

Comparative morphology and scaling of the femur in yangochiropteran bats

Morphological and histological characters of penile organization in eleven species of molossid bats

On the taxonomic status and distribution of African species ofOtomops(Chiroptera: Molossidae)

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