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sity of bats in the tropics. In addition to the insectivorousbats, which are also common in temperate regions,the tropics contain nectarivous, frugivorous,carnivorous, and sanguivorous species. Observationsin tropical caves have revealed that the guano of eachtype of bat is inhabited by its own distinctive faunalassemblage. Few detailed studies have been made ofthe fauna of caves in the New World tropics withrespect to their population size and the relationshipof this to bat guano. R. W. Mitchell (1970a) hasstudied the fauna inhabiting a passage in Cueva de laFlorida, Tamaulipas, which is inhabited by insectivorousbats. H. A. Mitchell (1965) studied the atmosphereof Cueva del Tigre, Sonora, a large cavecontaining several species of bats. In addition to thesignificance of bats to the study of the cave ecosystem,bats are also of importance to human health.Many species of cave-associated bat in Mexico havebeen found to carry rabies. Furthermore, many caveswhich are inhabited by bats harbor Histoplasmacapsulatum Darling, the causative agent of the dangerouslung disease, histoplasmosis. Constantine(1970) has published a detailed review of the significanceof bats to human health.Although there are numerous records of bats inMexican caves, these records are few when the numberof known caves is considered. The difficulty ofobtaining collecting permits and of collecting andproperly preserving bats has left their study largelyto mammalogists working in the field. Many of thepapers published on bats include references to theiroccurrence in caves, but in many instances onlygeneral localities are given without reference towhether or not the bats were obtained from caves.The bat fauna of the caves of Guatemala and Belizeis even less well known, and there are very few caverecords for these two countries. A total of 72 speciesand subspecies of bat have been recorded fromthe caves of Mexico; only 20 species from Guatemalaand 8 species from Belize are known fromcaves.It is outside the scope of this review to do morethan briefly summarize the bat fauna associatedwith caves in Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize. Villa R.(1967) has published the most comprehensive reporton the bats of Mexico; this study includes manycave records. The only general review of the bats ofGuatemala is that of Jones (1966). No comprehensivestudy appears to have been published on the batfauna of Belize, but a few records were found in apaper on histoplasmosis in Belize (Quinones et al.,1978) and in general taxonomic studies. Records ofbats in the caves of various Mexican states and regionshave been included in the following surveys:Baja California (Jones et al., 1965), Chihuahua (Anderson,1972), Coahuila (Baker, 1956), Durango(Baker and Greer, 1962), Guerrero (Lukens andDavis, 1957), Hidalgo (Carter and Jones, 1978),Jalisco (Watkins et al., 1972), \lichoacan (Hall andVilla R., 1949), Morelos (Davis and Russell, 1952),Nuevo Leon (Jimenez Guzman, 1968), Oaxaca(Goodwin, 1969), San Luis Potosi (Dalquest, 1953a),the Sierra de El Abra, San Luis Potosi and Tamaulipas,and the Sierra de Guatemala, Tamaulipas (:vIollhagen,1971), Sinaloa (Jones et al., 1972), Sonora(Burt, 1938; Cockrum and Bradshaw, 1963), Tamaulipas(Alvarez, 1963), Valley of Mexico (Villa R.,1952), Veracruz (Hall and Dalquest, 19(3), Yucatan(Pearse and Kellogg, 1938), Yucatan and QuintanaRoo (Hatt and Villa R., 1950; Birney et al., 1974),and the Yucatan Peninsula (Jones et al., 1973).Family EmbaUonuridaeFive species of emballonurid bat have been reportedfrom caves in Mexico and Gutemala. Thomas'ssac-winged bat, Balantiopteryx io Thomas, has beenreported from caves in Chiapas, Oaxaca, Tabasco,and Veracruz, Mexico; and Alta Verapaz and habal,Guatemala. This species seems to prefer to hang fromthe tops of pits and crevices, and may be presentwithin the twilight zone as well as in total darkness.Colonies as large as 1000 have been reported fromcaves (Hall and Dalquest, 1963). Peters' bat, H. plicataplicata Peters, is among the more frequentlycollected bats in the caves of southern Mexico. It isknown from caves from San Luis Potosi south intoGuatemala and from Colima east to Tabasco. Theymay inhabit both large, dark caves and smaller, welllitshelter-like openings. The greater doglike bat,Peropteryx kappleri kappleri Peters, is known fromcaves in Tabasco and Veracruz, Mexico; and Izabal,Guatemala. Most of the records are from small cavesand few bats were present. The lesser doglike bat,P. macrotis macrotis (Wagner), is known from cavesin Tabasco, Quintana Roo, Veracruz, and Yucatan,Mexico. This species has been found in both largecaves and small shallow cliff-face recesses. The greaterwhite-lined bat, Saccopteryx bilineata centralisThomas, is known from caves in Campeche, Jalisco,and Oaxaca, but this bat probably prefers to roost inhollow trees.Family MolossidaeSeven species of molossid bat have been recordedfrom caves in Mexico and one 8pecies in Guatemala.Of these, only species of the genus Tadarida are frequentlyencountered in caves. Tadarida aurispinosa252