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searchable PDF - Association for Mexican Cave Studies

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The spear-nosed bat, Mimon cozumelae Goldman,has been taken from caves in Oaxaca, Tabasco, Veracruz,and Yucatan. These large bats have been reportedto feed on very ripe fruit or else on insectsfeeding on the fruit (Hall and Dalquest, 1963). Theyusually occur in caves only in small numbers.The yellow-shouldered bat, Stumira lilium parvidensGoldman, has been recorded from caves inPuebla, Quintana Roo, and Tabasco, Mexico, and inAlta Verapaz, Guatemala. The fringe-lipped bat,Trachops cirrhosus coffini Goldman, is known fromcaves in Oaxaca and Veracruz, Mexico; and El Peten,Guatemala. This species may occur in caves in coloniesof up to 50 or more individuals; it is carnivorousand its droppings are white and resemble the feces ofbirds more than those of bats (Hall and Dalquest,1963).Famity VespertilionidaeNineteen species of vespertilionid bat have beenrecorded from the caves of Mexico, Guatemala, andBelize. Some of the records are of species which donot usually inhabit caves and so are not discussedhere.The pallid oat, Antrozous pallidus pallidus (Le­Conte), is known from caves in Chihuahua and Durango.This species is primarily insectivorous but mayoccasionally eat small lizards.Two species of the genus Eptesicus have oeen recordedfrom caves in :'"lexico and Guatemala. TheCentral American species of this genus have beenstudied by Davis (1965). The tropical brown bat,Eptesicus furinalis gaumeri (.T. A. Allen), is knownfrom caves in Morelos and Yucatan. The big brownbat, E. fuscus (Palisot de Beauvois), is represented incaves by two subspecies: E. fuscus miradorensis H.Allen from Puebla, Tamaulipas, and Veracruz,Mexico, and Alta Verapaz, Guatemala; and E. f. pallidusYoung from one cave in Coahuila. These bats areinsectivorous.Five species of the genus Myotis are known fromcaves in Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize. The CentralAmerican species of the genus have been studied byLaVal (1973). The Cali<strong>for</strong>nia myotis, M. califomicusmexicanus (Saussure), is known only from a cave inTlaxcala. Keays'myotis, M. keaysi pilosatibialis La Val,is known from caves in Quintana Roo, Tabasco, Tamaulipas,Veracruz, and Yucatan, Mexico; the MayaMountains of Belize; and El Peten, Guatemala. Thisinsectivorous species is frequently present in caves inlarge numbers. The black myotis, M. nigricans nigricans(Schinz), is known from caves in Oaxaca, Tamaulipas,and Veracruz, Mexico, and Escuintla, Guatemala.The fringed myotis, Myotis thysanodes Miller,is represented in <strong>Mexican</strong> caves by two subspecies:M. t. aztecus Miller from the state of Mexico; andM. t. thysanodes Miller from Chihuahua and Durango.Three subspecies of the cave myotis, M. velifer J. A.Allen, have been reported from <strong>Mexican</strong> caves. Myotisvelifer incautus J. A. Allen is known from caves inCoahuila and Durango; this is the common subspeciesinhabiting caves in Texas. It is frequently present incolonies containing several thousand individuals.Myotis velifer velifer J. A. AJlen occurs in caves fromSonora and Durango south through the Sierra MadreOccidental and into southern Mexico. Myotis veliferpeninsularis Miller is known only from caves in BajaCali<strong>for</strong>nia Sur (Jones et al., 1965). All species ofMyotis are insectivorous.The only pipistrelle known from <strong>Mexican</strong> caves isPipistrellus subflavus veraecrucis (Ward). It has onlybeen reported from caves on Cofre de Perote, Veracruz.Two species of the genus Plecotus are known from<strong>Mexican</strong> caves. The systematicsof this genus have beenstudied by Handley (1959). The <strong>Mexican</strong> big-eared bat,P. mexicanus (G. M. Allen), is known from caves fromsouthern Chihuahua south to iVlichoacan and east toYucatan. Townsend's big-eared bat, P. townsendiiaustralis Handley, occurs in caves from Chihuahuaand Coahuila south to Michoacan.Order RodentiaTen species of rodent have been reported from<strong>Mexican</strong> caves, but other species utilize caves at leastoccasionally. A few of the species are more closelyassociated with caves than others, and these are brieflydiscussed below.Family CricetidaeThe Tamaulipan wood rat, Neotoma angustapalataBaker, has been reported from caves in the Sierra deGuatemala and Sierra de El Abra, Tamaulipas (Hooper,1953). This species builds its nests in the caves. Signsof the IVlexican wood rat, Neotoma mexicana torquataWard, were found in caves in Veracruz (Hall and Dalquest,1963). The big-eared climbing rat, Ototylomysphyllotis phyllotis Merriam, is known from caves andcenotes in Yucatan (Pearse and Kellogg, 1938; Hatt,1938), and Alta Verapaz, Guatemala (Lawlor, 1969).Two species of Peromyscus have been reported from<strong>Mexican</strong> caves. Hall and Dalquest (1963) reported P.mexicanus (Saussure) from "the gloom of caves" inVeracruz. Dalquest and Roth (1970) reported thatthe white-ankled mouse, P. pectoralis Osgood, was255

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