Bats of Saint Lucia, Lesser Antilles Scott .C Pedersen South Dakota State University, [email protected]
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University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Mammalogy Papers: University of Nebraska State Museum, University of Nebraska State Museum 11-29-2018 Bats of Saint Lucia, Lesser Antilles Scott .C Pedersen South Dakota State University, [email protected] Gary G. Kwiecinski University of Scranton, [email protected] Hugh H. Genoways University of Nebraska - Lincoln, [email protected] Roxanne J. Larsen University of Minnesota, [email protected] Peter A. Larsen University of Minnesota, [email protected] See next page for additional authors Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/museummammalogy Part of the Biodiversity Commons, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons, and the Zoology Commons Pedersen, Scott .;C Kwiecinski, Gary G.; Genoways, Hugh H.; Larsen, Roxanne J.; Larsen, Peter A.; Phillips, Carleton J.; and Baker, Robert J., "Bats of Saint Lucia, Lesser Antilles" (2018). Mammalogy Papers: University of Nebraska State Museum. 278. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/museummammalogy/278 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Museum, University of Nebraska State at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Mammalogy Papers: University of Nebraska State Museum by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Authors Scott .C Pedersen, Gary G. Kwiecinski, Hugh H. Genoways, Roxanne J. Larsen, Peter A. Larsen, Carleton J. Phillips, and Robert J. Baker This article is available at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/museummammalogy/ 278 Special Publications Museum of Texas Tech University Number xx69 29 Novemberxx XXXX 20182010 Bats of Saint Lucia, Lesser Antilles Scott C. Pedersen, Gary G. Kwiecinski, Hugh H. Genoways, Roxanne J. Larsen, Peter A. Larsen, Carleton J. Phillips, and Robert J. Baker Front cover: The bats of Saint Lucia (from upper left to lower right): (row 1) Monophyllus plethodon, Brachyphylla cavernarum, Sturnira paulsoni; (row 2) Artibeus jamaicensis × schwartzi, Ardops nichollsi, Pteronotus davyi; (row 3) Noctilio leporinus, Molossus molossus, and Tadarida brasiliensis. Photographs by Gary G. Kwiecinski. Pedersen, Kwiecinski, Genoways, Larsen, Larsen, Phillips, and Baker in Special publications, Museum of Texas Tech University, no. 69. Copyright 2018, the authors. Used by permission. Open access publication. SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS Museum of Texas Tech University Number 69 Bats of Saint Lucia, Lesser Antilles SCOTT C. PEDERSEN, GARY G. KWIECINSKI, HUGH H. GENOWAYS, ROXANNE J. LARSEN, PETER A. LARSEN, CARLETON J. PHILLIPS, AND ROBERT J. BAKER Layout and Design: Lisa Bradley Cover Design: Gary G. Kwiecinski Production Editor: Lisa Bradley Copyright 2018, Museum of Texas Tech University This publication is available free of charge in PDF format from the website of the Natural Sciences Research Laboratory, Museum of Texas Tech University (nsrl.ttu.edu). The authors and the Museum of Texas Tech University hereby grant permission to interested parties to download or print this publication for personal or educational (not for profit) use. Re-publication of any part of this paper in other works is not permitted without prior written permission of the Museum of Texas Tech University. This book was set in Times New Roman and printed on acid-free paper that meets the guidelines for per- manence and durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources. Printed: 29 November 2018 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Special Publications of the Museum of Texas Tech University, Number 69 Series Editor: Robert D. Bradley Bats of Saint Lucia, Lesser Antilles Scott C. Pedersen, Gary G. Kwiecinski, Hugh H. Genoways, Roxanne J. Larsen, Peter A. Larsen, Carleton J. Phillips, and Robert J. Baker ISSN 0149-1768 ISBN 1-929330-36-7 ISBN13 978-1-929330-36-2 Museum of Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX 79409-3191 USA (806)742-2442 BATS OF SAINT LUCIA, LESSER ANTILLES SCOTT C. PEDERSEN, GARY G. KWIECINSKI, HUGH H. GENOWAYS, ROXANNE J. LARSEN, PETER A. LARSEN, CARLETON J. PHILLIPS, AND ROBERT J. BAKER ABSTRACT Eight species of bat have been previously recorded from the island of Saint Lu- cia: Noctilio leporinus, Monophyllus plethodon, Artibeus jamaicensis, Brachyphylla cavernarum, Ardops nichollsi, Sturnira paulsoni, Molossus molossus, and Tadarida brasiliensis. Herein, we add a ninth species to the fauna—Pteronotus davyi. These nine species represent nine genera from four families: Noctilionidae, Mormoopidae, Phyllostomidae, and Molossidae. This fauna includes four trophic guilds: N. lepori- nus (piscivore/insectivore), M. plethodon (nectarivore/pollenivore), A. jamaicensis × schwartzi, B. cavernarum, A. nichollsi, and S. paulsoni (frugivores), and P. davyi, M. molossus, and T. brasiliensis (insectivores). Based on its geographic location, the bat fauna of St. Lucia is enigmatic in regard to species dispersal along the Lesser Antillean archipelago. Natalus stramineus and M. martiniquensis are present on Martinique im- mediately to the north, and Micronycteris buriri, P. fuscus, Glossophaga longirostris, and Artibeus lituratus are found on St. Vincent directly to the south, yet these six species are conspicuously absent on St. Lucia. Moreover, the St. Lucian population of Artibeus resides at the northern edge of a fascinating hybrid zone involving three species, A. jamaicensis, A. planirostris, and A. schwartzi. In light of these observations, we provide a framework for analyzing the biogeographical patterns of the regional fauna to see if there is something about St. Lucia that is unique. We posit that a number of complex geological and ecological factors account for the depauperate bat fauna observed on the island as well as the formation of the Artibeus hybrid zone in the southern Lesser Antilles. Key words: biological invasion, Chiroptera, environmental disruption, hybrid swarm, Mammalia, natural dispersal, natural history, propagule, Pteronotus davyi, reproduction, Saint Lucia, species richness INTRODUCTION The first report of a bat from St. Lucia was by and Genoways 1978). In this study, we added the ninth Dobson (1878) based on an adult male Molossus molos- species to the fauna—Pteronotus davyi. sus in the British Museum (Natural History), which had been purchased from Miss R. Alexander. Subsequently, Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the bats of seven additional species of bat were collected on St. St. Lucia is that the resident population of Artibeus in- Lucia by several individuals, notably: H. S. Branch in cludes hybrids between A. jamaicensis and A. schwartzi 1901 (NMNH) and J. L. Peters in 1925; J. Knox Jones, (P. Larsen et al. 2010). Indeed, the island is located Jr., and C. J. Phillips in 1967 (KU); and J. J. Gulledge at the northern edge of an active hybrid zone among in 1971 (AMNH). Their voucher specimens are well multiple species of Artibeus and therefore traditional reported in the literature (Dobson 1878; Miller 1902, taxonomic assignment of species-level status is prob- 1913a, 1913b; Allen 1908, 1911; Andersen 1908; lematic. The fauna also includes S. paulsoni, a species Shamel 1931; Jones and Schwartz 1967; Koopman endemic to three southern Lesser Antillean islands, 1968; Jones and Phillips 1970; Jones 1978; Swanepoel and A. nichollsi, endemic to the Lesser Antilles but not 1 2 SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS, MUSEUM OF TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY found on the southern islands of Barbados and Grenada. Members of our research team first visited St. Two species—B. cavernarum and M. plethodon—are Lucia 26 to 28 August 1967 when C. J. Phillips and Antillean endemics with geographic ranges extending the late J. K. Jones, Jr., worked two sites in Dauphin from Puerto Rico (Monophyllus appearing only as a and Gros Islet quarters. Subsequently the island was fossil) in the Greater Antilles southward to the islands visited 24 to 26 May 1987, when H. H. Genoways and of St. Vincent and Barbados. Of those species occur- C. J. Phillips focused on the collection of Artibeus near ring on St. Lucia, three (N. leporinus, P. davyi, and M. Marigot Bay. We returned to the island to net additional molossus) have entered the Lesser Antilles directly bats on the following dates: 15 to 20 June 2007; 29 from the South American mainland or via Trinidad, July to 3 August 2008; and 13 to 16 March 2009. It whereas the fourth species (T. brasiliensis) entered the is the combination of these data that we report herein islands from either the west via the Yucatan Peninsula to elucidate the composition and relationships of the or Nicaragua, or from Florida in the north. chiropteran fauna of St. Lucia. METHODS AND MATERIALS Geophysical description of the study area.—The 1766 (Lefort de Latour 1787) and a flurry of phreatic Lesser Antilles is a chain of volcanic islands that lie activity from 1839 to 1843 (Breen 1844). along the eastern edge of the Caribbean plate. This archipelago was initially formed by volcanic eruptions Saint Lucia is located in the Lesser Antilles, a more than five million years ago (Newman 1965; Lind- chain of islands that extends from Sombrero to the north say et al. 2002) and extends from the Greater Antilles, and to Grenada in the south. Saint Lucia is situated in nearly to the coast of South America. Islands in the the southern portion of this archipelago, 33.5 km south southern half of the Lesser Antilles were composed of Martinique and 46 km north of St. Vincent (Fig. 1). primarily of volcanic ejecta (Fig. 1). St. Lucia is 43.5 km long and 22.5 km wide. With a land area of 616 square km, it is one of the larger islands in Saint Lucia was formed approximately 2 mil- the Lesser Antilles. St. Lucia is characterized by very lion years ago, and its geological history has received rugged mountainous terrain, dominated by a central considerable attention (Lindsay et al. 2002). The semi- ridge running almost the full length of the island, slowly circular depression around the Soufrière—the Qualibou rising to Mount Gimie (958 m) in the south.