Evolutionary history of Caribbean species of Myotis, with evidence of a third Lesser Antillean endemic

Abstract

a b s t r a c t Currently, four species of Myotis are known from the islands of the Caribbean (Myotis dominicensis, M. martiniquensis, M. nesopolus, and M. nigricans). Myotis dominicensis and M. martiniquensis are endemic to the Lesser Antilles, whereas M. nesopolus and M. nigricans are considered conspecific with mainland populations. Recent phylogenetic and phylogeographic studies provided hypotheses regarding the origin and diversification of M. dominicensis and M. martiniquensis.However, these studies focused primarily on convergent morphology or distribution patterns of this genus and not on the evolutionary history of Caribbean Myotis. Here, we explore variation across multiple datasets generated from Caribbean Myotis. We present morphologic and genetic (mitochondrial and nuclear) data from an extensive sample of Caribbean Myotis species, including the previously unsampled taxa M. martiniquensis nyctor and M. nesopolus. Our data indicate that the historically recognized subspecies M. m. nyctor is genetically and morphologically distinct from M. martiniquensis, warranting recognition of a third Caribbean endemic-Myotis nyctor. Moreover, we provide evidence of unrecognized species-level variation in Caribbean and northern South American populations of Myotis.

Staat van de natuur van Caribisch Nederland 2017 : een eerste beoordeling van de staat (van instandhouding), bedreigingen en managementimplicaties van habitats en soorten in Caribisch Nederland

“…longirostris waargenomen (Rojer, conceptrapport, in Smith et al, 2012 DCNA, 2014;De Lannoy, 2013). Ook Little Brown Bat (Myotis nesopolus) ligt genetisch dicht bij de ZuidAmerikaanse populatie (Larsen et al, 2012 …”

Review ofMyotis(Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae) from Northern South America, Including Description of a New Species

“…Recently, several new species have been described, most of them within the M. nigricans (Schinz, 1821) complex (Moratelli and Wilson, 2011a;Larsen et al, 2012a). Nevertheless, even after the removal of these species, M. nigricans remains one of the most widely distributed New World myotine bats.…”

Roosting under tree leaves in Schwartz’s Myotis (Chiroptera)

“…Schwartz's Myotis (Myotis martiniquensis) is an uncommon endemic of the island of Martinique (Larsen et al, 2012;Pedersen et al, 2013). What little is known about its natural history remains largely unpublished (Larsen, 2016).…”

“…What little is known about its natural history remains largely unpublished (Larsen, 2016). It is often said to be a cave-roosting species (Timm and Genoways, 2003) based on records from Barbados, but the Barbados population is now known to represent a different species, the Nyctor Myotis (M. nyctor LaVal & Schwartz, 1974) (Larsen et al, 2012).…”

“…Geographic coordinates and elevation were determined post hoc using Google Earth. Species identification considers that Schwartz's Myotis is the only Vespertilionid bat on Martinique (Larsen et al, 2012). Two Vespertilionid species that occur on adjacent islands have never been recorded as vagrants outside their known ranges.…”