Molecular verification of bat species collected in Ecuador: Results of a country-wide survey (original) (raw)
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Mammal research, 2023
Until now, Molossus melini was known only from its type locality, in the south of Santa Fe province, Argentina. Specimens of this species were collected in 2021 from a roost in a Fraxinus tree of the urban woodland of Paraná city, Entre Ríos province, Argentina. Bat identification was made by comparing external and cranial characters and measurements with those reported in the bibliography and corroborated by a phylogenetic analysis based on the cytochrome b gene. Also, multivariate morphometric analyses showed that cranial measurements, but not external ones, are informative enough to discriminate M. melini from the other Molossus species in Argentina (M. currentium, M. fluminensis, and M. molossus). This new record extends the distribution of M. melini from the south of Santa Fe province by 230 km to the northeast and represents the first record of the species in the Espinal ecoregion.
Bats of the tropical lowlands of western Ecuador
In 2001 and 2004, Sowell Expeditions by Texas Tech University (TTU), in collaboration with the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador (PUCE), were carried out to document the bat fauna west of the Ecuadorian Andes. This region of continental Ecuador possesses a unique combination of habitats within the Neotropics due to the confluence of the Chocó–Darién humid forest and the Peruvian–Chilean desert formation. These features combine to produce high levels of species richness and endemism for several taxa, including bats. A total of 1,580 specimens were collected from 16 localities, providing biological and distributional data for 66 species from six families: Emballonuridae, Phyllostomidae, Noctilionidae, Thyropteridae, Vespertilionidae, and Molossidae. Previously unrecognized species in the genera Lophostoma (Baker et al. 2004), Micronycteris (Fonseca et al. 2007), Eumops (Baker et al. 2009), and Thyroptera were identified based on specimens collected during these expeditions. Also, new geographic records for Anoura aequatoris, A. cultrata, Diaemus youngi, Lophostoma brasiliensis, Macrophyllum macrophyllum, Trinycteris nicefori, and Myotis simus were recorded for western Ecuador.
Acta Chiropterologica, 2009
We describe and formally name a species of bonneted bat (genus Eumops), which is a member of the E. glaucinus complex. Closely related species are E. glaucinus, E. ferox, and E. floridanus. The conceptual basis for the description of this species is the Genetic Species Concept with speciation by the Bateson-Dobzhanzky-Muller model. The new species is distinguished from all other species of bats by its unique karyotype (2N = 38, FN = 54), sequence of the mitochondrial cytochrome-b gene, and genetic markers revealed through analysis of Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms. The series from the type locality (Ecuador, Guayas) is comprised of seven specimens. Morphologically, the new species is smaller than E. floridanus and E. glaucinus, but is indistinguishable from E. ferox. The new species is significantly smaller in size than E. glaucinus in six out of eight measurements and is distinguishable from E. glaucinus based on length of maxillary toothrow and zygomatic breadth. The geographic range of E. wilsoni, as currently documented, is the dry forests of southwestern Ecuador and adjacent northwestern Peru. We propose the common name for this species be Wilson's bonneted bat.
2017
Mormoops megalophylla is a cave-dwelling bat distributed from southern United States across Central America to northern Peru. Its conservation status at a global level is of Least Concern, according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species; in Ecuador, however, it is included under the Vulnerable category due to the threats faced by the only two viable populations known. Individuals from each locality (Carchi and Pichincha) were captured and marked. The D-loop of the mitochondrial control region was obtained from wing membrane tissue samples, in order to analyze the geographic distribution of nucleotide and haplotype diversity of the populations, as well as gene flow between them. The molecular variation within and between populations was evaluated through a molecular variance analysis. A high haplotype diversity and a low nucleotide diversity were observed. The gene-flow estimator revealed that Carchi and Pichincha make up a single population coming from a single lineage. The net...
A new species of mastiff bat (Chiroptera, Molossidae, Molossus ) from Guyana and Ecuador
Mammalian Biology, 2018
We describe a new species of mastiff bat in the genus Molossus (Molossidae), which was previously confused with the common and widely distributed M. molossus, from Guyana and Ecuador based on morphological and molecular differences. It is diagnosed by the following set of morphological characteristics: bicolored dorsal pelage, rounded anterior arch of the atlas, triangular occipital bone, and smaller body and skull size. In a molecular phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA, maximum likelihood and parsimony trees recovered eight clades in the genus and a polyphyletic relationship for the M. molossus species complex. The new species was recovered in a well-supported clade that can be genetically distinguished from other species in the genus by its high level of sequence divergence based on the mitochondrial CO1 gene (8.0-10.1%) and on the nuclear gene beta fibrinogen (1.0-3.1%). It is broadly sympatric with M. molossus sensu stricto in northern South America, but morphologically distinct and genetically divergent.
Unveiling the Hidden Bat Diversity of a Neotropical Montane Forest
PLOS ONE, 2016
Mountain environments, characterized by high levels of endemism, are at risk of experiencing significant biodiversity loss due to current trends in global warming. While many acknowledge their importance and vulnerability, these ecosystems still remain poorly studied, particularly for taxa that are difficult to sample such as bats. Aiming to estimate the amount of cryptic diversity among bats of a Neotropical montane cloud forest in Talamanca Range-southeast Central America-, we performed a 15-night sampling campaign, which resulted in 90 captured bats belonging to 8 species. We sequenced their mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and screened their inter-and intraspecific genetic variation. Phylogenetic relations with conspecifics and closely related species from other geographic regions were established using Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian inference methods, as well as median-joining haplotype networks. Mitochondrial lineages highly divergent from hitherto characterized populations (> 9% COI dissimilarity) were found in Myotis oxyotus and Hylonycteris underwoodi. Sturnira burtonlimi and M. keaysi also showed distinct mitochondrial structure with sibling species and/or populations. These results suggest that mountains in the region hold a high degree of endemicity potential that has previously been ignored in bats. They also warn of the high extinction risk montane bats may be facing due to climatic change, particularly in isolated mountain systems like Talamanca Range.
DNA barcoding of bats (Chiroptera) from the Colombian northern region
Mammalia, 2020
Bats are mammals of great ecological and medical importance, which have associations with different pathogenic microorganisms. DNA barcoding is a tool that can expedite species identification using short DNA sequences. In this study, we assess the DNA barcoding methodology in bats from the Colombian Northern region, specifically in the Córdoba department. Cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene sequences of nine bat species were typified, and their comparison with other Neotropic samples revealed that this marker is suitable for individual species identification, with ranges of intra-species variation from 0.1 to 0.9%. Bat species clusters are well supported and differentiated, showing average genetic distances ranging from 3% between Artibeus lituratus and Artibeus planirostris, up to 27% between Carollia castanea and Molossus molossus. C. castanea and Glossophaga soricina show geographical structuring in the Neotropic. The findings reported in this study confirm DNA barcoding usefulness for fast species identification of bats in the region
2011
My family has continuously provided me with the highest motivation to conduct this research through their love and confidence. As a first generation college student pursuing graduate studies overseas, every achievement, publication, and scholarship tastes sweeter. I am glad to know that to my family those accomplishments taste even sweeter. This thesis is dedicated to the loving memory of my grandmother Mamá Guillo.
Caribbean Island Zoogeography: A New Approach Using Mitochondrial DNA to Study Neotropical Bats
1989
Genetic analysis of animal mitochondrial DNA is a new and valuable addition to the battery of techniques available to zoogeographers. This paper describes characteristics of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) that make it applicable for the study of island zoogeography. Some traditional zoogeographic questions are examined using mtDNA from the Neotropical fruit bat, Artibeus jamaicensis. The specific questions are: 1) To what extent are island populations isolated (that is, does interbreeding occur between the insular subspecies)? 2) Can a single founding female account for the mitochondrial genomes on specific islands in the Antilles? 3) Is there a correlation between the genomic diversity of an island population and the size of the island or the distance from the mainland? The mitochondrial genome in Artibeus jamaicensis is approximately 16,000-16,500 base pairs. Three major mtDNA groups (designated J, SV, and G), separated by 8 to 17.2 percent divergence in nucleotide sequence, were ident...