University of Kansas Lawrence, Kansas
PRINTED BY HARRY (BUD) TIMBERLAKE, STATE PRINTER
TOPEKA, KANSAS
1964
A New Subspecies of the Fruit-eating Bat,
Sturnira ludovici, from Western Mexico
BY
J. KNOX JONES, JR., AND GARY L. PHILLIPS
The fruit-eating bats of the genus Sturnira are represented on the North American mainland by two species, S. lilium and S. ludovici. The former, in most areas the smaller of the two, is widely distributed in México and Central America and is common in many places. On the other hand, S. ludovici, described by Anthony (1924:8) from near Gualea, Ecuador, generally has been regarded as rare; insofar as we can determine only 20 specimens of the species have been recorded previously from North America (Costa Rica, Honduras, and México).
In 1961 (M. Raymond Lee) and 1962 (Percy L. Clifton), field representatives of the Museum of Natural History collected mammals in western México. Among the bats obtained by them were 23 specimens of S. ludovici, which represent an heretofore undetected subspecies that is named and described below.
Sturnira ludovici occidentalis, new subspecies
Holotype.—Adult female, skin and skull, no. 92798 Museum of Natural History, The University of Kansas, from Plumosas, 2500 feet elevation, Sinaloa; obtained on August 31, 1962, by Percy L. Clifton (original no. 2939).