Molossus molossus ( Pallas, 1766 )

Loureiro, Livia Oliveira, Gregorin, Renato & Perini, Fernando Araujo, 2018, Diversity, morphological phylogeny, and distribution of bats of the genus Molossus E. Geoffroy, 1805 (Chiroptera, Molossidae) in Brazil, Zoosystema 40 (18), pp. 425-452 : 438

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.5252/zoosystema2018v40a18
publication LSID	urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:2E6C5EBA-6376-4016-A1A6-70F7FC8E5AF4
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4382971
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/1320879D-FFB0-FF98-FEEA-FBE96FE6F86B
treatment provided by	Felipe (2020-12-16 21:58:26, last updated 2024-11-27 09:29:47)
scientific name	Molossus molossus ( Pallas, 1766 )
status

Treatment

Molossus molossus ( Pallas, 1766) View in CoL

Vespertílio molossus Pallas, 1766: 49 (type locality America). — Husson 1962: 251 (restricted to Martinique, Antilles).

Vespertilio molossus major Kerr, 1792: 97 (type locality Martinique, Antilles ). — Miller 1913: 90.

Vespertilio molossus minor Kerr, 1792: 97 (type locality Antilles).

Molossus obscurus E. Geoffroy, 1805: 279 View in CoL (type locality: not specified). — Husson 1962: 258 (restricted to Martinique).

Molossus longicaudatus E. Geoffroy, 1805: 279 (type locality: not specified).

Molossus fusciventer E. Geoffroy, 1805: 279 (type locality: not specified). — Husson 1962: 257 (restricted to Martinique).

Molossus crassicaudatus E. Geoffroy, 1805: 279 (type locality: not specified).

Molossus acuticaudatus Desmarest, 1820: 116 (type locality: Brazil).

Dysopes velox Temminck, 1826: 234 (type locality: Brazil).

Molossus moxensis D’Orbigny, 1835 : pl. 11, figs 1- 4 (type locality: Moxos , Beni, Bolivia) .

Dysopes olivaceo-fuscus Wagner, 1847: 202 (type locality: Cuiaba, Mato Grosso, Brazil).

Dysopes amplexicaudatus Wagner, 1847: 203 (type locality: Caiçara, Mato Grosso, Brazil).

Molossus tropidorhynchus Gray, 1839: 6 View in CoL (type locality: Cuba).

Molossus molossus obscurus View in CoL – Peters 1866: 575 (name combination).

Molossus pygmaeus Miller, 1900: 162 View in CoL (type locality: Curaçao, Antilles).

Molossus debilis Miller, 1913: 90 View in CoL (type locality: Saint Kitts, Antilles).

Molossus fortis Miller, 1913: 89 View in CoL (type locality: Luquillo, Puerto Rico).

Molossus daulensis Allen, 1916: 530 (type locality: Daule, Los RIos, Equador, Ceara, Brazil).

Molossus major crassicaudatus – Hershkovitz 1949: 454 (name combination).

Molossus molossus crassicaudatus – Koopman 1978: 21 (name combination).

Molossus molussus – Willig 1985: 671 (misspelling).

Molosus molosus – Polanco-Ochoa et al. 2000: 675 (misspelling).

EMENDED DIAGNOSIS. — Medium-sized Molossus with brown dorsal fur varying from cinnamon to cocoa brown ( Fig. 13 View FIG ). Dorsal hairs noticeably bicoloured, with pale basal band reaching 1/2 to 1/4 of total length of the hair. Forearm length averaging 40.2 mm in males (36.2-42.6) and 39.5 mm in females (36.4-42.6). Greatest length of skull averaging 17.7 mm (16.4-18.7) in males and 16.9 mm (15.6-18.6) in females ( Table 1 View TABLE ). Elongated skull ( Fig. 2A View FIG ) and infraorbital foramen facing anteriorly when observed in frontal view ( Fig. 14B View FIG ). Basioccipital pits moderately deep ( Fig. 14C View FIG ) and mastoid process ventrally oriented ( Fig. 14D View FIG ). Triangular or rounded occipital with underdeveloped lambdoidal crests ( Fig. 14D View FIG ), and low sagittal crest ( Fig. 2B, E View FIG ). Elongate upper incisors with parallel tips ( Fig. 14B View FIG ). Nasal process of pre-maxilla undeveloped, not protruding over the nasal cavity ( Fig. 14E View FIG ).

VARIATION. — Dorsal pelage in M. molossus is highly variable, from cinnamon to cocoa brown. Some individuals have a very dark pelage, while others, mostly young specimens, have a grayish fur. The incisor thickness may also vary within series, going from tapered (AMNH 235285) to moderately wide and somewhat spatulated (AMNH 238351).

DISTRIBUTION. — M. molossus is one of the most widely distributed bat species in the Neotropics, occurring from southeastern United States to Argentina, and throughout the Caribbean islands ( LópezGonzález & Presley 2001). In Brazil, this species has been recorded from the state of Amazonas to Rio Grande do Sul ( Eger 2008). In the present study, we added a new record from Alagoinha, state of Alagoas (Fig. 15).

REMARKS

There is a clear morphometric difference between samples of M. molossus males from state of Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil, and other localities. However, no single qualitative morphological character corroborates the distinction of these samples other than the overall size. Therefore, the difference in size may be an intraspecific variation explained by latitude ( Bergmann 1847; Brown 1995; Ashton et al. 2000; Souza 2011). Future studies analyzing genetic divergence should be made to test the hypothesis that these samples are significantly different from each other.

References

ALLEN J. A. 1916. - New mammals collected on the Roosevelt Brazilian Expedition. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natutal History 35: 523 - 30. https: // www. biodiversitylibrary. org / item / 167523

ASHTON K. G., TRACY M. C. & QUEIROZ A. 2000. - Is Bergmann's rule valid for mammals? American Naturalist 156: 390 - 415.

BERGMANN C. 1847. - Ueber die Verhaltnisse der Warmeokonomie der Thiere zu ihrer Grosse. Gottinger Studien 3: 595 - 708.

BROWN J. H. 1995. - Macroecology. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 284 p.

DESMAREST A. G. 1820. - Mammalogie ou description des especes de mammiferes. Premiere partie, contenant les ordres de Bimans, des Quadrumanes et des Carnassiers, in Encylopedie methodique. Veuve Agasse, Paris: viii + 1 - 276.

EGER J. 2008. - The family Molossidae, in GARDNER A. L. (Ed.), Mammals of South America. Volume 1. The University of Chicago Press: 399 - 439.

LOPEZ- GONZALEZ C. & PRESLEY S. J. 2001. - Taxonomic Status of Molossus bondae J. A. Allen, 1904 (Chiroptera: Molossidae), with description of a new subspecies. Journal of Mammalogy 82 (3): 760 - 774. https: // doi. org / 10.1644 / 1545 - 1542 (2001) 082 <0760: TSO MBJ> 2.0. CO; 2

GRAY J. E. 1839. - Descriptions of some Mammalia discovered in Cuba by W. S. MacLeay, Esq. Annales du Museum d'histoire naturelle 4: 1 - 7. https: // www. biodiversitylibrary. org / part / 36206

HERSHKOVITZ P. 1949. - Mammals of northern Colombia, preliminar report no. 5: Bats (Chiroptera). Proceedings of the United States National Museum 99: 429 - 454.

HUSSON A. M. 1962. - The bats of Suriname. Zoologische Mededelingen Uitgegeven Door Het Rijksmuseum Van Natuurlijke Historie te Leiden 58: 1 - 282.

KERR R. 1792. - The animal kingdom or zoological system, of the celebrated Sir Charles Linnaeus. Class I. Mammalia: Containing a complete systematic description, arrangement, and nomenclature, of all the known species and varieties of the Mammalia, or animals which give suck to their young; being a translation of that part of the systema naturae, as lately published, with great improvements, by Professor Gmelin of Goettingen. Together with numerous additions from more recent zoological writers, and illustrated with copperplates. Edinburgh, A. Strahan, T. Cadell, and W. Creech, xii + l- 32 + 30. 400 p. https: // doi. org / 10.5962 / bhl. title. 57940

KOOPMAN K. F. 1978. - Zoogeography of Peruvian bats with special emphasis on the role of the Andes. American Museum Novitates 2651: 1 - 33.

MILLER G. S. JR. 1900. - A second collection of bats from the island of Curacao. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 13: 159 - 62.

MILLER G. S. JR. 1913. - Notes on the bats of the genus Molossus. Proceedings of the United States National Museum 46: 85 - 92. https: // doi. org / 10.5479 / si. 00963801.46 - 2013.85

PALLAS P. S. 1766. - Miscellanea zoologica quibus novae imprimis atque obscurae animalium species describuntur et observationibus iconibusque illustrantur. Hague Comitum: P. van Cleef xii + 224 p.

PETERS W. 1866. - Uber die brasilianischen, von Spix beschriebenen lederthiere. Monatsberichte der Koniglichen Preussische Akademie des Wissenschaften zu Berlin 1866: 568 - 588. https: // www. biodiversitylibrary. org / item / 41574

SOUZA D. A. S. 2011. - Analise morfometrica de Molossus molossus (Chiroptera, Molossidae) ao longo de um gradiente latitudinal no Brasil. MSc thesis, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil, 74 p.

TEMMINCK C. J. 1826. - Sixieme monographie. Sur le genre molosse. Dysopes (Illig.), in Monographies de mammalogie ou description de quelques genres de mammiferes dont les especes ont ete observees dans les differents musees de l'Europe: 205 - 244. https: // gallica. bnf. fr / ark: / 12148 / bpt 6 k 5800774 n. texteImage

WAGNER J. A. 1847. - Beitrage zur Kenntniss der Saugthiere Amerika's, in Abhandlungen der Mathematisch-Physikalischen Klasse der Koniglich Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften. Munich, Konigliche Akademie der Wissenschaften 5: 121 - 208. https: // doi. org / 10.5962 / bhl. title. 15738

WILLIG M. R. 1985. - Reproductive patterns in bats from caatingas and cerrado biomes of northeast Brasil. Journal of Mammallogy 66: 668 - 81. https: // doi. org / 10.2307 / 1380793

Figures

FIG. 13. — Molossus molossus (Pallas, 1766) skull: A, dorsal view; B, frontal view; C, ventral view; D, posterior view; E, lateral view. Scale bar: 1 mm.

FIG. 2. — Variable characters in skull morphology within Molossus E. Geoffroy, 1805 (Pallas, 1766): A, B, lateral views; C, D, ventral views; E, F, posterior view; H, G, frontal view. Numbers represents characters described in the text: 1, skull robustness; 2, sagittal crest; 3, basioccipital pits; 4, projection of the canines; 5, lambdoidal crest and occipital complex; 6, mastoid process; 7, rostrum shape; 8, infraorbital foramen; 9, upper incisors; 10, nasal process. Not to scale.

FIG. 14. — Molossus molossus (Pallas, 1766). Photo courtesy of Dr Marco A. R. Mello (https://marcoarmello.wordpress.com).

Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Chordata
Class	Mammalia
Order	Chiroptera
Family	Molossidae
Genus	Molossus