Platyrrhinus helleri (Peters)

Simmons, Nancy B. & Voss, Robert S., 1998, The mammals of Paracou, French Guiana, a Neotropical lowland rainforest fauna. Part 1, Bats, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 237, pp. 1-219 : 119

Platyrrhinus helleri (Peters)

VOUCHER MATERIAL: 9 females (AMNH *266254, *267182, *267551, *267554, *267555, *268540; MNHN *1995.1187, *1995.1188, *1995.1189) and 5 males (AMNH *267179, *267550, *268541, *268542; MNHN *1995.1190); see table 44 for measurements.

IDENTIFICATION: A key to the species of Platyrrhinus was provided by Ferrell and Wilson (1991), and Anderson (1996) helpfully reviewed characters distinguishing P. helleri from P. brachycephalus (see also Rouk and Carter, 1972). Other useful descriptions and measurements of P. helleri can be found in Sanborn (1955), Goodwin and Greenhall (1961), Husson (1962, 1978), Gardner and Carter (1972), Rouk and Carter (1972), Swanepoel and Genoways (1979), Brosset and Charles­Dominique (1990), and Anderson (1997). Two subspecies of P. helleri are currently recognized, of which P. h. incarum ranges throughout Amazonia, including the Guianas (Koopman, 1994).

Our Paracou specimens conform closely with previous descriptions of Platyrrhinus helleri . Although some populations (e.g., in Bolivia; Anderson, 1996) exhibit variation in the number of accessory cusps present on the anterior margin of the second lower premolar, all of our vouchers have only a single accessory cusp in this location. Measurements of the Paracou series (table 44) fall within the range of variation previously reported for P. h. incarum.

FIELD OBSERVATIONS: We captured 14 individuals of Platyrrhinus helleri at Paracou, of which 11 were taken in ground­level mistnets and 3 in elevated mistnets. Four groundlevel captures were in well­drained primary forest, one in swampy primary forest, two in creekside primary forest, two in manmade clearings, and two over roadside puddles. The three elevated net captures were made between 6 and 21 m above a narrow dirt road.