Ectophylla

Phylogenetic relationships between Ectophylla, Mesophylla, and Vampyressa have been the subject of much debate in the literature. Most workers have retained all three as distinct genera (e.g., Hall, 1981; Koopman, 1993, 1994), but some authors have considered Mesophylla to be a junior synomym of Vampyressa (e.g., Owen, 1987) or of Ectophylla (e.g., Goodwin and Greenhall, 1962; Handley, 1976). Recently, Peffley et al. (MS) found strong support for a sistergroup relationship between Ectophylla and Mesophylla, both of which are monotypic, and argued that Ectophylla alba H. Allen (1892) and Mesophylla macconnelli Thomas (1901a) should be placed in a single genus to reflect this relationship. We therefore use the older generic name for both species, and provide a formal diagnosis for Ectophylla as so defined.

EMENDED DIAGNOSIS OF ECTOPHYLLA: Size small (weight less than 11 g and forearm length less than 35 mm); dorsal and ventral fur pale buff, grayish white, or white; no white facial stripes or middorsal stripe; skin of noseleaf, ears, and thumb bright yellow; ventral border of narial horseshoe defined by a free flap of skin; uropatagium short, naked, translucent; length of calcar less than onehalf length of hindfoot; dental formula I 2/2, C 2/2, P 2/2, M 2/2–3 x 2 = 28–30; rostrum approximately three­fourths the length of the braincase; rostrum not inflated and without a deep depression or long nasal emargination; interpterygoid space not extended by a deep palatal emargination; inner upper incisors elongate, unworn crown height more than twice that of outer incisors; inner upper incisors not deeply bifid; m1 without posterolingual cusp (crown resembles that of last premolar); lingual cusps of m2 vestigial or absent.