Micronycteris

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 : 62

Micronycteris

As discussed previously under the account for Glyphonycteris , the genus Micronycteris as traditionally defined by Sanborn (1949) and by most subsequent authors is not monophyletic. Peffley et al. (MS) consequently recommended that the subgenera of Micronycteris recognized by Simmons (1996b) be elevated to generic rank to achieve a monophyletic classification. This change results in recognizing four genera in addition to Micronycteris sensu stricto: Glyphonycteris (including behnii , daviesi , and sylvestris ), Lampronycteris (for brachyotis ), Neonycteris (for pusilla ), and Trinycteris (for nicefori ). None of these generic names are new or even recent. Glyphonycteris was proposed by Thomas (1896), and the latter three taxa were proposed as subgenera by Sanborn (1949).

So restricted, Micronycteris is the monophyletic group that Simmons (1996a, 1996b) defined as including M. hirsuta , M. megalotis , M. microtis , M. minuta , M. sanborni , and M. schmidtorum . Below we describe two additional species (one new and one previously considered a nomen dubium) belonging to this clade. Because Simmons (1996b) did not explicitly diagnose Micronycteris sensu stricto, we do so below.

EMENDED DIAGNOSIS OF MICRONYCTERIS : Dorsal fur bicolored (the hairs brown with white bases); pinnae large, rounded distally, connected by notched band of skin (interauricular band) across crown of head; ventral edge of narial horseshoe defined by thick ridge; chin with pair of dermal pads arranged in a ‘‘V’’ with no central papilla; third metacarpal shortest, fifth longest; first and second phalanges of wing digit III subequal in length; first and second phalanges of wing digit IV either subequal or second phalanx shorter than first; rostrum and anterior orbital region not inflated; basisphenoid pits shallow; dental formula I 2/2, C 1/1, P 2/3, M 3/ 3 x 2 = 34; height of upper canine greater than or equal to twice height of inner upper incisor; outer upper incisor in normal position between inner incisor and canine, not excluded from occlusion with lower incisors; P3 not molariform, lingual cingulum and cusp absent; lingual cingulum of P4 with concave outline and raised edge, lingual cusp small or absent; lower incisors bifid; lower premolars aligned in row on mandible, none excluded from toothrow.