Mammalia, Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae, Anoura fistulata : Distribution extension

Nectar feeding bats of the genus Anoura are a common component of the highlands of the Neotropics. Distribution of Anoura species are thought to be primarily influenced by the geologic complexity of the northern portion of South America and particularly by the uplifting of the Andean System (Mantilla-Meluk and Baker 2006). Eight species of Anoura are presently recognized including: A. aequatoris, A. cadenai, A. caudifer, A. cultrata, A. fistulata, A. geoffroyi, A. latidens, and A. luismanueli. All species of Anoura are thought to be present in Colombia where the Andean System reaches its maximum geologic complexity (van der Hammen 1974).

. Distribution extension of A. fistulata. Black dots represent A. fistulata type locality (square) in Ecuador and first confirmed record in Colombia (circle) (FMNH 113512). Sampling localities of A. fistulata from Ecuador were obtained from Muchhala et al. (2005).
Anoura fistulata represents one of the largest forms within the A. caudifer complex and was originally described from the Provincia Zamora Chichipe, Condor Mirador (03°38'8" S, 78°23' 22" W; 1750 m), on the eastern side of the Andes in Ecuador (Muchhala et al. 2005) (Figure 1). Muchhala et al. (2005) extended the distribution of A. fistulata to both sides of the Andes based on specimens from two sampling localities on the western versant of the Ecuadorian Andes and suggested the presence of A. fistulata in Colombia. In previous examination of some of the largest Colombian series of specimens of Anoura from Colombia, including the collections of the Instituto de Ciencias Naturales and the Instituto Alexander von Humboldt in Bogotá, Colombia and the National Museum of Natural History the authors failed to document A. fistulata specimens from Colombia.
We reviewed the series of Colombian Anoura deposited at the Field Museum of Natural History (N= 99). Among the large Anoura a female specimen from the southeastern portion of the Andes of the Department of Nariño (0°49'0.00" N, 77°15'0.00" W) called our attention due to its resemblance to A. fistulata. The above mentioned specimen, catalogued with number FMNH-113512, was collected by Mr. Kjell von Sneidern on 23 May 1970 (collector number 1753), who identified it as A. geoffroyi based on its large forearm and skull lengths in comparison with typical A. caudifer (Figure 2 a- (Figure 2c and 2d). The Anoura specimen from Llorente Colombia has an enlarged keel in the mandible and its upper canines do not have the sulcus typically found in the upper canines of A. cadenai. This specimen constitutes the first confirmed record of A. fistulata for Colombia. At Llorente, Nariño A. fistulata occur in sympatry with A. geoffroyi (FMNH 113449, 113482-92, 114029, and 223492) and A. caudifer (FMNH 113510-113512).

Figure 2. a) Skin and original label of the female
A. fistulata specimen from Llorente Nariño. Colombia FMNH-113512. The specimen was erroneously identified as A. geoffroyi due to its large size in comparison with other Anoura species. b) skull and mandible; c) detail of the enlarged keel of A. fistulata, and d) detail of the canines without sulcus of A. fistulata.

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Our A. fistulata Colombian record represents a significant extension of distribution of the species and constitutes the northernmost known record for this species. In order to better understand habitat preferences of A. fistulata, occurrence patterns were investigated through the generation of a Maximum Entropy niche model of potential distribution (Maxent), following the protocol suggested by Phillips et al. (2006). Sampling localities reported by Muchhala et al. (2005) in addition to the Colombian record presented here in Figure 1 were used as input for the generation of the Maxent model. The resulting model excluded A. fistulata from the Andean piedmont of the Colombian Chocoan Region (occurrence probability less than 30%), considered the preferred habitat of A. cadenai (Mantilla-Meluk and Baker 2006). In our A. fistulata Maxent model areas with occurrence probabilities greater than 50% were restricted to the eastern versant of the Ecuadorian Andes and could explain the apparent rarity of A. fistulata in Colombia (Figure 3).