A Second Endemic Land Mammal for the Hawaiian Islands: A New Genus and Species of Fossil Bat (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae)

Alan C Ziegler,Nancy B Simmons,Francis G Howarth

doi:10.1206/3854.1

Alan C Ziegler, Nancy B Simmons + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.1206/3854.1

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Abstract

ABSTRACT Located over 3800 km from the nearest continent, the Hawaiian Islands have previously been thought to support only one endemic land mammal, the extant Hawaiian hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus semotus), a taxon that apparently initially dispersed from mainland North America between 10,000 and 7000 years ago. Some uncertainty exists regarding the status of this taxon (i.e., whether or not populations representing more recent invasions of L. cinereus from North America are exchanging genes with the older lineage, and whether or not semotus represents a distinct species), but all researchers agree that hoary bats are the only endemic land mammals extant in the islands today. However, fossil evidence indicates that the Hawaiian Islands once supported another quite different endemic bat species that is now extinct. Skeletal remains of a new genus and species of vespertilionid bat are herein described from various Late Pleistocene and Holocene/Recent deposits on the five largest Hawaiian Islands. The new t...

Highlights

The Hawaiian Islands are one of the most geographically isolated archipelagos in the world
The Hawaiian Islands have never been connected to a continent, and all native plant and animal species are believed to have colonized the archipelago via long-distance dispersal by sea or air
Given that distinguishing between these options was not possible with their data, Russell et al chose to maintain the traditional taxonomy for the Hawaiian hoary bat, treating it as a single taxon distinct at the subspecies level from North American bats and retaining the name Lasiurus cinereus semotus for all Hawaiian populations pending additional studies of nuclear data and gene flow patterns

Summary

INTRODUCTION

The Hawaiian Islands are one of the most geographically isolated archipelagos in the world. Given that distinguishing between these options was not possible with their data, Russell et al chose to maintain the traditional taxonomy for the Hawaiian hoary bat, treating it as a single taxon distinct at the subspecies level from North American bats and retaining the name Lasiurus cinereus semotus for all Hawaiian populations pending additional studies of nuclear data and gene flow patterns. Is to assume that the more distinct clade is semotus, while the Hawaiian individuals with haplotypes more closely related to North American individuals belong to cinereus.” This statement reflects a lack of understand¬ ing of the rules of zoological nomenclature. We maintain the traditional taxonomy for the Hawaiian hoary bat, treating it as a single taxon (Lasiurus cinereus semotus) pending future studies of nuclear genes and gene flow among various populations in the islands. Brief comments on Hawaiian fossil remains referred to Lasiurus cinereus semotus are presented

METHODS AND MATERIALS

Findings

DISCUSSION