First records of Thyroptera lavali (Chiroptera, Thyropteridae) for the Guiana Shield with an updated distribution of Thyroptera species in Venezuela

Abstract

Abstract The genus Thyroptera is composed of small insectivorous bats widely distributed in the Neotropics. Thyroptera lavali is an Amazonian species distributed in lowland rainforests of Peru, Ecuador and Brazil and in the Venezuelan Eastern Llanos. The goal of this study was to document new records of T. lavali for Venezuela and update the geographic distribution of Thyroptera species in that country. Based on specimens deposited in Venezuelan museums, we report the first record of T. lavali for the Guiana Shield and the second record for the Venezuelan Llanos. The external and cranial measurements of the analyzed specimens fall within the range previously reported for T. lavali; likewise, the qualitative characters are similar to what is known for the species. Additionally, derived from a search of records in databases, we report the first specimens of Thyroptera discifera for the Orinoco river basin. We confirm the presence of three species in Venezuela: T. discifera, distributed in the Cordillera de la Costa and Central and Western Llanos; Thryoptera tricolor, occurring in the Andes, Deltaic System and the Guiana Shield and T. lavali, recorded in the Eastern Llanos, Deltaic System and the Guiana Shield.