Phylogenetics and biogeography of least sac-winged bats (Balantiopteryx) based on morphological and molecular data

Abstract

Summary A phylogeny of least sac-winged bats (Balantiopteryx) was constructed from morphological data, and molecular data derived from mapped restriction cleavage sites of the 2,400 base pair mtDNA gene region including ND3, ND4L, and ND4. Separate and combined phylogenetic analyses each gave single most-parsimonious solutions with a well supported topology of (B. plicata, (B. io, B. infusca)). Incorporating current distribution patterns and habitat preferences with our phylogeny and estimates of divergence suggests that speciation within Balantiopteryx occurred in the Late Miocene prior to the establishment of the Isthmian Link between South and North America. Based on the premise that the genus arose in insular South America, we hypothesize that ancestral Balantiopteryx dispersed overwater to Middle America and that B. plicata subsequently diverged in the dry Pacific versant of Middle America after tectonic uplifting. B. io and B. infusca subsequently speciated allopatrically in the wet Atlantic versant of southern Mexico and northern Central America, and in the Pacific versant of southwestern Colombia and northwestern Ecuador, respectively, prior to the present land connection between North and South America.