Natalus stramineus stramineus, Gray, 1838

G, H H., P, S C., P, C J. & G, L K., 2007, B A, N L A, Occasional Papers of the Museum 270, pp. 1-12 : 7

Natalus stramineus stramineus

Gray 1838

Specimens examined (4).—Cave at the head of Katouche Bay, 1.5 km NE North Hill Village, 1 (NMNH); North Side Estate, 2 (AMNH); The Fountain, 1 (UNSM).

Goodwin (1959) was the first author to note the occurrence of this insectivorous bat on Anguilla when he reported the two specimens in the American Museum of Natural History without specific locality. Goodwin (1959) presented compelling evidence that Antigua should be considered the type locality for Natalus stramineus and thus the appropriate name for populations in the northern Lesser Antilles was N. s. stramineus . These data were re-examined by Handley and Gardner (1990) and Tejedor (2006) who then supported Goodwin’s conclusions. There are conflicting views on the specific relationship among populations of the large funnel-eared bats occurring in the Lesser Antilles, Greater Antilles, and mainland of Mexico and Central America ( Varona 1974; Hall 1981; Koopman 1993; Arroyo-Cabrales et al. 1997).

Dávalos (2005) and Tejedor et al. (2005) presented evidence that unrecognized taxa of Natalus exist within currently named populations in the West Indies. Tejedor (2006) restricted N. stramineus to the northern Lesser Antilles, ranging from Dominica to Anguilla, and in a canonical analysis of external and cranial characters, demonstrated that “the sample from Dominica is morphometrically distinct from that of the remaining islands.” Although Tejedor (2006) did not use it, the name N. s. dominicensis Shamel (1928) is available for the population on Dominica, leaving the nominate subspecies, N. s. stramineus , as the appropriate name to apply to the other populations in the northern Lesser Antilles, including those on Anguilla. Table 1 presents measurements of three male funnel-eared bats from Anguilla.

The specimen from The Fountain was netted along with numerous individuals of B. cavernarum as they emerged from the small entrance to the cavern. The specimen from near Katouche Bay was shot as it flew about in a cave, probably Iguana Cave. The latter individual had testes that measured 3 in length and it weighed 6.2. All four specimens known from Anguilla are males .