AMERICAISr BATS OF THE GENERA MYOTIS AND PIZONYX 177 



Of the technical names aj)plied to this animal before 1850, Ves- 

 pertilio hrasiliensis of Sp:x, 1823, is clearly the oldest, although 

 the exact locality at which the type was obtained is not stated. It 

 was preoccupied by Vespertilio hrasiliensis Desmarest, 1822, a name 

 based on a species of Epteslcus, hence Fischer replaced it by Ves- 

 pertilio spixii in 1829. Meanwhile, however, Wied (1826) had 

 described the species as Y. nigricans. Although no specimens from 

 the plains of the Mojos country, eastern Bolivia, have been seen, 

 it seems clear, from the description of Vespertilio hypothrix D'Or- 

 bigny and Gervais, that the form which occurs in this region is the 

 same as typical nigncan^. Whether or not Temminck's Vespertilio 

 parvulus should be placed in the synonymy of Myotis nigricans 

 is not altogether clear. The description gives little that is diag- 

 nostic. The specimens on which it was based were collected by 

 Natterer in Brazil. Dobson, however, who directly compared an 

 alcoholic specimen of nigricans with Temminck's type of parvulus 

 in the Leiden Museum, considered the animals identical. Another 

 possible synonym is Vespertilio nitetis of Wagner, based on Natterer's 

 drawing. Wagner's figure, however, shows a short tragus, unlike 

 that of any known Myotis. Recently the red phase of Myotis nigri- 

 cans has been named as a small form of M. t^her (J. A. Allen, 1914). 



Several local forms of Myotis nigricans have been described during 

 the past forty years. It is possible that some of them will eventually 

 prove to be worthy of recognition ; but on the basis of the insufficient 

 material now at hand we have found it impossible to frame diagnoses 

 or to map approximate areas of distribution. We have therefore 

 placed the names hondcB^ caucensis, chiriqu£nsis, maripensis, and 

 punensis in synonymy, where they may safely remain until some one 

 provided with adequate series of skins shall be able to show that 

 the forms to which they were applied have an actual independent 

 status. At present we are forced to regard all the material of the 

 kind hitherto referred to the nigricans group from South America 

 and from Central America north to Guatemala as pertaining to the 

 typical race, an animal which varies noticeably in color within 

 rather narrow limits, but which is constantly large in size for the 

 species. Along the extreme northern border of the range of M. 

 nigHcans three small local forms have been developed, one in 

 southern Mexico, and one each on the islands of Curasao and 

 Dominica. 



MYOTIS NIGRICANS NIGRICANS (Wied) 



Vespertilio brasiliensis Spix. Sim. et Vespert. Brasil. Sp. Nov., p. 63, pi. 36, 

 fig. 8, 1823 (not of Desmarest, 1822). 



Vespertilio nigricmis Wied, Beitriige z. Naturg. Brasil, vol. 2, p. 266, 1826. — 

 Fischer, Synopsis Mamm., p. 112, 1829. — Temminck, Monogr. de Mamm., 

 vol. 2, p. 242, 1840. — Schinz, Syst. Verzeich. Saugeth. Oder Synopsis Mamm., 



