The Nyctinomops laticaudatus complex (Chiroptera: Molossidae) as revealed by a molecular phylogeny of the genus

The genus Nyctinomops Miller (1902) comprises small to medium sized, large-eared, free-tailed aerial insectivorous bats widely distributed from southern United States to northern Argentina. Five species are currently recognized for the genus: Nyctinomops aurispinosus (Peale, 1848), N. femorosaccus (Merriam, 1889), N. macrotis (Gray, 1839), N. mbopicuare (Barquez et al., 2023) and N. laticaudatus (Geoffroy St.-Hilaire, 1805). At least six subspecies have been historically described for N. laticaudatus including N. l. ferrugineus (Goodwin, 1954), N. l. yucatanicus (Miller, 1902), N. l. europs (Allen, 1899), N. l. macarenensis (Barriga-Bonilla, 1965), and N. l. gracilis (Wagner, 1843) and comprehensive character-based analyses are largely missing to test the variation within these putative populational/species complexes. Here we use three mitochondrial markers (Cytochrome b, Cytochrome oxidase I, and Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase subunit 1), and two nuclear markers (Signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 A and the Recombination activating gene 2) to assess the phylogenetic relationships within Nyctinomops including a dense geographic sample of N. laticaudatus, comprising most of its known geographic distribution. Bayesian analyses recovered a novel phylogenetic hypothesis for the internal relationships of Nyctinomops supporting a non-monophyletic arrangement for N. laticaudatus (stricto sensu) comprising three independent lineages, one corresponding to the subspecies N. l. yucatanicus from USA, Mexico, and Central America, another including the nominate form N. laticaudatus (hereafter N. laticaudatus stricto sensu), and a third lineage with individuals from the Amazon basin. Based on our molecular data the recently described N. mbopicuare is nested in N. laticaudatus s.s. clade and may be a junior synonymous or a subspecies of N. laticaudatus.