First record of Glyphonycteris sylvestris, Thomas1896 (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae: Glyphonycterinae) for Argentina with comments on its karyotype

Abstract

Glyphonycteris is poorly known genus of bats that inhabit lowlands and forested mountains of Central and South America. This genus comprises three nominal species, with G. sylvestris being the most widely distributed species in South America. The karyological data previously available for this genus are restricted to those resulting from conventional staining techniques applied to a few specimens from Surinam. Here, we report the first record of G. sylvestris in Argentina extending its southern distribution. Moreover, our new locality represents the seventh record from the Atlantic Forests Biome and the first from Araucaria Moist Forest ecoregions. Our specimen overall exhibits the diagnostic characteristics described for the species except for some differences in the distribution of hairs on the wings and limbs. The fecal sample obtained from our specimen contained only seeds of Piper aduncum. The karyotype was 2n = 22 with a FN = 42; the analysis of fluorochrome banding patterns in the chromosomal pericentromeric regions shows DAPI (4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole) positive blocks in pairs 5 and 8, whereas pericentromeric regions stained with CMA3 (Chromomicine A3) are positive in pairs 1, 2, 3, 4 and 11. Moreover, the interstitial region of chromosomes shows DAPI and CMA3 positive blocks in pairs 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. These karyological data are novel to G. sylvestris, contributing to the scarce knowledge of the genus. Thus, filling blanks of information and enabling further comparative chromosome analysis.