PHYLOGENY OF PLECOTINE BATS - REEVALUATION OF MORPHOLOGICAL AND CHROMOSOMAL DATA

Recent systematic studies of the tribe Plecotini have generated two al ternative phylogenetic hierarchies: (Barbastella (Corynorhinus (Plecot us (Idionycteris Euderma)))); and (Euderma [including Idionycteris] (B arbastella (Plecotus Corynorhinus))). To test these hypotheses we exam ined 44-45 morphological and 11 karyological characters of 10 plecotin e species, including Otonycteris hemprichii. Character states for the hypothetical ancestor were inferred by evaluation of selected outgroup taxa: Rhogeessa tumida, Nycticeius humeralis, Eptesicus fuscus, Myoti s lucifugus, M. ciliolabrum, and Miniopterus schreibersi. The most par simonious trees, identical in topology but different in character-stat e optimization, were congruent with the systematic hierarchy of Plecot ini suggested by the first hypothesis. Otonycteris branched off before Corynorhinus. These results strongly support separation of Corynorhin us as an independent genus and limitation of Plecotus to Palaearctic s pecies. The two highly derived taxa, Idionycteris phyllotis and Euderm a maculatum, seem to be sufficiently different from each other to be r egarded as generically distinct. It is proposed that the tribe Plecoti ni originated in the eastern hemisphere.