Cryptic diversity and range extension in the big-eyed bat genus Chiroderma (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae)

Since the last systematic review ofChiroderma(big-eyed bats) more than two decades ago, we report on biodiversity surveys that expand the distribution and species diversity of this Neotropical genus. The Caribbean endemic speciesChiroderma improvisumis documented for the first time from Nevis in the northern Lesser Antilles. A broader geographic sampling for a molecular analysis identifies a paraphyletic relationship inChiroderma trinitatumwith respect toChiroderma doriae. Cis-Andean populations ofC. trinitatumare most closely related to the morphologically distinctive and allopatrically distributedC. doriaein the Cerrado and Atlantic Forest of Brazil and Paraguay. The sister taxon to this grouping includes trans-Andean populations ofC. trinitatum, which we recommend to elevate to species status asC. gorgasi. This is an example of a cryptic species becauseC. gorgasiwas previously considered morphologically similar toC. trinitatum, but more detailed examination revealed that it lacks a posterolabial accessory cusp on the lower second premolar and has a narrower breadth of the braincase. We provide an amended description ofChiroderma gorgasi.