Sturnira mordax

DIAGNOSIS. Relative to sympatric S. ludovici, with which it may be mistaken, S. mordax (Fig. 1) is larger in most external and cranial measurements (McCarthy et al., in press; T. J. McCarthy, in litt.). For example, average length of forearm (McCarthy et al., in press) is 46.0 and 46.8 mm for 55 female and 44 male S. mordax, respectively, compared with 43.1 and 43.8 mm for 25 female and 26 male S. ludovici, respectively. Greatest length of skull for the same individuals is 23.6 and 24.3 mm for female and male S. mordax compared with 22.1 and 22.9 mm for female and male S. ludovici. Thirteen of 17 cranial measurements are significantly larger in S. mordax than in S. ludovici. Only mastoid breadth, depth of braincase, postpalatal length, and height of coronoid process do not differ significantly between the 2 species (McCarthy et al., in press). Skull of S. mordax is long and narrow (Fig. 2) compared to that of S. lilium or S. ludovici. Compared to S. ludovici, canines of S. mordax are large and massive, whereas upper molars are narrow and small. Fur of dorsum and venter is the same color in S. mordax (McCarthy et al., in press), whereas dorsum is darker than venter in S. ludovici.