_Specimens._--_Boaco_: Santa Rosa, 17 km N, 15 km E Boaco, 300 m,
3. _Carazo_: 3 km N, 4 km W Diriamba, 600 m, 2. _Chinandega_:
Potosi, 5 m, 1; 6.5 km N, 1 km E Cosigueina, 10 m, 1; 4.5 km N
Cosigueina, 15 m, 3; Hda. Bellavista, 720 m, Volcan Casita, 13.
_Chontales_: 1 km N, 2.5 km W Villa Somoza, 330 m, 4. _Granada_:
Finca Santa Cecilia, 6.5 km SE Guanacaste, 660 m, 4. _Matagalpa_:
Finca Tepeyac, 10.5 km N, 9 km E Matagalpa, 960 m, 1. _Nueva
Segovia_: 4.5 km N, 2 km E Jalapa, 680 m, 2; 1.5 km N, 1 km E
Jalapa, 660 m, 2. _Rivas_: 2 km N, 3 km E Merida, 200 m, Isla de
Ometepe, 4; 4 km N, 4 km W Sapoa, 40 m, 1. _Zelaya_: S side Rio
Mico, El Recreo, 25 m, 3.
Only two specimens of this small white-lined species have been reported
previously from Nicaragua--one from 1 km NW La Gatiada, 1300 ft,
Chontales (Davis _et al._, 1964:383), and the other from 3 mi NNW
Diriamba, Carazo (Jones, 1964a:507). This bat was relatively rare in
collections until the last decade or so. Handley (1966b:766) reported
_V. helleri_ as abundant in the lowland areas of Panama, and we found
the same to be true in Nicaragua. We suspect that future investigations
in Middle America will reveal this species to be a common member of
lowland tropical communities. It is known as far north as southern
Veracruz (Carter _et al._, 1966:494).
Most of our specimens were captured in mist nets set over small streams
bordered by gallery forest, or in banana groves. The range of
ecological conditions in which this species was taken is represented by
the semiarid environment of the Cosigueina Peninsula in northwestern
Nicaragua and the humid tropical forest (secondary growth) in the
vicinity of El Recreo in the Caribbean lowlands. Pregnant females were
captured in March, April, June, July, and August, indicating that this
species probably breeds throughout much of the year.