KU 106291, [Male] 38.2 18.8 16.1 11.5 10.9 9.4 3.8 6.6 8.3
KU 106290, [Female] 39.6 17.4 15.0 11.0 10.5 9.1 3.6 6.0 7.7
KU 106293, [Female] 37.2 17.3 14.8 10.7 10.2 9.0 3.5 5.7 7.8
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The localized and presumably highly inbred populations may have
diverged morphologically, in some cases at least, to a degree that
mensural differences can be demonstrated even between samples from the
same general geographic area. Localized variation and relatively marked
secondary sexual variation (unrecognized by some earlier workers),
superimposed on geographic variation, have resulted in application of a
relatively large number of names to these small _Molossus_. Felten
(1957:13-14), for example, apparently used different specific names for
males and females from El Salvador, and Gardner (1966) employed three
different specific names for North American specimens. Only when
material is available for a detailed study of variation throughout the
Neotropics can the perplexing mosaic of characters in these small
_Molossus_ be assessed adequately.
We have seen no specimens from Nicaragua that are identifiable as
_Molossus bondae_, another relatively small species that has been
reported from Greytown (Miller, 1913a:89) and from elsewhere in Central
America by other authors (Goodwin, 1942c:145; Handley, 1966b:772;
Gardner _et al._, 1970:727). Our examination of the female holotype of
_M. bondae_ reveals that it is larger than _M. molossus_, corresponding
in size to females recently reported from Costa Rica by Gardner _et
al._ (_loc. cit._), and that _bondae_ has dark-based hairs. The two
males reported by Goodwin (_loc. cit._) from Honduras as _bondae_,
would seem to be too small for that species, based on the measurements
listed; also, these specimens allegedly have white-based hairs and
probably represent _M. molossus_ as here defined.