Carstens, B. C.*; Lundrigan, B. L.: A phylogeny of the American nectar-feeding bats (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae) based on morphological characters.

There are forty-two recognized species of phyllostomid bats that feed primarily on nectar. As pollinators for more than three hundred species of plants the nectar-feeding members of the Phyllostomidae are an important component of neo-tropical ecosystems. We present a phylogeny of thirty-eight species of nectar-feeding bats based on 119 morphological characters. Our data support the Glossophaginae, Phyllonycterinae, and Brachyphyllinae as monophyletic clades, but suggest that nectar-feeding evolved multiple times within the Phyllostomidae. Examinations of skull morphology suggest that there are different adaptations that can facilitate the utilization of nectar as a resource in phyllostomid bats.