Notes on the Occurrence of Morphological and Color Aberrations in Bats From Oklahoma, Missouri, and Mexico

Abstract

Eptesicus fuscus (2). Polydactyly usually does not decrease survival unless it is associated with other abnormalities (2). A polydactylous male Myotis velifer was collected on 24 October 1986, in the Selman Cave system, Woodward Co., Oklahoma from a cluster of approximately 150 hibernating individuals. This is the first report of polydactyly in this species. The bat had two left pollexes and six toes on each hind foot (Fig. 1). The right wing was structurally normal. X-rays and dissection revealed that each pollex consisted of two phalanges with the extra thumb extended medially from near the joint of the main thumb and the first metacarpal. The supernumerary toes were determined to be third digits. Each articulated with an additional metatarsal which occluded somewhat medially with the middle cuneiform bones. The bat appeared normal in other respects and was