A test of macroevolutionary problems with neontological data

--Ricklefs (1980) suggested the use of neontological data to distinguish between puncuated equilibrium and gradualism as modes of evolution. This paper investigates his model and finds it contains oversimplifications that make any test difficult. We modify his model slightly and use it as a limited test of punctuated equilibrium by large morphological shifts at speciation. This test is applied to a data set of 110 species from two families of bats, the Emballonuridae and the Molossidae. We find no evidence of consistently large morphological shifts at the formation of subspecies, species or genera. Cliff A. Lemen. Department of Zoology, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Illinois 60605. Present address: School of L$e Sciences, Manter Hall, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588 Patricia W . Freeman. Department of Zoology, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Illinois 60605. Present address: University of Nebraska State Museum, Nebraska Hall, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588 Accepted: May 4, 1981