A new species of horseshoe bat of the genus Rhinolophus from China (Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae)

A new species of the Rhinolophus philippinensis group (Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae) is described from Guangdong, Guangxi, and Jiangxi Provinces in China. Rhinolophus huananus n. sp. is characterized by the horseshoe, as well as by external and cranial characteristics that separate it at the species level from the other members of the philippinensis group. One of the small species of the philippinensis group, R. huananus is intermediate in size between smaller R. siamensis and larger R. macrotis.     

Development of 19 polymorphic microsatellite loci for the intermediate horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus affinis (Rhinolophidae, Chiroptera)

The intermediate horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus affinis) is a widespread species in Southeast Asia. We developed 19 novel microsatellite loci from an enriched genomic library of the bat, and tested their polymorphism using a single population from Guangdong province, southern China. The number of alleles ranged from 3 to 15 per locus with the expected and observed heterozygosity ranging from 0.397 to 0.920 and 0.280–0.926, respectively. Three markers significantly deviated from the Hardy-Weinberg expectations after Bonferroni correction and no linkage disequilibrium was detected in any of loci. These microsatellite loci will be useful in studying the phylogeography of this species.     

Microsatellite loci for the greater horseshoe bat,Rhinolophus ferrumequinum (Rhinolophidae,Chiroptera) and their cross‐utility in 17 other bat species

We have isolated 14 polymorphic greater horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum microsatellite loci. The number of alleles varied from two to 12 in 58 individuals. These loci will be used to assign paternity in order to characterize patterns of breeding and reproductive success in a wild R. ferrumequinum population. Loci were also tested in 17 other bat species. Twelve loci cross‐amplified in other species and three loci were polymorphic in all eight Rhinolophus species tested.     

Characterization of 14 polymorphic microsatellite loci for the lesser horseshoe bat,Rhinolophus hipposideros (Rhinolophidae,Chiroptera)

Fourteen polymorphic microsatellites isolated in the lesser horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus hipposideros, are described. A subset of eight loci successfully coamplified in a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and allowed to confirm that expected heterozygosity was relatively high for the eight loci (0.56–0.83). This set of eight microsatellites indeed permits to build genetic tags that distinguish all individuals in colonies consisting of up to more than 1000 individuals.     

The complete mitochondrial genome of the greater horseshoe bat subspecies, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum korai (Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae)

The total length of the mitogenome of Rhinolophus ferrumequinum korai is 16,839?bp with a total base composition of 31.8% A, 25.4% T, 28.7% C, and 14.0% G. The mitogenome consists of 13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNA (12S and 16S RNA) genes, 22 tRNA genes, and 1 control region.     

中国大陆菊头蝠科一新纪录——单角菊头蝠(Rhinolophus monoceros Andersen,1905)

During a survey of bat species diversity from July 2008 to February 2009 in Songtao county of Guizhou Province, one specimen of Rhinolophus was collected from Guizhou. It was identified as a Formosan lesser horseshoe bat, based on the following features: small body size, forearm length of 36. 3mm, the greatest length of skull was 15.16 mm, the cells of lancet were shorter and appeared triangular and showed an acute angle, and forward bending, the lancet was shorter and approximately triangular and had a narrow top, the anterior median swellings of the skull were higher and more vertical, the rear of the sagittal crest was thin, the upper molars were shorter and the length of C~1 - M~3 was 5. 36 mm, the width of M~3 M~3 was 5.24 mm. Rhinolophus monoceros, which is new record in Guizhou and the first found on the Chinese mainland, supports Simmons' prediction that Rhinolophus monoceros may occur in the south of China.     

Molecular systematics and biogeography of the bent-wing bat complex Miniopterus schreibersii (Kuhl, 1817) (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae)

The complete mitochondrial ND2 gene (1037 bp) was sequenced to examine relationships within the bent-wing bat complex, Miniopterus schreibersii (Family Vespertilionidae). It was found that M. schreibersii is a paraphyletic assemblage comprising several species. Two major lineages were identified, one of which was restricted to the Palearctic-Ethiopian regions and the other to the Oriental-Australasian regions. This pattern of differentiation was mirrored by the genus as a whole. Speciation and differentiation within the genus Miniopterus appears to have a hierarchical geographical pattern. The earliest divergence corresponds to the Ethiopian-Palearctic and the Oriental-Australasian biogeographical zones. This early divergence is then followed by radiations within each of the Ethiopian, Oriental and Australasian regions. The study also revealed that the number of species currently recognized (11 or 13) is a gross underestimate of the number of actual species. The emerging picture is one of a relatively speciose genus with most species having relatively restricted distributions; few, if any, occur in more than one biogeographical region.     

A new species of Rhinolophus (Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae) from China

A new species of the genus Rhinolophus is described from Yunnan Province, southwestern China. The new taxon belongs to the Rhinolophus "philippinensis-group" and is distinguished by differences in the nose-leaf structures, craniodental characteristics, and bacular features.     

Growth of horseshoe bats (Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae) in temperate continental conditions and the influence of climate

Growth characteristics of three species of horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum, R. euryale and R. mehelyi) were studied in northern Bulgaria, and measurements of cohorts born there in different years were compared interannually. Bulgarian horseshoe bats are usually born in the first 3 weeks of June and start to leave the roost at an age of about 3 weeks. Young horseshoe bats of all three species had attained more than 95% of the adult dimensions at the time when they started to regularly leave the cave to forage on their own in mid of July. Individually marked juvenile R. ferrumequinum reached adult dimensions in most external wing measurements in the first half of August. Accordingly the pooled measurements of all juveniles did not differ anymore from those of adult bats in the second half of August. The same pattern was found in R. mehelyi and R. euryale.We found a clear relationship between the climatic conditions prevailing in each year and the final size of individuals born respectively in those years. Whereas previous studies have addressed climatic effects only on several bat species along their northern limits of distribution, these data provide the first evidence for an influence of climate on the growth of individuals in the centre of the species’ distributions.     

Integrative taxonomy of the Rhinolophus macrotis complex (Chiroptera,Rhinolophidae) in Vietnam and nearby regions

The taxonomic status of Rhinolophus macrotis sensu lato (s.l.) in Vietnam and adjacent territories remains problematic. To address this issue, we performed an integrated study of morphological, acoustic, and genetic characters of R. macrotis s.l. specimens and compared these with sympatric species within the philippinensis group (R. marshalli, R. paradoxolophus, and R. rex). Our results reveal that in addition to a cryptic species of R. macrotis previously found in Jiangxi and Jingmen, China, R. macrotis s.l. in continental Asia includes three further species, namely R. cf. siamensis, R. cf. macrotis, and R. cf. macrotis “Phia Oac.” These four taxa are distinguished from genuine R. macrotis in Nepal and R. siamensis in Thailand by their morphological and/or genetic features. Further taxonomic evaluation of the subspecies of R. macrotis s.l. is needed to determine their affinities with recently recognized cryptic species and to possibly describe new taxa. Our results also show that interspecific divergences in mitochondrial DNA sequences (Cytb and COI genes) among taxa within the philippinensis group (particularly between R. cf. siamensis/R. cf. macrotis and R. rex/R. paradoxolophus) are significantly lower than those of other morphological groups in the genus. These phylogenetic patterns might be explained by recent allopatric speciation or ancient introgression events among ancestors of the taxa during the Pleistocene. However, further investigations including genetic analyses of nuclear genes are needed to test the latter hypothesis.     

Morphological correlates of echolocation frequency in the endemic Cape horseshoe bat, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rhinolophus capensis</Emphasis> (Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae)

We investigated intraspecific variation in echolocation calls of the Cape horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus capensis, by comparing echolocation and associated morphological parameters among individuals from three populations of this species. The populations were situated in the center and at the western and eastern limits of the distribution of R. capensis. The latter two populations were situated in ecotones between vegetation biomes. Ecotone populations deviated slightly from the allometric relationship between body size and peak frequency for the genus, and there was no relationship between these variables within R. capensis. Nasal chamber length was the best predictor of peak frequency but not correlated with body size. The evolution of echolocation thus appears to have been uncoupled from body size in R. capensis. Furthermore, females used higher frequencies than males, which imply a potential social role for peak frequency. The differences in peak frequency may have originated from random founder effects and then compounded by genetic drift and/or natural selection. The latter may have acted directly on peak frequency altering skull parameters involved in echolocation independently of body size, resulting in the evolution of local acoustic signatures.     

Systematics of the Platyrrhinus helleri species complex (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae), with descriptions of two new species

Platyrrhinus is a diverse genus of small to large phyllostomid bats characterized by a comparatively narrow uropatagium thickly fringed with hair, a white dorsal stripe, comparatively large inner upper incisors that are convergent at the tips, and three upper and three lower molars. Eighteen species are currently recognized, the majority occurring in the Andes. Molecular, morphological, and morphometric analyses of specimens formerly identified as Platyrrhinus helleri support recognition of Platyrrhinus incarum as a separate species and reveal the presence of two species from western and northern South America that we describe herein as new ( Platyrrhinus angustirostris sp. nov. from eastern Colombia and Ecuador, north‐eastern Peru, and Venezuela and Platyrrhinus fusciventris sp. nov. from Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Trinidad and Tobago, northern Brazil, eastern Ecuador, and southern Venezuela). These two new species are sister taxa and, in turn, sister to Platyrrhinus incarum. © 2010 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2010, 159 , 785–812.     

Researching little-known species: the African bat Otomops martiensseni (Chiroptera: Molossidae)

Listed as 'vulnerable' by the International Union for theConservation of Nature, the molossid bat Otomopsmartiensseni occurs widely in Africa and, according to someauthorities, in Madagascar. Apart from a few known cave roosts, there are fewrecords of O. martiensseni, although around Durban, SouthAfrica, the species is common and roosts in buildings. Originally described asthree species, populations of O. martiensseni differsignificantly in size (length of forearm) between East Africa and Durban orMadagascar, but not between Durban and Madagascar. Seventeen buildings used asroosts by O. martiensseni averaged 34.5 ± 15.8years old. In the Durban area, bats entered roosts by landing andcrawling. Roost populations ranged from 7 to 29 individuals, typicallyconsisting of one adult male, several adult females and young (bats withunossified epiphyses), suggesting a harem social structure. The ratio of adultfemales to young was virtually 1:1, and among young the ratio of males:femalesaveraged 2:1. Radio-tracking showed that individuals used several day and nightroosts, and foraged widely in a landscape dominated by sugarcane and urbandevelopment. The echolocation and many social calls of O.martiensseni are readily audible to human observers, allowing anon-contact, low technology method for monitoring the local distribution andactivity of these bats. Although listed as a species of special concern inKwaZulu Natal, there these bats appear to be candidates for inclusion on a'blue' list of species, ones showing stabilized or increasedabundance. We recommend that O. martiensseni be recognizedas a 'flagship' species in the Durban area, r epresenting theresilience of nature.     

Contribution to the Ectoparasite Fauna of Bats (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae,Rhinolophidae) of Crimea

New data are presented on the ectoparasite fauna of several species of vesper and horseshoe bats (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae, Rhinolophidae) of the Crimean Peninsula. In the studied territory, 11 species of ectoparasites (mites and insects) have been collected from 6 bat species; 2 of the ectoparasite species were new to Crimea. Findings of gamasid mites Ichoronyssus scutatus on an unusual host are discussed. The gamasid mite Spinturnix emarginatus (Acari: Mesostigmata: Gamasina) is described for the territory of Russia for the first time.     

Description of a new bat species of the tribe Scotonycterini (Chiroptera,Pteropodidae) from southwestern Cameroon

The tribe Scotonycterini is currently composed of three fruit bat species of the family Pteropodidae (Mammalia, Chiroptera) characterized by white fur patches on the head, specifically around the nose and behind the eyes: Scotonycteris zenkeri, S. ophiodon and Casinycteris argynnis. Herein a new species is described, Casinycteris campomaanensis sp. nov., based on female specimen collected in 2007 near the village Nkoélon-Mvini close to the Campo-Ma’an National Park, southwestern Cameroon. It is readily distinguished from the three other species of Scotonycterini by its body size and craniodental characteristics. Molecular analyses based on the complete mitochondrial cytochrome b gene indicate that the new species is the sister-group to C. argynnis and that the holotype of S. ophiodon is more closely related to Casinycteris than to S. zenkeri, rendering the genus Scotonycteris paraphyletic. Based on these results, morphological characters within the tribe Scotonycterini were reassessed and a new classification is proposed, in which the new species and S. ophiodon are placed in the genus Casinycteris.     

A new species of nectar-feeding bat,genus Lonchophylla,from the Caatinga of Brazil (Chiroptera,Phyllostomidae)

We describe Lonchophylla inexpectata sp. n. from the Caatinga of Brazil. This new species can be distinguished from all known species of Lonchophylla that occur in Brazil by dental traits, cranial size, and fur colour. Specimens of Lonchophylla inexpectata have been misidentified as Lonchophylla mordax; but Lonchophylla inexpectata is a pale-venter species, similar in external appearance to Lonchophylla dekeyseri. We have found Lonchophylla inexpectata in the Caatinga of North-eastern Brazil; Lonchophylla mordax along the eastern border of the Caatinga and in the Atlantic Forest–Caatinga ecotone in North-eastern Brazil; and Lonchophylla dekeyseri in the Cerrado of Mid-western Brazil, in the Brazilian Cerrado–Caatinga ecotone, and as far west as the Cerrado of Bolivia.