A recent inventory of the bats of Mozambique with documentation of seven new species for the country
Author
Monadjem, Ara
All Out Africa Research Unit, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Swaziland, Private Bag 4, Kwaluseni, Swaziland
ara@uniswacc.uniswa.sz
Author
Schoeman, M. Corrie
School of Biological and Conservation Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, Republic of South Africa
Author
Reside, April
All Out Africa, P. O. Box 153, Lobamba, Swaziland
Author
P Io, Dorothea V.
Département d’Ecologie et Evolution, Université de Lausanne, Biophore 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
Author
Stoffberg, Samantha
Evolutionary Genomics Group, Department of Botany and Zoology, University of Stellenbosch, Private Bag X 1, Matieland, Stellenbosch, Republic of South Africa
Author
Bayliss, Julian
Mulanje Mountain Conservation Trust (MMCT), P. O. Box 139, Mulanje, Malawi & Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
Author
(Woody) Cotterill, F. P. D.
AEON - Africa Earth Observatory Network, Departments of Geological Sciences, and Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, Republic of South Africa
Author
Curran, Michael
Institute of Biogeography, University of Basel, St. Johanns-Vorstadt 10, CH- 4056, Switzerland Institute of Environmental Engineering, ETH Zurich, HIF C 13, Wolfgang-Pauli-Str. 15, CH- 8093 Zurich, Switzerland Durban Natural Science Museum, P. O. Box 4085, Durban, Republic of South Africa Department of Ecology and Resource Management, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Venda, Private Bag X 5050, Thohoyandou, 0950, Republic of South Africa Corresponding author: E-mail: ara @ uniswacc. uniswa. sz
Author
Kopp, Mirjam
Institute of Biogeography, University of Basel, St. Johanns-Vorstadt 10, CH- 4056, Switzerland Institute of Environmental Engineering, ETH Zurich, HIF C 13, Wolfgang-Pauli-Str. 15, CH- 8093 Zurich, Switzerland Durban Natural Science Museum, P. O. Box 4085, Durban, Republic of South Africa Department of Ecology and Resource Management, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Venda, Private Bag X 5050, Thohoyandou, 0950, Republic of South Africa Corresponding author: E-mail: ara @ uniswacc. uniswa. sz
Author
Taylor, Peter J.
Institute of Environmental Engineering, ETH Zurich, HIF C 13, Wolfgang-Pauli-Str. 15, CH- 8093 Zurich, Switzerland 11 Durban Natural Science Museum, P. O. Box 4085, Durban, Republic of South Africa
text
Acta Chiropterologica
2010
2010-12-01
12
2
371
391
journal article
21491
10.3161/150811010X537963
d8534224-63f8-4837-bff7-f3639a531b3d
1733-5329
3944583
Kerivoula
cf.
phalaena
Thomas 1912
A single adult male of this species was recorded in mid-altitude forest on Mount Mabu. It is smaller than the two Southern African species,
K. lanosa
and
K. argentata
.
The species may be undescribed, or may represent a new record of an existing species (not previously recorded in Southern Africa). The two candidate species in Africa that match the overall size and coloration of this enigmatic specimen are
Kerivoula africana
Dobson 1878
and
K. phalaena
Thomas 1912
. However, the distinction between these two species is unclear based on the original species descriptions.
Hayman and Hill (1971)
discern the two species based on pelage coloration and the number of cusps on the inner, upper incisors (bicuspid in
K. africana
and unicuspid in
K. phalaena
). However, these characters are inconclusive in the Mount Mabu specimen. The specimen exhibits a dark brown coloration both dorsally and ventrally, lacking characteristic grizzling, and has a conspicuous secondary cusp on the inner, upper incisor. However, cranial and external measurements are larger than reported for
K. africana
, and other dental and cranial characters differ (and are more similar to
K. phalaena
). Therefore the specimen may represent an undescribed species, but this requires confirmation with an appropriate sample size of comparative specimens. In any case, this Mount Mabu specimen represents a most interesting discovery for
Mozambique
, and the first record of a
Kerivoula
species in the
africana
/
phalaena
group for Southern Africa as defined by
Monadjem
et al
. (2010)
.
Field measurements: FA (adult male) 27.5 (1), BM (adult male) 3.5 (1)