Bat diversity in the Simandou Mountain Range of Guinea, with the description of a new white-winged vespertilionid Author Decher, Jan Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, Leibniz Institute for Animal Biodiversity, Adenauerallee 160, 53113 Bonn, Germany & Corresponding author: E-mail: J. Decher @ zfmk. de echer@zfmk.de Author Hoffmann, Anke Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Invalidenstr. 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany Author Schaer, Juliane Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Invalidenstr. 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany & Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Chariteplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany Author N Orris, Ryan W. Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, Ohio State University, 4240 Campus Dr., Lima, OH 45804, USA Author Kadjo, Blaise Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny, 22 BP 582 Abidjan 22, Côte d’Ivoire Author Astrin, Jonas Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, Leibniz Institute for Animal Biodiversity, Adenauerallee 160, 53113 Bonn, Germany Author Monadjem, Ara All Out Africa Research Unit, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Swaziland, Private Bag 4, Kwaluseni, Swaziland & Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology & Entomology, University of Pretoria, Private Bag 20, Hatfield 0028, Pretoria, South Africa Author Hutterer, Rainer Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, Leibniz Institute for Animal Biodiversity, Adenauerallee 160, 53113 Bonn, Germany text Acta Chiropterologica 2015 2015-12-01 17 2 255 282 journal article 10.3161/15081109ACC2015.17.2.003 470b137b-05b5-468a-b37e-6a315108ecc1 1733-5329 3943621 Miniopterus schreibersii villiersi Aellen, 1956 New material ZFMK 2008.0304 , ♀ , TO , 15 March 2008 ; ZFMK 2008.0305 , ♀ , FR, 18 March 2008 ; ZFMK 2009.0024 , ♂ , W1, 4 December 2008 ; ZFMK 2009.0025, ♀ , WSV, 12 December 2008 ; ZFMK 2009.0029 , ♂ , WSV, 14 December 2008 . Twenty-two individuals of this velvety-furred species were captured making it the third most common bat in 2008. One individual was obtained over the creek at W1, two in the canopy net over the creek at TO, three females in three different nets on the ridge at PF, and 16 individuals in the canopy net over the stream in the WSV. This taxon was described by Aellen (1956) as Miniopterus inflatus villiersi from the Grotte du Marché, Dalaba, Guinea . Miniopterus schreibersii villiersi was recorded on the 2002 RAP by Fahr and Ebigbo (2003), on the 2003 RAP from Mount Béro ( Fahr et al. , 2006 ), and recently from two localities in the Fouta Djallon (Weber and Fahr, 2007 b ), who have argued for its elevation as a separate species, M. villiersi , which in turn would limit M. schreibersii to a circum-Mediterranean and southern Palaearctic distribution. Konstantinov et al. (2000) reported a large colony from the ‘Mangamoria’ cave near Kindia, Guinea . This species uses caves as day roosts and in West Africa appears to prefer montane areas reaching 2,500 m on Mount Cameroon ( Rosevear, 1965 ; Hutterer et al. , 1992 ). Females caught on 15 March 2008 at TO and 18 March 2008 at PF ( ZFMK 2008.0304 + 2008.0305) carried single embryos of 12 and 14 mm crown-rump length, respectively. It most likely also uses caves and rock crevices on the slopes and ridges of the submontane forest at Simandou and travels along the creeks to forage at lower elevations. Conservation status Not yet evaluated as a species separate from M. schreibersii . Near Threatened, as subspecies of M. schreibersii with a decreasing population trend ( IUCN, 2015 ).