An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity
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, Pretoria, South Africa & Hipposideros lamottei & Corresponding author: E-mail: ara @ uniswa. sz
ara@uniswa.sz
Author
Richards, Leigh
Durban Natural Science Museum, P. O. Box 4085, Durban, South Africa
Author
Denys, Christiane
UMR 7205, CNRS, MNHN, EPHE, Sorbonne Université, Paris VI, Institut de Systématique et Evolution de la Biodiversité, Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle, 55 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France
text
Acta Chiropterologica
2016
2016-12-01
18
2
359
375
journal article
21454
10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
14ec50b9-9afa-4b91-94c8-c08bb0dfc7d5
1733-5329
3942481
Micropteropus pusillus
(Peters, 1868)
This was the most commonly captured fruit bat in this study, yet it was not reported from any of the older surveys in the region (
Coe, 1975
; Verschuren, 1977; Wolton
et al
., 1982). The first published mention of the occurrence of this species at Mt
Nimba
was by
Denys
et al
. (2013)
. However, it has been drawn to our attention that two specimens (SMF 87661 and 87682, deposited in the Senckenberg Museum, Frankfurt) of this species
were captured by Wulf Gatter in
1982 and 1988
on the Liberian side of Mt
Nimba
(Jakob Fahr, in litt.), showing that it had been present in this region at least since the late 1980s. It was captured inside and outside of forested habitats on both Liberian and Guinean sides of the mountain from
500 m
to
1,350 m
a.s.l.