A new genus and species of vesper bat from West Africa, with notes on Hypsugo, Neoromicia, and Pipistrellus (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) Author Hutterer, Rainer Author Decher, Jan Author Monadjem, Ara Author Astrin, Jonas text Acta Chiropterologica 2019 2019-12-31 21 1 1 22 journal article 10.3161/15081109ACC2019.21.1.001 39e08df9-a9a6-423a-8af7-58e91e84dcf1 3752833 Parahypsugo bellieri ( De Vree, 1972 ) Bellier’s Pipistrelle Pipistrellus eisentrauti bellieri De Vree, 1972: 412 . Hypsugo eisentrauti bellieri : Heller et al ., 1994: 2–3 . Nycticeinops eisentrauti : Hoofer and Van Den Busche, 2003: 14 , 19, 27, 53; Hoofer et al ., 2006: 982 , 984. Hypsugo ( crassulus ) bellieri : Weber and Fahr, 2007: 92 /93. Pipistrellus crassulus : Fahr, 2013: 617 . Hypsugo crassulus : Decher et al., 2016: 266 . Material examined Holotype , MRAC 35686 , female, skin and skull ( Côte d‘Ivoire , Adiopodoumé ; coll. F. De Vree , 19 November 1969 ); ZFMK-MAM-2008.0299 ( ZFMK-TIS-4905 , -4906, -25943; ZFMK-DNA- 0100417869), female ( Guinea , Simandou , Foko Confluence , 8 March 2008 ); ZFMK-MAM- 2009.0030 (ZFMK-TIS-4545, -4546, -25947; ZFMK-DNA-0100417618 ), male ( Guinea , Simandou , Western Spur Valley , 12 December 2008 ). DM 12616, male ( Liberia , East Nimba Nature Reserve , coll. Ara Monadjem 22 December 2010 , altitude 1,200 m a.s.l. ); DM 13221 , male ( Liberia , East Nimba Nature Reserve , coll. A. M. 31 December 2011 , altitude 900 m a.s.l. ); DM 13222 , male ( Liberia , 10 km west of Mount Nimba , coll. A. M. 8 January 2012 , altitude 420 m a.s.l. ). Comments This species was originally described as a subspecies of Pipistrellus eisentrauti ( De Vree 1972 ) , and subsequently assigned to Hypsugo crassulus ( Heller et al ., 1994 ) , although Koopman et al. (1995) argued to keep both species in Pipistrellus and retain bellieri as a subspecies of P. eisentrauti . The holotype compares well in external and cranium dimensions with other specimens from Guinea and Côte d’Ivoire ( Table 4 ). It is one of two smaller species of Parahypsugo which is known only from the Upper Guinea forest zone in Guinea , Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire . Fahr (2013) discussed it as a subspecies of Pipistrellus crassulus with specimens from seven localities from these countries, but noted that it may represent a distinct species, as did Monadjem et al. (2016) . Happold and Happold (2013) published a drawing of the skull (Fig. 137d) of the holotype of P. bellieri .