African Bat Conservation News Vol. 27
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Volume 29 African Bat Conservation News November 2012 ISSN 1812-1268 © ECJ Seamark (AfricanBats) - 2009 Above: An adult female Butterfly Bat (Glauconycteris variegata) (ECJS-43/2009) caught at Chitabi, Okavango, Botswana, in 2009. Inside this issue: Observations, Discussions and Updates 2 Comment on observation 24: Fourth observation ofGlauconycteris superba from the Democratic 2 Republic of the Congo Four new Horseshoe Bats species discovered 3 Recent Literature 5 Notice Board 17 Download and subscribe to African Bat Conservation News published by AfricanBats at: www.Africanbats.org The views and opinions expressed in articles are no necessarily those of the editor or publisher. Articles and news items appearing in African Bat Conservation News may be reprinted, provided the author’s and newsletter reference are given. African Bat Conservation News November 2012 vol. 29 2 ISSN 1812-1268 Observations, Discussions and Updates COMMENT ON OBSERVATION 24: FOURTH OBSERVATION OF GLAUCONYCTERIS SUPERBA FROM THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO ERICK THORN 1164 St. Patrick Street, Victoria, B.C. V8S4Y4, Canada, e-mail: [email protected] I was fascinated by the observation and photographs by Guy- a newly fledged young (caught in his net) and/or a slight error Crispin TUNGALUNA (2012) of his captured black and cream in the measurement. The few specimens of G. superba range bat from D.R. Congo, and having myself seen most of the in forearm from 46 to 47.5 mm. The specimens known in the relevant bat type specimens of this pattern felt that I could add G. egeria/alboguttatus complex, including those reported by a little to the discussion. Hayman and Hill 1971 from Yangambi (D.R.Congo) and Lunde In my recent “Small Mammals of Uganda’’ I showed skin et al., 2001, range in forearm from 35 to 41.5. and skull of a recently found similar black and white form from One brief postscript. My longtime friend Robert Bateman, Uganda (unfortunately both my illustrations were disastrously a celebrated painter of wildlife and an alert naturalist taught reduced in size). Specimens of this from Budongo Forest school in southeastern Nigeria from 1963 to 1965. One night (Uganda) are in Royal Ontario Museum, and Los Angeles after a siege by army ants, a small bat, “blue black with white County Museum of Natural History, also in ROM are specimens marks on her back fell from the ceiling. She had a baby at her from southern Cameroun. These were keyed by Peterson breast and the two of them were covered with army ants. I and Smith in 1973, and vaguely referred to as “Glauconycteris used tweezers to break off the heads of the ants and after half superba” in KINGDON (1974: 300). However both size and an hour I freed the bats, although they were in bad shape. If pattern seem to set them apart from G. superba superba they recovered they would fly away during the night, if they died Hayman, 1939 (p. 219) and from G. s. sheila Hayman, 1947 (p. I would add them to a refrigerator full of animals I’d collected for 547), and in ROM they were classified as G. egeria Thomas, various museums. The next morning they were gone. A friend 1913 (p. 144). ROM Curator of Mammals and outstanding of mine who was an expert in this field (told me that they were chiropterologist the late Randolph Peterson took his specimens probably) Mrs. Cansdale’s bat (G. superba sheila) of which to London, and compared them with the somewhat damaged there were only two known specimens” (R. Bateman 1988). alcoholic type specimen of egeria Thomas 1913. But it might have been in egeria/alboguttatus group. Despite the absence of any whitish spots on the Bibundi (Cameroun) type specimen, Peterson was convinced that his were conspecific with it. Budongo egeria are jet black, with References. white spots, sometimes merged as lines, along the outer edges ALLEN, J.A. (1917). Part I. Systematic List. In: Allen, J.A., Lang, H. & Chapin, J.P.: The American Museum Congo Expedition Collection of of the dorsum, some with white-rimmed ears; forearms are 38 Bats. Bul. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 37 (18): 405 - 496. mm., skulls 13.0 to 13.1. Ones from Cameroun were brown with white markings. EGER, J.A. and SCHLITTER, D.A. (2001). A new species of Glauconycteris from West Africa (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae). Another white spotted form is G. alboguttatus J. Allen 1917 (p. Acta Chiropterologica, 3 (1): 1 - 10. 449), also from D.R. Congo. Its general color above and below HAYMAN, R.W. (1939). Two new mammals from the Belgian Congo. is dark brown, and the white marks are restricted to the outer Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 11, 3 (14): 219 - 224. edges of the dorsum as in Peterson’s egeria. The forearm of HAYMAN, R.W. (1947). A new race of Glauconycteris superba from the type specimen is 41.5 mm, and the leading edge of the West Africa. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 11, 13 (104): 547 - 550. wing is pale, contrasting with the otherwise dark gray-brown of HAYMAN, R.W. and HILL, J.E. (1971). Order Chiroptera. In MEESTER, the flight membranes. In 2001 Judith Eger (Curator, ROM) and J. & H.W. SETZER [Eds]: The mammals of Africa. An Identification Duane Schlitter (Curator Carnegie Museum) referred Cameroun manual. Part 2. Smithsonian Institution Press. Washington: 1 - 73. specimens to alboguttatus (which may include the Cameroun HAYMAN, R.W. and JONES, T.S. (1950). A note on pattern variation specimens that Peterson included in egeria). Together with the in the Vespertilionid Bat Glauconycteris poensis (Gray). Ann. Mag. type specimen and one from Yalosembe (D.R.Congo) these Nat. Hist., ser. 12, 3 (33): 761 - 763. authors found forearm lengths from 38.5 to 41.5 mm, skulls KINGDON, J. (1974). East African Mammals. An atlas of evolution in 13.0 to 13.5 greatest length. Africa. Volume 2. Part A. (Insectivores and Bats). Academic Press, It begins to look as if egeria might be the prior name for both London, New York. xi + 340 pp. alboguttatus and the Budongo and Cameroun specimens, with KOOPMAN, K.F. (1971). Taxonomic notes on Chalinolobus and considerable variation in size, color, and markings. To quote Glauconycteris (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae). Amer. Mus. Novit., from “Small Mammals of Uganda” (Thorn and Kerbis Peterhans 2451: 1 - 10. 2009: 62): LUNDE, D.P., CONWAY, T.M., and BERESFORD, P. (2001). Notes on a ....”the incisors are more clearly bifid in the Type (of egeria) collection of bats (Chiroptera) from Dzanga-Sangha, Central African than in the Uganda ones..... It seems … that color may vary from Republic. Mammalia, 65 (4): 535 - 540. tricolor medium brown to very dark brown or even black, and PETERSON, R.L. and SMITH, D.A. (1973). A new species of that white spots are also optional (see HAYMAN and JONES, Glauconycteris (Vespertilionidae, Chiroptera). Occas. Pap. Roy. Ont. Mus. Life Sci., : 1 - 9. 1950). Incisor cusps undoubtedly vary (see KOOPMAN 1971: 22 8). Even forearm seems less reliable than commonly supposed THOMAS, O. (1913). On some specimens of Glauconycteris from the (see HAYMAN and HILL 1971: 48, under alboguttatus)”. Cameroons. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 8, 11 (61): 144 - 145. If the above opens a window to possible variation (and only THORN, E. and KERBIS PETERHANS, J. (2009). Small mammals of Uganda. Bats, shrews, hedgehog, golden-moles, otter-tenrec, future genetic work will be likely to prove each case), consider elephant-shrews, and hares. Bonn. zool. Monogr., 55: 1 - 164. the color pattern variation in well-known hunting dog Lycaon TUNGALUNA, G-C. G. 2012. Observation # 24: Fourth observation of pictus and cheetah Acinonyx jubatus. Glauconycteris superba from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I believe that Tungaluna’s bat is Glauconycteris superba African Bat Conservation News 28: 2. based on color pattern, but that the small forearm may indicate Observations, Discussions, Updates African Bat Conservation News ISSN 1812-1268 November 2012 vol. 29 3 FOUR NEW HORSESHOE BATS SPECIES DISCOVERED ENGELA DUVENAGE Media: Faculty of Science, Stellenbosch University, South Africa Four new species of horseshoe bats have been discovered in species. East and Southern Africa, after scientists pieced together clues The definitive DNA studies were conducted by Dr Samantha such as DNA data and the most intense frequency of sonar Stoffberg, a postdoctoral researcher in the Evolutionary calls of each of these flying mammals. Genomics Research Group of the Department of Botany and Two of the species have been named in honour of dedicated Zoology at Stellenbosch University. Southern African conservationists – Ms Lientjie Cohen, a “These bats are textbook examples of cryptic species, scientist of the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency in meaning that they are really very difficult to tell apart just based South Africa, and the late Zimbabwean Dr. Reay Smithers, on their looks and morphology,” explains Dr Stoffberg. “DNA author of Southern Africa’s most comprehensive mammal comparisons have made it possible for us to clearly distinguish anthology. A third species is named after Mount Mabu in honour between these species.” of the largest rainforest in southern Africa – an area under Thanks to discoveries made in Zimbabwe in 1980 of so- severe threat - in which it resided. The fourth new species is called Hildebrandt’s Horseshoe Bats that did not quite fit the bill, found in Mozambique. scientists were first alerted to the fact that further investigation The discoveries are described in the latest edition of the open was needed. More anomalous populations of Hildebrandt’s source journal PLOS ONE and can be downloaded freely from Horseshoe Bats were discovered elsewhere a decade later, http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0041744.