Three new bat species discovered in Indochina
Three new bat species have been discovered after an international team of scientists from the Hungarian Natural History Museum (HNHM) and Fauna & Flora International (FFI) embarked on a study in southern Indochina.
Nocturnal and secretive, bats are often overlooked components of tropical diversity. The study, commissioned to address this lack of knowledge, has turned up three new bat species. Among these is the aptly named Beelzebub鈥檚 tube-nosed bat, a diminutive but demonic-looking creature known only from Vietnam.
The etymology of the species is explained in the Journal of Mammalogy, in which the citation appears: 鈥淏eelzebub commonly appears as a high ranking personality of the underworld in Christian texts, in both Old and New testaments, although one of the presumed original meanings of the name is 鈥楲ord of the Flies鈥�.鈥� Dr. Gabor Csorba of the HNHM further clarifies, 鈥淲e chose the name Beelzebub to reflect the dark 鈥榙iabolic鈥� colouration of the new species and its fierce protective behaviour in the field.鈥�
鈥淎s with Beelzebub鈥檚, the other two new species belong to a distinctive group known as tube-nosed bats鈥�, said Dr. Neil Furey of FFI. 鈥淭hese species are highly adapted to forest environments, a fact which renders them especially vulnerable to ongoing deforestation in the region.鈥� Surrounded by myth and facing a litany of threats, scientists are currently racing to document the poorly known bat fauna of the region. 鈥淭hough bats already represent nearly a third of SE Asian mammals, recent genetic research suggests that the true number of species in the region may be twice that presently known,鈥� noted Professor Paul Racey, FFI Vice Chairman and IUCN Bat Specialist Group representative.
鈥淒iscovering these new species, while exciting, really represents just the beginning,鈥� added Dr Furey. 鈥淲e know very little about the ecology of the group and the effects of forest degradation in particular, though some species are relatively common in secondary forest and roost in banana, a classic feature of such forests.鈥�
More information: Csorba, G., et al. 2011. Revealing cryptic bat diversity: three new Murina and redescription of M. tubinaris from Southeast Asia. Journal of Mammalogy 92(4):891-904.
Provided by Fauna & Flora International
