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Miniopterus srinii sp. nov. Srini’s Bent-winged Bat Holotype. NHMOU. CHI.08.2017, adult male, collected by Bhargavi Srinivasulu and G. Devender, on 07 May 2017. Specimen preserved in ethanol and deposited in the Natural History Museum, Department of Zoology, Osmania University [Hyderabad, India]. The skull has been extracted and cleaned. External features of the holotype as given in Figure 4. Paratype. NHMOU. CHI.09.2017, adult male, other details same as holotype. Type locality. Subterranean cave in Matre (12.102 N, 75.830 E, alt. 860 m asl), near Makuta, Kodagu district, Karnataka, India; evergreen and semi-evergreen forest types present. Etymology. The specific epithet is an eponym honouring Prof. Chelmala Srinivasulu (affectionately known as Srini) for his contributions to tetrapod biology and taxonomy, especially to bat taxonomy and conservation in South Asia. Diagnosis. A small-sized bent-winged bat externally largely similar to Miniopterus pusillus, with forearm length ranging from 38.93 to 41.29 mm. Fur deep golden to dark brown, lighter than M. pusillus. 2P3MT longer than in M. pusillus (32.86 mm vs 28.50 mm respectively). Ears small and triangular, with a parallel-sided tragus extending past the low antitragus, relatively shorter, straighter, and positioned deeper within the ear than in M. pusillus. Skull and mandible relatively longer (average GTL 10.58 mm vs 9.65 mm, and average M 14.70 mm vs 13.49 mm in M. srinii and M. pusillus respectively). Palatal emargination broader and more rounded than that of M. pusillus. External characters. A small bat (FA: 41.29 mm) (Fig. 4). Fur golden brown throughout. On the dorsal surface the hair is long (Fig. 4a); basal 3/4 is golden and the rest is cream-coloured. These golden strands are interspersed with black shorter hair strands. On the venter, hair strands are golden at the tip, dark brown in the middle, and cream at the base. Chin to base of neck covered with fine cream-coloured fur, interspersed with short dark brown fur on the chin and its sides. Hair extends to the base of the uropatagium both dorsally and ventrally. Uropatagium and wing membranes covered with sparse short golden hair. Fur on the head short and tricoloured—golden at the tip, dark brown in the middle, and black at the base. Fur on the head extends faintly to the base of the nostrils. Muzzle light grey to flesh-coloured, and sparsely haired. Dark brown and cream-coloured hairs distributed throughout the upper and lower part of the muzzle. The lower lip and area below the eyes cream in colour. Ears small (8.80 mm) (Fig. 4b), roughly triangular, with a broadly rounded tip. Half the pinna is held folded. The folding is narrower toward the distal portion of the pinna. Ears do not exceed the height of the fur on the head. The inner portion of the ear is cream-coloured, while the ventral and the dorsal surfaces of the ear are blackish grey in colour. The dorsal surface of the ears is covered with long strands of golden hair interspersed with dark brown and black hair. The inner portion of the ears has short dark brown and golden strands of hair distributed throughout. The base of the ear has long black, and dark brown hair. The tragus is 3.30 mm long, well-developed, parallel-sided, and has a slight constriction below the broadly rounded tip. The sides of the tragus show slight flanges which exhibit a long concavity in the whole of the length of the tragus. The tragus is upright and grey in colour throughout (Fig. 4c). The ear border ends just below the tip of the tragus. Antitragus is low and less pronounced. Membranes black throughout. A well-developed calcar is seen, and both wing membranes and the uropatagium are attached to the base of the foot. Wings show a characteristically long second phalanx of the third metacarpal (32.61 mm), the second phalanx of the fourth metacarpal measures up to half the size of that of the third metacarpal. Tail is long (51.33 mm). Feet are small and covered with scant hair. Penis. Penis is bulbous at the base; the shaft starts upright and curves down to a simple tip. The shaft is flesh-coloured and turns black towards the tip (Fig. 4d). Baculum absent, as typical for the genus Miniopterus. Cranial characters. The skull (GTL: 14.7 mm) is bulbous, tall, and delicate (Fig. 5). Zygoma slender and delicate, thinner proximally than distally. In the midsection, there is a projection on the zygoma. Sagittal crest well-developed, starts from the frontal region and extends to the parietal region. Lambdoid crests well-developed on the lateral areas of the skull but relatively less developed in the parietal region. Rostrum flat; braincase tall and bulbous, extends abruptly from the base of the rostrum. A shallow medial rostral depression is present. Dental formula is i: 2/3, c: 1/1, pm: 2/3, m: 3/3. Palate is concave. The two pairs of upper incisors are simple, and a noticeable gap exists between the canines and the incisors. The canine is tall and slender, the first upper premolar (pm 2) is smaller than the second upper premolar (pm 4); pm 2 and pm 4 are not in contact. pm 4 is half the height of the canine and pm 4 is 75% the size of m 2. pm 2 also has an additional well-developed lingual cusp posterior to the main cusp. pm 4 is in contact with the metastyle of the first upper molar (m 1). The commissure of m 1 consisting of the metacone is slightly narrower than the commissure of the paracone. In m 2, the commissures, metacone, and paracone are well-developed and are similar in size. The hypoconal flange, hypocone, and protocone are well-developed in both m 1 and m 2. In the third upper molar (m 3), only metastyle, metacone, mesostyle, and paracone can be seen. One pair of tricuspidate, followed by two pairs of bicuspidate incisors are seen on the lower jaw. The pair closest to the canine is larger than the other incisors. pm 4 is taller than pm 2 and pm 3 and is 75% the height of the canine. Coronoid process and the articular process of the lower jaw equal in height, angular process well-developed and extends outward. Morphological comparisons. Externally, Miniopterus srinii is similar to other species in the M. australis species complex, and is largely indistinguishable from M. pusillus. However, its forearm generally measures smaller (FA 38.93–41.29 mm vs 43 mm) than that of M. pusillus from northeast India (Saikia et al. 2020) and China (Jones 2009), and larger (FA 38.93–41.29 mm vs 36.2–37.8 mm) than that of M. australis from Palawan Islands, Philippines (Esselstyn et al. 2004). FA in this species, however, overlaps with M. pusillus from different parts of Southeast Asia (Kitchener and Suyanto 2002). The external measurements of M. pusillus from Kerala (Raman et al. 2021) fall within the range of the new species. In comparison, M. magnater measures much larger (FA: 50.6 mm) (Saikia et al. 2020), followed by M. phillipsi from India and Sri Lanka (47.0± 1.5 mm) (Bates & Harrison 1997; Kusuminda et al. 2022). The fur colour of M. srinii varies from deep golden to dark brown, while in M. pusillus fur colour varies from light brown to black throughout its distribution range (Bats in China 2009; Kuznetsov et al. 2015). Preserved topotypes of M. pusillus from the Nicobar Islands are much darker in colour than M. srinii (Authors’ pers. obs.). In M. pusillus from Vietnam and China, the fur is very thick throughout the body and continues to be so in the chin area, in contrast, in the case of the new species the chin is sparsely haired. In M. magnater, the fur is brown in colour (Saikia et al. 2020), and in M. fuliginosus it ranges from greyish black to brown (Authors pers. obs.). The structure of the palatal emargination is broad, open, and U-shaped in M. srinii, while in M. pusillus from northeast India and from Nicobar Island (ZSI Reg. No. 19130), it is narrower near the incisors and looks more like a broadly rounded V-shaped structure. In M. magnater, it is V-shaped (Saikia et al. 2020); in M. phillipsi, it is Ushaped (Authors’ pers. obs.). In M. srinii, there is a projection on the middle portion of the zygoma, similar to M. pusillus from northeast India (Saikia et al. 2020) and from the Nicobar Islands (Fig. 6). However, the zygoma are more robust in M. srinii than in M. pusillus. Echolocation. Calls of M. srinii are typical narrow band frequency-modulated (FM) calls with a FmaxE of 77.62 ± 7.98 kHz (64.7–97.2 kHz), Fs of 130.00 ± 11.16 kHz (90–154 kHz), Fe of 58.38 ± 1.43 kHz (53–64 kHz), and duration of 4.18 ± 1.16 ms (2.1–8.0 ms) (Fig. 7). Natural History. This species is found in evergreen, semi-evergreen, and moist deciduous forests of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and southern Karnataka, India. In southern Karnataka, it was found roosting in sympatry with Myotis peytoni in subterranean caves. In its range, it is found in sympatry with Miniopterus phillipsi., Published as part of Srinivasulu, Bhargavi & Srinivasulu, Aditya, 2023, A new species of the Miniopterus australis species complex (Chiroptera: Miniopteridae) from the Western Ghats, India, pp. 233-249 in Zootaxa 5296 (2) on pages 237-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5296.2.5, http://zenodo.org/record/7978205, {"references":["Saikia, U., Thabah, A. & Ruedi, M. (2020) Taxonomic and ecological notes on some poorly known bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) from Meghalaya, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa, 12 (3), 15311 - 15325. https: // doi. org / 10.11609 / jott. 5264.12.3.15311 - 15325","Esselstyn, J. A., Widmann, P. & Heaney, L. R. (2004) The mammals of Palawan Island, Philippines. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, 117 (3), 271 - 302.","Kitchener, D. J. & Suyanto, A. (2002) Morphological variation in Miniopterus pusillus and M. australis (sensu Hill 1992) in southeastern Asia, New Guinea, and Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum, 21, 9 - 33. https: // doi. org / 10.18195 / issn. 0312 - 3162.21 (1). 2002.009 - 033","Raman, S., Padmarajan, A., Faizal, M. A., Das, A. A., Ushakumari, P., Singh, S. & Hughes, A. C. (2021) Annotated checklist, distribution and regional status of the bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) of Kerala, South India. Journal of Bat Research & Conservation, 14 (1), 183 - 207. https: // doi. org / 10.14709 / BarbJ. 14.1.2021.17","Bates, P. J. J. & Harrison, D. L. (1997) The Bats of the Indian Subcontinent. Harrison Zoological Museum Publications, Sevenoaks, 258 pp.","Kusuminda, K., Mannakkara, A., Ukuwela, K. D. B., Kruskop, S. V., Amarasinghe, C. J., Saikia, U., Venugopal, P., Karunarathna, M., Gamage, R., Ruedi, M., Csorba, G., Yapa, W. B. & Patterson, B. D. (2022) DNA barcoding and morphological analyses reveal a cryptic species of Miniopterus from India and Sri Lanka. Acta Chiropterologica, 24 (1), 1 - 17. https: // doi. org / 10.3161 / 15081109 ACC 2022.24.1.001","Kuznetsov, A. N., Su, K., Phan, L., Alex, B., Van, N., Vladimir, B. & Andrei, Z. (2015) s. n. Bat Report - Cat Tien, 2001, 1 - 45."]}

Bats provide important ecosystem services but face severe threats due to land and climate changes. Although bats are an important component of mammal diversity in Iran, the ecology of many species remains virtually unstudied in the country. Here we applied the maximum entropy approach to model habitat suitability of bat species in Iran, identify the most important variables for their distribution, predict high priority areas for field monitoring and conservation, and estimate the coverage of the bat species' suitable habitats by the existing protected areas. We created a richness map for the twelve species to identify high priority areas for field monitoring and conservation. The results of species distribution modeling showed that Pipistrellus kuhlii (828,977.2 km2) and Miniopterus pallidus (646,581.9 km2) had the largest distribution ranges and Rhinopoma microphyllum (211,202.7 km2) and Rousettus aegyptiacus (218,278.6 km2) had the smallest distribution ranges in Iran. By averaging the importance of each ecological variable across the 12 species, we found that distance to forests (with a negative association) is the most important ecological driver of bat distribution in Iran. The Zagros Mountains were identified as a hotspot of bats based on the distribution of the 12 species. Our findings showed that small proportions of each species suitable habitats were covered by protected areas and protected suitable habitats varied from 3.2%for Pipistrellus kuhlii to15.9% for Tadarida teniotis. This study highlights the importance of forests for bat conservation showing that forest conservation is a high priority in the country. Areas which have the highest richness should be prioritized for field monitoring and conservation.

Miniopterus phillipsi sp. nov. Phillips’s Long fingered Bat Synonymy Miniopterus schreibersii Blanford, 1891 (in part): not Vespertilio schreibersii Kuhl, 1817. Miniopterus fuliginosus Tian et al., 2004 (in part): not Vespertilio fuliginosus Hodgson, 1835. Holotype NMSL 2021.03.01.NH (field no. TK0122), collected by Tharaka Kusuminda and Mathisha Karunarathne on 29 January 2019. An adult female preserved in 70% alcohol and deposited at National Museum of Sri Lanka, the skull has been extracted and cleaned. There is a scar on left shoulder of the specimen made while collecting the tissue sample. Its partial COI sequence is available from GenBank as accession OL688878. Type locality Idulgashinna cave, near Idulgashinna railway station (6.779131 N, 80.896704 E; 1590 m a.s.l. — Fig. 3 and Supplementary Fig. S 2), at an edge of Dunkanda division of Bio Tea Garden tea plantation in the Badulla District, Uva Province, Sri Lanka. The holotype was collected in a harp trap set in front of the cave entrance. Paratypes Two adult male specimens NMSL 2021.03.02.NH and NMSL 2021.03.03.NH, collected at the same locality as the holotype on 29 January 2019 (Fig. 4). These two specimens are currently preserved in 70% alcohol at National Museum of Sri Lanka. Tongue muscle of NMSL 2021.03.02.NH was preserved in 99% ethanol. The skulls were extracted and cleaned. The paratypes were not sequenced. Referred specimens Two specimens (NMSL 177C and NWRTC TK156) were collected from mid-elevations in Kegalle District of Central Sri Lanka (a cave in Sandaraja forest, Doteloya, Aranayaka, Sri Lanka on 02 January 2019). These two specimens have not been sequenced for COI gene, but one (NMSL 177C) has been sequenced for the mitochondrial 16S gene and was determined to be the same species (T. Kusuminda, A. Mannakkara, K. D. B. Ukuwela, M. Karunarathna, B. D. Patterson, and W. B. Yapa, In litt.). Moreover, these two specimens are morphologically identifiable as M. phillipsi sp. nov. by LDA. A biopsy punch was obtained from a Miniopterus captured and released (field no. TK0064) near the Tea Research Institute in Nuwara Eliya District (Talawakele, Sri Lanka on 02 October 2018). This individual’s COI sequence (GenBank no. OL688877) was 98% similar to the holotype’s sequence, hence it was identified as M. phillipsi sp. nov. Another three specimens (NMSL 177D, NWRTC TK117 and HZM 263.29194) were collected from Wavulgalge cave, Nikapitiya, Wellwaya (Moneragala District of Sri Lanka) and four specimens (NMSL 177E, HZM 260.27644, HZM 261.27645 and HZM 262.29137) were collected from Wavulpane cave, Pallebedda (Ratnapura District of Sri Lanka). These seven specimens have not been sequenced but morphological similarities and LDA assignments provisionally assign them to M. phillipsi sp. nov. Likewise, 18 specimens collected from Western India (HZM 258.25669, HZM 254.25009, HNHM 92.156.1– HNHM 92.124.16) have not been sequenced but were identified morphologically as M. phillipsi sp. nov. using LDA; they were obtained from the same colony where a genotyped individual for COI gene (GenBank no. MG 821206 — C. Srinivasulu, B. Srinivasulu, T. A. Shah, and G. Devender, unpublished data) was collected, i.e. Robbers’ Cave, near Mahabaleswar, Maharashtra, India (Fig. 3). Etymology This species is named after W. W. A. Phillips (William Watt Addison Phillips, 1892–1981) in recognition of his immense contributions to studies on the mammals of Sri Lanka and South Asia. Phillips was born and grew up in England and he was a nature lover since his childhood. He was a tea planter by profession and came to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in 1911. Diagnosis Miniopterus phillipsi sp. nov. is distinguished by its intermediate size from both smaller and larger congeners in India and Sri Lanka. M. pusillus is much smaller than M. phillipsi sp. nov. in the external measurements TIB (M. phillipsi sp. nov. is distinguished from M. magnater by the latter’s larger external measurements (HB> 56 mm and d 3m> 46 mm) and skull size (GLSK> 16.4 mm — Tables 3 and 4). The new species is generally smaller than M. fuliginosus in both external and cranial dimensions, although there is slight overlap (Figs. 5–7). There are significant differences between M. phillipsi sp. nov. and M. fuliginosus in GSKL (P P = 0.026), MAW (P P = 0.046), LW (P = 0.001), ML (P = 0.001), M3–M3 (P = 0.002), C–M3 (P = 0.002), I1–M3 (P = 0.001) and i1–m3 (P M. fuliginosus is larger than M. phillipsi sp. nov. (Tables 4 and 5). Miniopterus phillipsi sp. nov. also differs significantly from M. fuliginosus in the ratio of tibia to forearm length (TIB/FA; P = 0.002) and the ratio of second phalanx of third digit to third metacarpal (d3mp2/d 3m; P = 0.023). In M. phillipsi sp. nov., TIB/FA ratio is usually higher (median: 42.16%, range: 41.1–43.9%) than in M. fuliginosus (40.78%, 39.6–42.1%), whereas d3mp2/d 3m ratio is lower (83.27%, 79.3–90.4% versus 88.55%, 81.6– 90.9%, respectively). The tragus of M. phillipsi sp. nov. is medium-sized in both length and width. The tragus of M. magnater is longer, broader, and more pointed towards the tip than the other three species in India and Sri Lanka. The middle of the tragus is much broader than its base and tip in M. magnater (slightly broader in M. phillipsi sp. nov.). The tragus of M. fuliginosus has parallel margins along most of its length, as does that of M. pusillus. However, the tragus of M. pusillus is shorter in length and barely curved forward compared to the other three species (Fig. 8). Description Miniopterus phillipsi sp. nov. is a medium-sized bat (FA 44–49 mm) exhibiting the typical features of the genus i.e. an elongated second phalanx of the third digit, short and rounded ears, high forehead, short and broad muzzle, and slender and slightly curved tragus with rounded tip (Supplementary Fig. S3). Tail length approximately equals head-andbody length (Table 3). The ear is relatively short and rounded (ca. 12 mm in length) and not readily distinguishable from that of M. fuliginosus (Table 3). The tragus is medium sized (5 mm) and slightly curved forward with a rounded tip (Fig. 8). The external measurements of the holotype, paratypes and other specimens of M. phillipsi sp. nov. are given in Table 3. Fur is dense and soft, fairly long above and short below. Fur slightly extending onto the membranes ventrally, but dorsally confined to the body. The pelage is chocolate-brown above and slightly paler on the under parts (Supplementary Fig. S4). Individual hairs are the same color throughout. The skull of M. phillipsi sp. nov. has a wide rostrum and round braincase typical of the genus (Figs. 5–7). Cranial measurements for the holotype and paratypes of M. phillipsi sp. nov. are shown in Table 4. The dentition of M. phillipsi sp. nov. is I 2/3, C 1/1, P 2/3, M 3/3, which is typical of the genus Miniopterus. Dental measurements of the holotype and paratypes of M. phillipsi sp. nov. are shown in Table 5. Natural History This species is distributed from lower to higher elevations (263–1590 m) of wet and intermediate climatic zones of Sri Lanka. The type locality is the highest elevation it was captured (1590 m); specimens captured at Talawakele (1411 m) document its range in the central highlands of Sri Lanka. Specimens captured at Doteloya were roosting in a granite cave at the edge of a tropical wet lowland rainforest (Survey Department of Sri Lanka, 2012). Wellawaya and Pallebedda records lie at lower elevations of intermediate climatic zone of Sri Lanka. In western India, it was recorded from Robbers’ Cave, located in the evergreen forest of Mahabaleshwar region of northern Western Ghats at an elevation of 1217 m. Like other members of this genus, this species apparently prefers to roost in caves and tunnels. Colony sizes of this species are estimated at 1,300 – 1,500 bats in Idulgashinna Cave, 700–1000 bats in Wavulgalge Cave, Wellawaya (Yapa et al., 2005), 50–100 bats in Sandaraja Cave, Doteloya (Kusuminda et al., 2020), 200,000 bats in Wavulpane Cave, Pallebedda (Digana, 2004), and 4,200 bats in Robbers’ Cave, Mahabaleshwar (Korad et al., 2006). Pregnant and lactating females of this species were reported in July and August in Sri Lanka (Digana, 2004; Kusuminda et al., 2018). DISCUSSION, Published as part of Kusuminda, Tharaka, Mannakkara, Amani, Ukuwela, Kanishka D. B., Kruskop, Sergei V., Amarasinghe, Chamara J., Saikia, Uttam, Venugopal, Parvathy, Karunarathna, Mathisha, Gamage, Rajika, Ruedi, Manuel, Csorba, Gábor, Yapa, Wipula B. & Patterson, Bruce D., 2022, DNA barcoding and morphological analyses reveal a cryptic species of Miniopterus from India and Sri Lanka, pp. 1-17 in Acta Chiropterologica 24 (1) on pages 4-13, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2022.24.1.001, http://zenodo.org/record/7734781, {"references":["BLANFORD, W. T. 1891. The fauna of British India, Mammalia. Taylor and Francis, London, 617 pp.","KUHL, H. 1817. Die deutschen Fledermause. Wetterauische Gesellschaft fur die Gesammte Naturkunde zu Hanau, 4: 11 - 49.","TIAN, L., B. LIANG, K. MAEDA, W. METZNER, and S. ZHANG. 2004. Molecular studies on the classification of Miniopterus schreibersii (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) inferred from mitochondrial cytochrome b sequences. Folia Zoologica, 53: 303 - 311.","HODGSON, B. H. 1835. Synopsis of the Vespertilionidae of Nepal. Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, 4: 699 - 701.","DINERSTEIN, E., D. OLSON, A. JOSHI, C. VYNNE, N. D. BURGESS, E. WIKRAMANAYAKE, N. HAHN, S. PALMINTERI, P. HEDAO, R. NOSS, et al. 2017. An ecoregion-based approach to protecting half the terrestrial realm. BioScience, 67: 534 - 545.","SURVEY DEPARTMENT OF SRI LANKA. 2012. National atlas of Sri Lanka, 2 nd edition. Survey Department of Sri Lanka, Colombo.","YAPA, W. B., W. D. RATNASOORIYA, H. H. COSTA, and R. RUB- SAMEN. 2005. Inflight and outflight activity patterns of five species of cave dwelling bats in Sri Lanka. Journal of Science University of Kelaniya, 2: 41 - 62.","KUSUMINDA, T., A. MANNAKKARA, M. KARUNARATHNA, C. AMARASINGHE, B. D. PATTERSON, and W. B. YAPA. 2020. Review of the distribution of Sri Lankan bats: family Miniopteridae. WILDLANKA, 8: 152 - 162.","DIGANA, P. M. C. B. 2004. Some aspects on ecology and biology of Sri Lankan bats. Ph. D. Thesis, University of Colombo, Colombo, 273 pp.","KORAD, V. S., M. C. GAIKWAD, and A. L. KORATKAR. 2006. Record of composite bat colonies in Robbers' cave area of Mahabaleshwar region, Maharashtra state, India. Ecology, Environment and Conservation, 12: 743 - 748.","KUSUMINDA, T., A. MANNAKKARA, B. D. PATTERSON, and W. B. YAPA. 2018. Bats in tea plantations in Sri Lanka: species richness and distribution. Journal of Bat Research and Conservation, 11: 96 - 105.","CHAKRAVARTY, R., M. RUEDI, and F. ISHTIAQ. 2020. A recent survey of bats with descriptions of echolocation calls and new records from the western Himalayan region of Uttarakhand, India. Acta Chiropterologica, 22: 197 - 224.","ZHANG, C., T. JIANG, G. LU, A. LIN, K. SUN, S. LIU, and J. FENG. 2018. Geographical variation in the echolocation calls of bent-winged bats, Miniopterus fuliginosus. Zoology, 131: 36 - 44.","WORDLEY, C. F. R., E. K. FOUI, D. MUDAPPA, M. SANKARAN, and J. D. ALTRINGHAM. 2014. Acoustic identification of bats in the southern Western Ghats, India. Acta Chiropterologica, 16: 213 - 222.","SRINIVASULU, B., and C. SRINIVASULU. 2017. A first record of three hitherto unreported species of bats from Kerala, India with a note on Myotis peytoni (Mammalia: Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae). Journal of Threatened Taxa, 9: 10216 - 10222.","GOODMAN, S. M., H. M. BRADMANC, C. P. MAMINIRINAD, K. E. RYANC, L. L. CHRISTIDIS, and B. APPLETON. 2008. A new species of Miniopterus (Chiroptera: Miniopteridae) from lowland southeastern Madagascar. Mammalian Biology, 73: 199 - 213.","GOODMAN, S. M., C. P. MAMINIRINA, H. M. BRADMAN, L. CHRISTIDIS, and B. APPLETON. 2009 a. The use of molecular phylogenetic and morphological tools to identify cryptic and paraphyletic species: Examples from the diminutive long-fingered bats (Chiroptera: Miniopteridae: Miniopterus) on Madagascar. American Museum Novitates, 3669: 1 - 34.","FURMAN, A., T. POSTAWA, T. OZTUNC, and E. CORAMAN. 2010. Cryptic diversity of the bent-wing bat, Miniopterus schreibersii (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae), in Asia Minor. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 10: 121.","GOODMAN, S. M., B. RAMASINDRAZANA, K. M. NAUGHTON, and B. APPLETON. 2015. Description of a new species of the Miniopterus aelleni group (Chiroptera: Miniopteridae) from upland areas of central and northern Madagascar. Zootaxa, 3936: 538 - 558.","PUECHMAILLE, S. J., B. ALLEGRINI, P. BENDA, K. GURUN, J. SRAMEK, C. IBANEZ, J. JUSTE, and R. BILGIN. 2014. A new species of the Miniopterus schreibersii species complex (Chiroptera: Miniopteridae) from the Maghreb Region, North Africa. Zootaxa, 3794: 108 - 124.","MONADJEM, A., J. T. SHAPIRO, L. R. RICHARDS, H. KARABULUT, W. CRAWLEY, I. B. NIELSEN, A. HANSEN, K. BOHMANN, and T. MOURIER. 2019. Systematics of West African Miniopterus with the description of a new species. Acta Chiropterologica, 21: 237 - 256.","MONADJEM, A., J. GUYTON, P. NASKRECKI, L. R. RICHARDS, A. S. KROPFF, and D. L. DALTON. 2020. Cryptic diversity in the genus Miniopterus with the description of a new species from southern Africa. Acta Chiropterologica, 22: 1 - 19.","DEMOS, T. C., P. W. WEBALA, H. L. LUTZ, J. C. K. PETERHANS, S. M. GOODMAN, N. CORTES- DELGADO, M. BARTONJO, and B. D. PATTERSON. 2020. Multilocus phylogeny of a cryptic radiation of Afrotropical long-fingered bats (Chiroptera, Miniopteridae). Zoologica Scripta, 49: 1 - 13.","FURMAN, A., E. CORAMAN, Y. E. CELIK, T. POSTAWA, J. BACHA- NEK, and M. RUEDI. 2014. Cytonuclear discordance and the species status of Myotis myotis and Myotis blythii (Chiroptera). Zoologica Scripta, 43: 549 - 561.","DOOL, S. E., S. J. PUECHMAILLE, N. M. FOLEY, B. ALLEGRINI, A. BASTIAN, G. L. MUTUMI, T. G. MALULEKE, L. J. ODENDAAL, E. C. TEELING, and D. S. JACOBS. 2016. Nuclear introns outperform mitochondrial DNA in inter-specific phylogenetic reconstruction: lessons from horseshoe bats (Rhinolophidae: Chiroptera). 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The eastern bent-wing bat (Miniopterus orianae oceanensis) is a small (11–20 g, mean 14 g) insectivorous bat with a distribution that extends along the eastern seaboard of mainland Australia. It is primarily a cave-dwelling species, particularly for breeding females who form large maternity colonies at just a few locations throughout its range. Seasonal population changes at one of the three large New South Wales maternity colonies (Church Cave) were studied from December to March every year for 12 years when adult females were resident at a maternity site. Five key periods were identified: (1) adult arrival, (2) adult peak, (3) juvenile independence, (4) adult–juvenile peak, and (5) autumn migration. The average duration of the adult peak period was 38 days and usually commenced around late December or early January. This is the critical period in which to estimate the female adult population. All other periods lasted ~14 days. Understanding the timing of these different periods is important in estimating various population parameters. The timing of migration is also important with respect to windfarm construction and impact assessments of turbine strike to migrating bats. Four separate variables were investigated to describe the timing of autumn migration from Church Cave; moon illumination, minimum nightly temperatures, barometric pressure, and timing of adult arrival. The timing of adult arrival was the only model that was significant in explaining the onset of migration. This generally occurs 83–87 nights after the commencement of arrival of female adult bent-wing bats at Church Cave in early to mid December.

In Australia, there are at least 50 000 derelict mines, many of which provide habitat for cave-roosting bats. Grating of derelict mines, be it horizontal (adits) or vertical (shafts) drives, is commonly undertaken to prevent human access, though longer-term responses of bats are largely unknown. We assessed the long-term (2–20 years) effects of grating on bats by documenting trends in emergence activity and bat abundance at grated and ungrated derelict mines and quantified behavioural responses of bats in autumn and winter. Emergence activity was dominated by the eastern horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus megaphyllus) with limited activity of other less manoeuvrable species. Both emergence activity and minimum colony size at horizontal adits were 8–9 times greater than at vertical shafts, with bats observed emerging from only 2 of 13 shafts. Emergence activity and minimum colony size were 7–10 times greater at adits with ‘bat friendly’ grating (horizontal bars with spacing >125 mm) than at other treatments (ungrated adits and adits with standard grating). In winter, there were 4–11 times more aborted exit attempts per bat at adits with ‘bat friendly’ grating compared with other treatments, which corresponded to greater emergence activity. Emergence activity and minimum colony size were not related to spacing between bars or time since grating, indicating rapid habituation by R. megaphyllus. However, circling at grates continued for many years and bentwing bats (Miniopterus spp.) made little use of these sites. Bat-friendly grates appear to be an effective management option for R. megaphyllus, but alternatives need to be trialled for other species.

The population size of the southern bent-winged bat, a critically endangered bat subspecies, has significantly declined in the last 50 years. As part of a larger study to determine whether disease could be a contributing factor to this decline, morphometric data was gathered for southern bent-winged bats and compared with the more common eastern bent-winged bats. Southern bent-winged bats were heavier, but forearm length was not significantly different between the two subspecies. This suggests that southern bent-winged bats may require more energy to fly and forage than eastern bent-winged bats. Consequently, southern bent-winged bats may need to consume more food on a daily basis, potentially increasing their susceptibility to adverse conditions such as drought.

Animals partition their daily activities based on a variety of internal and external factors. For insectivorous bats, the availability of prey, weather conditions, moonlight and reproductive energy demands are proposed as the major influencers of temporal activity. This study investigated the temporal variation in activity of the subtropical cave-dwelling, migratory Natal long-fingered bat,Miniopterus natalensis, by temperature, humidity, lunar illumination and the time of moonrise per night. Using echolocation survey data collected 2014-2018 near a maternity roost in north-eastern South Africa, differences in activity between the summer maternity (1 September-28 February) and winter non-breeding (1 March-31 August) seasons were described. In the non-breeding season,M. natalensisexhibited peak activity during the early evening, with decreasing activity throughout the night. In the maternity season, a bimodal activity pattern was observed, probably related to peaks in insect activity and the energy requirements of lactating females. Predictably, temperature had the strongest positive influence on the magnitude ofM. natalensisactivity across both seasons. Humidity also positively affected activity in both seasons to a lesser extent. The time of moonrise did not affect the activity ofM. natalensisduring either of the seasons. Lunar illumination did not affect activity during the maternity season, but activity was diminished on nights with bright moonlight in the non-breeding season. Emergence and return times were not affected by lunar illumination in either season. The need ofM. natalensisto maximise resource acquisition during the maternity season is likely a strong modulator in the temporal activity of this species and outweighs predation risk in high moonlight conditions. Subsequently, this species exhibits nightly activity behaviours that balance risk factors with intrinsic needs during different seasons.

Miniopterus phillipsi sp. nov. Phillips’s Long fingered Bat Synonymy Miniopterus schreibersii Blanford, 1891 (in part): not Vespertilio schreibersii Kuhl, 1817. Miniopterus fuliginosus Tian et al., 2004 (in part): not Vespertilio fuliginosus Hodgson, 1835. Holotype NMSL 2021.03.01.NH (field no. TK0122), collected by Tharaka Kusuminda and Mathisha Karunarathne on 29 January 2019. An adult female preserved in 70% alcohol and deposited at National Museum of Sri Lanka, the skull has been extracted and cleaned. There is a scar on left shoulder of the specimen made while collecting the tissue sample. Its partial COI sequence is available from GenBank as accession OL688878. Type locality Idulgashinna cave, near Idulgashinna railway station (6.779131 N, 80.896704 E; 1590 m a.s.l. — Fig. 3 and Supplementary Fig. S2), at an edge of Dunkanda division of Bio Tea Garden tea plantation in the Badulla District, Uva Province, Sri Lanka. The holotype was collected in a harp trap set in front of the cave entrance. Paratypes Two adult male specimens NMSL 2021.03.02.NH and NMSL 2021.03.03.NH, collected at the same locality as the holotype on 29 January 2019 (Fig. 4). These two specimens are currently preserved in 70% alcohol at National Museum of Sri Lanka. Tongue muscle of NMSL 2021.03.02.NH was preserved in 99% ethanol. The skulls were extracted and cleaned. The paratypes were not sequenced. Referred specimens Two specimens (NMSL 177C and NWRTC TK156) were collected from mid-elevations in Kegalle District of Central Sri Lanka (a cave in Sandaraja forest, Doteloya, Aranayaka, Sri Lanka on 02 January 2019). These two specimens have not been sequenced for COI gene, but one (NMSL 177C) has been sequenced for the mitochondrial 16S gene and was determined to be the same species (T. Kusuminda, A. Mannakkara, K. D. B. Ukuwela, M. Karunarathna, B. D. Patterson, and W. B. Yapa, In litt.). Moreover, these two specimens are morphologically identifiable as M. phillipsi sp. nov. by LDA. A biopsy punch was obtained from a Miniopterus captured and released (field no. TK0064) near the Tea Research Institute in Nuwara Eliya District (Talawakele, Sri Lanka on 02 October 2018). This individual’s COI sequence (GenBank no. OL 688877) was 98% similar to the holotype’s sequence, hence it was identified as M. phillipsi sp. nov. Another three specimens (NMSL 177D, NWRTC TK117 and HZM 263.29194) were collected from Wavulgalge cave, Nikapitiya, Wellwaya (Moneragala District of Sri Lanka) and four specimens (NMSL 177E, HZM 260.27644, HZM 261.27645 and HZM 262.29137) were collected from Wavulpane cave, Pallebedda (Ratnapura District of Sri Lanka). These seven specimens have not been sequenced but morphological similarities and LDA assignments provisionally assign them to M. phillipsi sp. nov. Likewise, 18 specimens collected from Western India (HZM 258.25669, HZM 254.25009, HNHM 92.156.1 – HNHM 92.124.16) have not been sequenced but were identified morphologically as M. phillipsi sp. nov. using LDA; they were obtained from the same colony where a genotyped individual for COI gene (GenBank no. MG821206 — C. Srinivasulu, B. Srinivasulu, T. A. Shah, and G. Devender, unpublished data) was collected, i.e. Robbers’ Cave, near Mahabaleswar, Maharashtra, India (Fig. 3). Etymology This species is named after W. W. A. Phillips (William Watt Addison Phillips, 1892–1981) in recognition of his immense contributions to studies on the mammals of Sri Lanka and South Asia. Phillips was born and grew up in England and he was a nature lover since his childhood. He was a tea planter by profession and came to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in 1911. Diagnosis Miniopterus phillipsi sp. nov. is distinguished by its intermediate size from both smaller and larger congeners in India and Sri Lanka. M. pusillus is much smaller than M. phillipsi sp. nov. in the external measurements TIB (M. phillipsi sp. nov. is distinguished from M. magnater by the latter’s larger external measurements (HB> 56 mm and d 3m> 46 mm) and skull size (GLSK> 16.4 mm — Tables 3 and 4). The new species is generally smaller than M. fuliginosus in both external and cranial dimensions, although there is slight overlap (Figs. 5–7). There are significant differences between M. phillipsi sp. nov. and M. fuliginosus in GSKL (P P = 0.026), MAW (P P = 0.046), LW (P = 0.001), ML (P = 0.001), M3–M3 (P = 0.002), C–M3 (P = 0.002), I1 –M3 (P = 0.001) and i1 –m3 (P M. fuliginosus is larger than M. phillipsi sp. nov. (Tables 4 and 5). Miniopterus phillipsi sp. nov. also differs significantly from M. fuliginosus in the ratio of tibia to forearm length (TIB / FA; P = 0.002) and the ratio of second phalanx of third digit to third metacarpal (d3mp2/d 3m; P = 0.023). In M. phillipsi sp. nov., TIB/FA ratio is usually higher (median: 42.16%, range: 41.1–43.9%) than in M. fuliginosus (40.78%, 39.6–42.1%), whereas d3mp2/d 3m ratio is lower (83.27%, 79.3–90.4% versus 88.55%, 81.6– 90.9%, respectively). The tragus of M. phillipsi sp. nov. is medium-sized in both length and width. The tragus of M. magnater is longer, broader, and more pointed towards the tip than the other three species in India and Sri Lanka. The middle of the tragus is much broader than its base and tip in M. magnater (slightly broader in M. phillipsi sp. nov.). The tragus of M. fuliginosus has parallel margins along most of its length, as does that of M. pusillus. However, the tragus of M. pusillus is shorter in length and barely curved forward compared to the other three species (Fig. 8). Description Miniopterus phillipsi sp. nov. is a medium-sized bat (FA 44–49 mm) exhibiting the typical features of the genus i.e. an elongated second phalanx of the third digit, short and rounded ears, high forehead, short and broad muzzle, and slender and slightly curved tragus with rounded tip (Supplementary Fig. S 3). Tail length approximately equals head-andbody length (Table 3). The ear is relatively short and rounded (ca. 12 mm in length) and not readily distinguishable from that of M. fuliginosus (Table 3). The tragus is medium sized (5 mm) and slightly curved forward with a rounded tip (Fig. 8). The external measurements of the holotype, paratypes and other specimens of M. phillipsi sp. nov. are given in Table 3. Fur is dense and soft, fairly long above and short below. Fur slightly extending onto the membranes ventrally, but dorsally confined to the body. The pelage is chocolate-brown above and slightly paler on the under parts (Supplementary Fig. S 4). Individual hairs are the same color throughout. The skull of M. phillipsi sp. nov. has a wide rostrum and round braincase typical of the genus (Figs. 5–7). Cranial measurements for the holotype and paratypes of M. phillipsi sp. nov. are shown in Table 4. The dentition of M. phillipsi sp. nov. is I 2 /3, C 1/1, P 2/3, M 3/3, which is typical of the genus Miniopterus. Dental measurements of the holotype and paratypes of M. phillipsi sp. nov. are shown in Table 5. Natural History This species is distributed from lower to higher elevations (263–1590 m) of wet and intermediate climatic zones of Sri Lanka. The type locality is the highest elevation it was captured (1590 m); specimens captured at Talawakele (1411 m) document its range in the central highlands of Sri Lanka. Specimens captured at Doteloya were roosting in a granite cave at the edge of a tropical wet lowland rainforest (Survey Department of Sri Lanka, 2012). Wellawaya and Pallebedda records lie at lower elevations of intermediate climatic zone of Sri Lanka. In western India, it was recorded from Robbers’ Cave, located in the evergreen forest of Mahabaleshwar region of northern Western Ghats at an elevation of 1217 m. Like other members of this genus, this species apparently prefers to roost in caves and tunnels. Colony sizes of this species are estimated at 1,300 – 1,500 bats in Idulgashinna Cave, 700–1000 bats in Wavulgalge Cave, Wellawaya (Yapa et al., 2005), 50–100 bats in Sandaraja Cave, Doteloya (Kusuminda et al., 2020), 200,000 bats in Wavulpane Cave, Pallebedda (Digana, 2004), and 4,200 bats in Robbers’ Cave, Mahabaleshwar (Korad et al., 2006). Pregnant and lactating females of this species were reported in July and August in Sri Lanka (Digana, 2004; Kusuminda et al., 2018). holotype,. phillipsi the M Echolocation calls of recorded M. phillipsi sp. nov. had a mean peak frequency (± SD) of 52.8 kHz ± 0.72 kHz (range: 51–54 kHz, n = 15), which did not differ from those reported for M. fuliginosus from Western Himalaya, India (53.1 kHz in Chakravarty et al., 2020) or from eight colonies in China (53–58 kHz in Zhang et al., 2018). Other Miniopterus originally reported as fuliginosus but presumably pertaining to M. phillipsi sp. nov. include bats from the Western Ghats, India (52.0 kHz in Wordley et al., 2014) and from Kerala, India (53.2 kHz in Srinivasulu and Srinivasulu, 2017). It appears that the new species is not distinguished from M. fuliginosus in echolocation calls. of of Measurements. Measurements. n size purposes sample and, comparative range for ± SD, shown 0 as are presented Sri Lanka Measurements India and in. Lanka occurring authors Sri different Idulgashinna, of Miniopterus assortment of from species an. by. sp nov and other specimens phillipsi. species other M of new the) mm the while (of, measurements individuals taken by TK MAW 8.47 8.66 8.77 0.13 21 , 0.12, 14 0.24, 12 0.08 7, 8.1 ± 8.9 ± 9.0 ± 9.5 ± – – – – 8.6 8.4 8.8 8.6 9.2 8.8 8.0 7.9 POB 3.97 3.85 3.95 0.08 , 22 0.05 14, 0.11, 13 0.08 3.7, 7 ± – 4.1 ± 4.1 – ± 4.3 – ± – 3.9 3.8 3.9 3.9 4.1 4.0 3.6 3.5 ZYW 8.87 8.65 8.77 0.12 , 9.0 21 0.15 13 9.1, 0.28, 10.0 13 0.09, 7 7.9 ± – ± – ± ± – 8.7 8.5 8.8 8.6 9.5 9.1 – 7.8 7.7 CIL 14.72 14.82 15.18 0.26 ±, 22 15.6 0.30 ± 15.7 14, ± 0.27 13 16.7, 0.17 ±, 7 13.8 – 14.9 14.5 – 15.1 – 14.8 16.3 – 15.9 13.6 13.4 GSKL 15.23 15.08 15.67 0.24 ± 22, 15.8 ± 0.26 14, 16.4 ± 0.19 13, 17.0 0.22 ± 7 14.5, 15.4 – 14.9 15.8 – 15.3 16.7 16.4 – 14.1 – 13.8 NH . NH NH taxon 2021.03.01. 2021.03.02. 2021.03.03 all specimens or Specimen. nov sp . other Cranial. and types were 4 T ABLE paratypes. sp. nov T. Kusuminda, A. Mannakkara, K. D. B. Ukuwela, S. V. Kruskop, C. J. Amarasinghe, et al. 11.05 4.70 7.84 11.28 4.97 8.23 0.18 ± 11.6 22, 0.20 ± 14, 11.9 0.35 ± 13 13.0, ± 0.12 7 10.0, 11.2 – 10.8 11.4 – 11.1 12.4 – 12.0 9.9 9.7 – 0.23 22, 5.4 0.24 6.1 , 14 0.26 12 6.3 , 0.09, 4.5 7 ± – ± – ± – ± – 5.1 4.6 5.4 5.0 5.9 5.5 4.4 4.3 0.13 , 22 0.10 14, 0.20 13, 0.19 7, 7.9 ± 8.2 – ± – 8.2 ± – 8.7 ± – 8.0 7.8 8.1 7.9 8.5 8.2 7.6 7.3 NMSL, X sp nov.. NMSL, Y nov.. sp, NMSL Y. nov. sp, phillipsi . Holotype. phillipsi Paratype. phillipsi Paratype phillipsi. fuliginosus. M magnater. M pusillus. M, Published as part of Kusuminda, Tharaka, Mannakkara, Amani, Ukuwela, B., Kanishka D., Kruskop, V., Sergei, Amarasinghe & J., Chamara, 2022, DNA Barcoding and Morphological Analyses Reveal a Cryptic Species of Miniopterus from India and Sri Lanka, pp. 1-17 in Acta Chiropterologica 24 (1) on pages 4-10, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2022.24.1.001, {"references":["KUHL, H. 1817. Die deutschen Fledermause. 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Background Modification and destruction of natural habitats are bringing previously unencountered animal populations into contact with humans, with bats considered important zoonotic transmission vectors. Caves and cave-dwelling bats are under-represented in conservation plans. In South Africa, at least two cavernicolous species are of interest as potential zoonotic hosts: the Natal long-fingered bat Miniopterus natalensis and the Egyptian fruit bat Rousettus aegyptiacus. Little information is available about the anthropogenic pressures these species face around important roost sites. Both bats are numerous and widespread throughout the country; land-use changes and urban expansions are a rising concern for both conservation and increased bat-human contact. Results Our study addressed this shortfall by determining the extent of land-cover change around 47 roosts between 2014 and 2018 using existing land cover datasets. We determined the land-cover composition around important roost sites (including maternity, hibernacula and co-roosts), distances to urban settlements and assessed the current protection levels of roost localities. We detected an overall 4% decrease in natural woody vegetation (trees) within 5 km buffer zones of all roost sites, with a 10% decrease detected at co-roost sites alone. Agricultural land cover increased the most near roost sites, followed by plantations and urban land-cover. Overall, roosts were located 4.15 ± 0.91 km from urban settlements in 2018, the distances decreasing as urban areas expand. According to the South African National Biodiversity Institute Ecosystem Threat Status assessment, 72% of roosts fall outside of well-protected ecosystems. Conclusions The current lack of regulatory protection of cavernicolous bats and their roosts, increasing anthropogenic expansions and proximity to human settlements raises concerns about increased human-bat contact. Furthermore, uncontrolled roost visitation and vandalism are increasing, contributing to bat health risks and population declines, though the extent of roosts affected is yet to be quantified. In an era where pandemics are predicted to become more frequent and severe due to land-use change, our research is an urgent call for the formal protection of bat-inhabited caves to safeguard both bats and humans.

IntroductoryFiloviruses are prime examples of emerging human pathogens that are transmitted to humans by zoonotic spillover events. Since their initial discovery, filovirus outbreaks have occured with increasing frequency and intensity. There is an urgent need to better understand their enzootic ecology and pathogenic potential, given recent zoonotic virus spillover events including the 2013-2016 West African Ebola virus (EBOV) epidemic. Several novel filoviruses have been discovered with a markedly wider geographic distribution than previously described. One of these novel filoviruses, Lloviu virus (LLOV), was first identified in 2002 in Schreiber’s bats (Miniopterus schreibersii) in Spain, Portugal, and southern France. Subsequently, in 2016, LLOV was detected during the passive monitoring of bats in Hungary.Here we report the first isolation of infectious Lloviu virus; from the blood of an asymptomatic Schreiber’s bat, subsequently cultivated in the Miniopterus sp. kidney cell line SuBK12-08. We also show that LLOV is able to infect monkey and human cells, suggesting that LLOV might have spillover potential. We performed a multi-year surveillance of LLOV and detected LLOV RNA in both deceased and asymptomatic live animals as well as in coupled ectoparasites from the families Nycteribiidae and Ixodidae. We present data on the natural infection and seropositivity of Schreiber’s bats and provide novel LLOV genomic sequence information from a bat host and an arthropod parasite. Our data support the role of bats, specificallyMiniopterus schreibersiias natural reservoirs for the LLOV filovirus in Europe. We also suggest that bat-associated parasites might play a role in the natural ecology of filoviruses in temperate climate regions compared to filoviruses in the tropics. These results raise the possibility of cross-species transmission events via bat-human interactions.

Passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag technology permits the “resighting” of animals tagged for ecological research without the need for physical re‐trapping. Whilst this is effective if animals pass within centimeters of tag readers, short‐distance detection capabilities have prevented the use of this technology with many species. To address this problem, we optimized a large (15 m long) flexible antenna system to provide a c. 8 m2 vertical detection plane for detecting animals in flight. We installed antennas at two roosting caves, including the primary maternity cave, of the critically endangered southern bent‐winged bat (Miniopterus orianae bassanii) in south‐eastern Australia. Testing of these systems indicated PIT‐tags could be detected up to 105 cm either side of the antenna plane. Over the course of a three‐year study, we subcutaneously PIT‐tagged 2,966 bats and logged over 1.4 million unique detections, with 97% of tagged bats detected at least once. The probability of encountering a tagged bat decreased with increasing environmental “noise” (unwanted signal) perceived by the system. During the study, we mitigated initial high noise levels by earthing both systems, which contributed to an increase in daily detection probability (based on the proportion of individuals known to be alive that were detected each day) from 0.8) during peak breeding season when both female and male southern bent‐winged bats congregate at the maternity cave. In this paper, we detail the methods employed and make methodological recommendations for future wildlife research using large antennas, including earthing systems as standard protocol and quantifying noise metrics as a covariate influencing the probability of detection in subsequent analyses. Our results demonstrate that large PIT antennas can be used successfully to detect small volant species, extending the scope of PIT technology and enabling a much broader range of wildlife species to be studied using this approach., Passive integrated transponder tag (PIT) technology permits the “resighting” of animals tagged for ecological research without the need for physical re‐trapping; however, short‐distance detection capabilities of antennas have prevented the use of this technology with many species. In a three‐year study, we optimized a large 15 m loop antenna to detect animals in flight, subcutaneously PIT‐tagged 2,996 cave‐dwelling bats, and logged over 1.4 million detections, with 97% of the tagged individuals being detected at least once. Results demonstrate that large PIT antennas can successfully be used to detect small volant species, extending the scope of PIT technology and enabling a much broader range of wildlife species to be studied using this approach.

Haematology is an important tool for evaluating the health of both individuals and populations of animals, as it can provide evidence of subclinical disease. This is particularly important for endangered species as it provides a potential early warning system. The southern bent-winged bat (Miniopterus orianae bassanii) is a critically endangered bat whose population has declined over the past 50 years. As part of a larger investigation to determine if disease could be a contributing factor to the sub-species’ decline, complete blood counts were performed on southern bent-winged bats from the Naracoorte Caves National Park, South Australia, to determine their haematological characteristics. Erythrocyte and leucocyte morphologies were similar to other bat species. However, when compared with published results for Schreiber’s bent-winged bat (M. schreibersii), a closely related species, southern bent-winged bats had significantly fewer total white blood cells and a lower percentage of neutrophils, but a significantly greater percentage of lymphocytes, monocytes and eosinophils. Polychromophilus melanipherus, a haemosporidian parasite, was found in the blood of 28% of bats. This parasite was not associated with any pathological effects. This study highlights the importance of generating species-specific reference ranges as extrapolating from even closely related species can lead to errors in interpretation.

Connectivity and quality of vegetation in cities, including urban forests, can promote urban biodiversity. However the impact of anthropogenic pressures at the forest-matrix edge, particularly artificial light at night (ALAN), on connectivity has received little attention. We assessed the influence of artificial light at forest edges on insectivorous bats. We acoustically surveyed 31 forest edges across greater Sydney, Australia, half with mercury vapour streetlights and half in ambient darkness, and compared the bat assemblage and activity levels to urban forest interiors. We also sampled the flying insect community to establish whether changes in insect densities under lights drive changes in insectivorous bat activity. We recorded 9965 bat passes from 16 species or species groups throughout our acoustic survey. The activity of all bats, and bats hypothesised to be sensitive to artificial light, was consistently higher in forest interiors as opposed to edges. We found that slower flying bats adapted to cluttered vegetation or with a relatively high characteristic echolocation call frequency; Chalinolobus morio, Miniopterus australis, Vespadelus vulturnus, and Nyctophilus spp., were negatively affected by artificial light sources at the forest edge. The emergence time of Vespadelus vulturnus was also significantly delayed by the presence of streetlights at the forest edge. Conversely, generalist faster flying bats; Chalinolobus gouldii, Ozimops ridei, Austronomous australis, Saccolaimus flaviventris, and Miniopterus orianae oceanensis, were unaffected by artificial light at the edge of urban forest, and used light and dark forest edges in a similar way. Insect surveys showed that larger lepidopterans seemed to be attracted to lit areas, but in low numbers. Artificial light sources on the edges of urban forest have diverse effects on bats and insects, and should be considered an anthropogenic edge effect that can reduce available habitat and decrease connectivity for light-sensitive species.

Bats are known to be potential reservoirs of numerous human-pathogenic viruses. They have been identified as natural hosts for coronaviruses, causing Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in humans. Since the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 in 2019 interest in the prevalence of coronaviruses in bats was newly raised. In this study we investigated different bat species living in a sympatric colony in the Wavul Galge cave (Koslanda, Sri Lanka). In three field sessions (in 2018 and 2019), 395 bats were captured (Miniopterus, Rousettus, Hipposideros and Rhinolophus spp.) and either rectal swabs or fecal samples were collected. From these overall 396 rectal swab and fecal samples, the screening for coronaviruses with nested PCR resulted in 33 positive samples, 31 of which originated from Miniopterus fuliginosus and two from Rousettus leschenaultii. Sanger sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of the obtained 384-nt fragment of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase revealed that the examined M. fuliginosus bats excrete alphacoronaviruses and the examined R. leschenaultii bats excrete betacoronaviruses. Despite the sympatric roosting habitat, the coronaviruses showed host specificity and seemed to be limited to one species. Our results represent an important basis to better understand the prevalence of coronaviruses in Sri Lankan bats and may provide a basis for pursuing studies on particular bat species of interest.

Background Numerous studies have been undertaken to advance knowledge of apicomplexan parasites infecting vertebrates, including humans. Of these parasites, the genus Plasmodium has been most extensively studied because of the socio-economic and public health impacts of malaria. In non-human vertebrates, studies on malaria or malaria-like parasite groups have been conducted but information is far from complete. In Madagascar, recent studies on bat blood parasites indicate that three chiropteran families (Miniopteridae, Rhinonycteridae, and Vespertilionidae) are infected by the genus Polychromophilus with pronounced host specificity: Miniopterus spp. (Miniopteridae) harbour Polychromophilus melanipherus and Myotis goudoti (Vespertilionidae) is infected by Polychromophilus murinus. However, most of the individuals analysed in previous studies were sampled on the western and central portions of the island. The aims of this study are (1) to add new information on bat blood parasites in eastern Madagascar, and (2) to highlight biotic and abiotic variables driving prevalence across the island. Methods Fieldworks were undertaken from 2014 to 2016 in four sites in the eastern portion of Madagascar to capture bats and collect biological samples. Morphological and molecular techniques were used to identify the presence of haemosporidian parasites. Further, a MaxEnt modelling was undertaken using data from Polychromophilus melanipherus to identify variables influencing the presence of this parasite Results In total, 222 individual bats belonging to 17 species and seven families were analysed. Polychromophilus infections were identified in two families: Miniopteridae and Vespertilionidae. Molecular data showed that Polychromophilus spp. parasitizing Malagasy bats form a monophyletic group composed of three distinct clades displaying marked host specificity. In addition to P. melanipherus and P. murinus, hosted by Miniopterus spp. and Myotis goudoti, respectively, a novel Polychromophilus lineage was identified from a single individual of Scotophilus robustus. Based on the present study and the literature, different biotic and abiotic factors are shown to influence Polychromophilus infection in bats, which are correlated based on MaxEnt modelling. Conclusions The present study improves current knowledge on Polychromophilus blood parasites infecting Malagasy bats and confirms the existence of a novel Polychromophilus lineage in Scotophilus bats. Additional studies are needed to obtain additional material of this novel lineage to resolve its taxonomic relationship with known members of the genus. Further, the transmission mode of Polychromophilus in bats as well as its potential effect on bat populations should be investigated to complement the results provided by MaxEnt modelling and eventually provide a comprehensive picture of the biology of host-parasite interactions.