SEABCRU » Thailand

Scientists find a new species of horseshoe bat from Southeast Asia by studying an old museum specimen

Pipat Soisook — Mon, 20 Jul 2015 00:50:31 +0000

Rhinolophus francisi (photo Pipat Soisook)

A team of international network of researchers describes a new species of woolly horseshoe bat from Southeast Asia (Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand). The new species is described from specimens in museums world-wide including a 32 years old spirit specimen.

The study (led by SEABCRU member Pipat Soisook) is one of many output of an international collaborative network of researchers in different 11 institutions based in six different countries. The paper is published in the latest issue of Acta Chiropterologica.

The first specimen of the new species was collected at around 1600 m on Gunung Trus Madi in Sabah, Malaysia, by Charles M. Francis in 1983. This specimen is kept in the Natural History Museum, London after since and was being regarded as a ‘melanistic’ Rhinolophus trifoliatus until this study. Together with additional specimens from Kalimantan, Indonesia and from Thailand, researchers, by using morphological, acoustic and genetic data, reveal that they are a new species to science. The new species then is named ‘Rhinolophus francisi’ to honor C. M. Francis for his great contribution in Southeast Asian bat taxonomy.

The new species is currently known only from Sabah, Kalimantan in Borneo and Ratchaburi Province, W. Thailand. A single specimen from Thailand is described as a different subspecies, namely ‘Rhinolophus francisi thailandicus’ or Thailand’s Wooly Horseshoe Bat’. Anyway the authors mentioned that additional specimens from Thailand may prove that this Thai subspecies is a distinct species, and future surveys in forest habitats of mainland Southeast Asia may reveal that it is actually widespread in the region.

Soisook, P., Struebig, M. J., Noerfahmy, S., Bernard, H., Maryanto, I., Chen, S. F., Rossiter, S. J., Kuo, H. C., Deshpande, K., Bates, P. J. J., Sykes, D. and Miguez, R. P. (2015) DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SPECIES OF THE RHINOLOPHUS TRIFOLIATUS-GROUP (CHIROPTERA: RHINOLOPHIDAE) FROM SOUTHEAST ASIA. Acta Chiropterologica, 17(1): 21–36

Foraging ecology of Lyle’s flying fox revealed by GPS tracking

Marina Fisher-Phelps — Wed, 01 Jul 2015 22:20:33 +0000

Flying foxes are of ecological importance to Old World plants that depend on them for pollination and seed dispersal; however they are globally threatened by habitat loss and hunting. Lyle’s flying fox is of particular interest because it is a host for the Nipah virus, it frequently lives in areas densely inhabited by humans, and has been labeled as Vulnerable by the IUCN. Very little is known about this species’ foraging ecology and diet though the current study assumed that it is a central-place forager, which returns to a day roost after foraging. Using GPS telemetry to track activity patterns and resource use of bats roosting in Wat Luang temple in Chonburi Province, the researchers showed that individuals use agricultural landscapes within a 20-km radius of their day roost. Bats foraged on many different crops and native plants and the population is able to persist in an environment dominated by human activities. Bats consistently returned to foraging sites that had predictable food resources during a given time. Lyle’s flying fox visited a broad variety of plants but most of them were commercial fruits (42%) with mangoes, cashew, and tamarind being most commonly visited, though native fig species were also common in the diet. The stable food supply offered by agricultural crops may have fostered roost fidelity in the observed population of flying foxes. However, remnants of mangrove forests were also heavily used by individuals despite such sites being rare. Due to the bats using cash crops as a common food source these bats are considered pests by farmers and frequently hunted for bushmeat and traditional medicine. The close contact of bats to humans can result in population reductions through hunting that may be unsustainable but also facilitates transmission of the Nipah virus from the bats to humans. Understanding the foraging ecology of Lyle’s flying fox can help formulate better plans for managing the species’ population, preserving the ecological benefits they provide, and perhaps reduce disease transmission risk. Promotion of native vegetation particularly mangrove forests may help reduce conflict between bats and humans.

Original Citation: Natalie Weber, Prateep Duengkae, Jakob Fahr, Dina K. N. Dechmann, Patcharakiti Phengsakul, Wachirapon Khumbucha, Boripat Siriaroonrat, Supaporn Wacharapluesadee, Pattarapol Maneeorn, Martin Wikelski, and Scott Newman. 2015. High resolution GPS tracking of Lyle’s Flying Fox between temples and orchards in Central Thailand. Journal of Wildlife Management, DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.904.

Eonycteris spelaea — an essential link in durian pollination networks.

Tigga Kingston — Mon, 30 Mar 2015 17:47:44 +0000

“Its me again .. Eonycteris spelaea pollinator extraordinaire!” (photo T. Kingston)

Further documentation of just how wonderful Eonycteris spelaea is with a new paper out this month in the Journal of Pollination Ecology. Pushpa Raj Acharya is the lead author, and here is a wonderful write-up on the history of Eonycteris spelaea studies and the significance of the study taken directly from the Journal’s press release:

“One of Paul Racey’s first duties as a new lecturer in the University of Aberdeen in 1974 was to act as internal examiner for Anthony Start’s PhD thesis on the ecology of Eonycteris spelaea in peninsula Malaysia. Start had made the intriguing discovery of mangrove (Sonneratia) pollen in the faeces of Eonycteris in a roost 38km from the nearest mangrove swamp, providing convincing evidence of long distance foraging. Forty years later, Racey’s former PhD student and now Professor, Sara Bumrungsri has revealed the critical role of Eonycteris in pollinating Durio and Parkia, with crop values of USD 137 million in Southern Thailand, crucial to local livelihoods. Pushpa Raj Acharya, a Nepali who had already co-authored a monograph on the bats of Nepal, won a scholarship to carry out research for a PhD by Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai and used radiotracking to study the foraging behavior of Eonycteris. He showed that the bats moved up to 8 km between patches of durian and by transferring pollen between patches, were the main agents of cross pollination. A major concern is the conservation status of Eonycteris, colonies of which live in caves, but the numbers of bats in these colonies are decreasing as a result of hunting and disturbance. Durian fruit set is as low as 0 -1.4% in orchards where bats are not seen foraging. The message is clear: no bats – no durian! ”

Pushpa Raj Acharya, Paul A Racey, Sunthorn Sotthibandhu, Sara Bumrungsri (2015). Feeding behavior of the dawn bat (Eonycteris spelaea) promotes cross pollination of economically important plants in Southeast Asia. Journal of Pollination Ecology 15: 44-50.

You can get a copy from Pushpa — email him at pushpa underscore psu at yahoo dot com

Scientists find a new genus of false vampire from Thailand

Pipat Soisook — Wed, 18 Mar 2015 15:54:23 +0000

Eudiscoderma thongareeae (photo Pipat Soisook)

A team of international scientists, led by two SEABCRU members, Dr. Pipat Soisook (Prince of Songkla University, Thailand) and Dr. Paul Bates (Harrison Institute, UK), discovered a new genus and species of false vampire. The new bat, namely Eudiscoderma thongareeae, is the sixth member of a small family Megadermatidae. It is named to reflect its disc-liked noseleaf and to honor Ms Siriporn Thongaree, the retired, former head of the Halabala Wildlife Research Station where the bat was found.

The species is very rare and only known from 3 specimens collected from a small area. The finding suggests how little we know about biodiversity, particularly in the forest areas of SE Asia.

The paper describing the new bat is published in the latest issue of Zootaxa. A copy of the full text pdf can be requested from the author, e-mail; pipat66@gmail.com

Pipat Soisook, Amorn Prajakjitr, Sunate Karapan, Charles M. Francis & Paul J. J. Bates (2015). A new genus and species of false vampire (Chiroptera: Megadermatidae) from peninsular Thailand. Zootaxa 3931 (4): 528-550.

More species of woolly bats whisper in Southeast Asia’s rainforests

Joe Chun-Chia Huang — Mon, 16 Feb 2015 17:55:13 +0000

Kerivoula hardwickii from Thailand

The insectivorous Woolly bats (Genus Kerivoula) are only found in the Old World tropics, including Southeast Asia. Species of the genus are characterized by small body size (2.5-13 gram), funnel-shaped ears, very high-pitched echolocation, and their fidelity to forests. Despite the great species richness recorded in Thailand, a recent study led by Dr. Bounsavane Douangboubpha reveals there are more species then we knew in the country. By comparing morphological data and barcoding DNA, the authors indicate there are possibly several species under the names of some of the seven most common Kerivoula species in Southeast Asia. In addition, detailed description of morphology, echolocation, and distribution in Thailand of all studied species are also included in the study, providing useful information for further researchers. The findings are published in the latest issue of Mammalia journal by Boun and his collaborators, including three SEABCRU committee members.

Original Citation: Bounsavane Douangboubpha, Sara Bumrungsri, Chutamas Satasook , Warapond Wanna ,Pipat Soisook and Paul J.J. Bates. 2015. Morphology, genetics and echolocation calls of the genus Kerivoula (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae: Kerivoulinae) in Thailand. Mammalia.

Please contact bounsavanhd at yahoo dot com for a copy.

Kerivoula krauensis spreads its wings — range extended to southern Thailand

Bounsavane Douangboubpha — Thu, 06 Nov 2014 20:21:03 +0000

In August 2013, a bat research team of Prince of Songkla Universityin collaboration with the staff of the Hala-Bala Wildlife Research Station have undertook a bat survey in the Hala-Bala Wildlife Sanctuary, Narathiwat Province, Thailand. In the survey, an adult male of K. krauensis was captured by harp trap set in the patch of forest understorey. This is the first record of this species outside of its known location, Krau Wildlife Research, Peninsular Malaysia, and represents a range extension northwards of 254 km. This discovery suggests that the species it more widespread than previous thought, but also confirm that it appear to live in very low population densities in comparison to other Kerivoula.

Bounsavane Douangboubpha, Sara Bumrungsri, Pipat Soisook, Sunate Karapan & Paul J J Bates (2014). The discovery of Kerivoula krauensis in southern peninsular Thailand provides new information on the distribution and conservation status of this data deficient species. Songklanakarin Journal of Science and Technology 36: 577-582. The article can be downloaded here.

Kerivoula krauensis records from Hala-Bala Wildlife Sanctuary, Narathiwat Province, Thailand.

Distribution map of K. krauensis from Thailand (black circle) and Malaysia (black star).

Pooping on the wing – bats the primary dispersers for grassland patches

Tigga Kingston — Sun, 05 Oct 2014 19:23:44 +0000

Megaerops ecuadatus (Photo by Merlin Tuttle). Spreading seeds to grassland patches in Thailand

The case is often made that bats complement birds as seed dispersers in reforestation projects because they tend to defecate in flight, or drop larger seeds that they are carrying. This paradigm has come largely from work in the Neotropics, where the role of fruit bats as dispersers of seeds to abandoned pastures is well described. Much less is known from the Old World tropics, but a new paper from Tuanjit Sritongchuay and colleagues finds that fruit bats, primarily Cynopterus sphinx and Megaerops ecaudatus are similarly the primary seed dispersal agent in grassland patches in Thailand. Seed rain under bushes and shrubs in recovering habitat was primarily from birds, but birds played almost no role in the regeneration of open grassy habitats. The paper was published in Tropical Conservation Science and can be downloaded here

Sritongchuay, T., Gale, G. A. Stewart, A., Kerdkaew, T. and Bumrungsri, S. 2014. Seed Rain in Abandoned
Clearings in a Lowland Evergreen Rain Forest in Southern Thailand. Tropical Conservation Science Vol.7 (3):572-585.
Available online: www.tropicalconservationscience.org

Hungry for hoppers – the economic value of Thailand’s Wrinkle-lipped Bats

Kendra Phelps — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 20:22:44 +0000

The Wrinkle-Lipped Bat — Hungry for ‘ Hoppers!

With an ever-increasing human population size in Asia, the need to identify sustainable practices to ensure food security is a priority. An article published by Wanger et. al. demonstrates that a single cave-roosting bat species, Chaerephon plicatus (the Wrinkled-Lipped Bat), substantially contributes to the suppression of a major rice pest in Thailand, the white-backed planthopper. Through complex extrapolations, the authors report that the population of eight million C. plicatus could prevent an annual loss of nearly 3,000 tons of rice in Thailand alone, with a monetary value of over $1.2 million USD. Through the prevention of crop loss by white-backed planthoppers, this single bat species likely protects food for 26,000 people ever year. Furthermore, the authors advocate for the protection of common yet functionally significant species, such as C. plicatus, rather than simply focusing conservation efforts on rare or threatened species.

Wanger, T.C., K. Darras, S. Bumrungsri, T. Tscharntke, and A-M. Klein. 2014. Bat pest control contributes to food security in Thailand. Biological Conservation 171: 220-223.

Notes from Tigga: Congratulations to SEABCRU steering committee member Sara Bumrungsri on this inspiring article – the power of ecosystem service evaluations such as this can’t be underestimated. Also, we have followed another Steering Committee member, Nancy Simmons, in referring to this species as Chaerephon plicatus rather than Tadarida plicata — but its the same critter! This paper also highlights the importance of conserving caves able to support these huge aggregations.

Bravo! More Murina Species from Southeast Asia

Joe Chun-Chia Huang — Thu, 30 Jan 2014 17:58:09 +0000

A back-to-back discovery of new Murina species is reported from Thailand by the end of 2013. Guillen’s Tube-nosed bat, M. guilleni, is the twentieth new species of the genus described in the past eight years. This small orange-brown bat is named after Antonio Guillen-Servent, who first collected the species. Murina guilleni is very similar to M. cyclotis and M. fionae externally but can be distinguished by its general smaller size, bacula shape, and differentiation in DNA barcodes. The authors also suggest M. peninsularis as a valid full species, which was formerly recognized as a subspecies of M. cyclotis from South Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo, and Sumatra. This exciting finding is published by five SEABCRU committee and their collaborators from several Southeast Asia countries. The research highlights the significance of SEABCRU’s taxonomic network in facilitating our understanding of the cryptic diversity of Southeast Asia bats.

Original citation: Soisook, P., S. Karapan, C. Satassok, V. Dinh Thong, F. A. A. Khan, I. Maryanto, G. Csorba, N. Furey, B. Aul, and P. J. J. Bates. 2013. A review of the Murina cyclotis complex (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) with descriptions of a new species and subspecies. Acta Chiropterologica, 15(2): 271-292.

Note from Tigga: There was some great coverage of the M. balaensis discove ry in Thailand – here and in the Bangkok Post last week. Excellent stuff!

A new Tube-nosed bat from Thailand

Joe Chun-Chia Huang — Tue, 17 Dec 2013 23:19:16 +0000

Murina balaensis

A new Murina species, Murina balaensis, is recently described from Thailand by two SEABCRU committee members, Pipat Soisook and Paul Bates, and their colleagues. M. balaensis is a small bat of the suilla species group. It is most similar to M. eleryi from Vietnam and Lao PDR., but can be distinguished by several morphological traits and an 8% difference in the barcode COI. M. balaensis is the 19th species of the genus new to science in the last eight years. The species name balaensis refers to the locality of type specimen, Bala forest in Thailand. This exciting finding is published in the latest issue of Zootaxa.

Citation: Pipat Soisook, Sunate Karapan, Chutamas Satasook, and Paul J. J. Bates. 2013. A new species of Murina (Mammalia: Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) from peninsular Thailand. Zootaxa 3746 (4): 567–579.