Aselliscus dongbacanus, Vuong, Csorba, Gorfol, Arai, N. T. Son, H. T. Thanh & Hasanin, 2015

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Hipposideridae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 227-258 : 234

18.

Dong Bac Trident Bat

Aselliscus dongbacanus

French: Phyllorhine du Dong Bac / German: Dong-Bac-Dreizackblattnase / Spanish: Aselisco de Dong Bac

Other common names: Dong Bac Trident Leaf-nosed Bat, Large Trident Bat

Taxonomy. Aselliscus dongbacana [sic] Vuong et al., 2015 , “Na Phong cave, Ba Be National Park, Bac Kan province, Vietnam (22°23’N, 105°36’E, entrance altitude: 280 m a.s.l.).”

Widely used specific name dongbacana has been changed for gender agreement. This species was previously placed in. stoliczkanus , from which it is distinguishable in genetics; it is rather larger in selected morphological and dental measurements.

Monotypic.

Distribution. Recorded from different karst and mountainous areas in NE Vietnam, including some offshore Is.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 35-47 mm, tail 36-42 mm, ear 8-12 mm, hindfoot 5-6 mm, forearm c.42-8 mm; weight 4-8 g. General pelage color varies from dark to light brown on dorsal surface and from brownish gray to dirty white on ventral surface. In all hairs, distal one-third is darker than remaining part. Muzzle is short with a small noseleaf. Anterior leaf is small with slighdy upward margins; there is a distinct median notch on its anterior edge. There are two pairs of supplementary lateral leaflets; of these, first is more developed. Anterior noseleaf and two supplementary leaflets are thin and naked. Outer parts of anterior noseleaf and each of lateral leaflets are darker than their inner parts. Intermediate leaf has a slighdy swollen median septum. Its width is substantially narrower than both anterior and posterior leaves. Upper border of posterior leaf is divided into three distinct points. Pinna of each ear has pointed tip and a slighdy convex anterior margin. On its posterior margin, upper one-half is deeply concave whereas remainder is convex. Dental formula for all members of Aselliscus is 1 1/2, C 1/1, P 2/2, M 3/3 (x2) = 30.

Habitat. Karst habitats between sea level up to 500 m, or more, on both mainland and offshore islands in northern Vietnam.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. Annual breeding season of the Dong Bac Trident Bat is variably from March to August: pregnant females were captured from March until July and lactating females fromJune to August.

Activity patterns. The Dong Bac Trident Bat roosts during the day in caves. Both sexes depart from the roosts for several hours after sunset. The species uses the typical multiharmonic calls of hipposiderid bats with the maximum energy in the second harmonic. Each signal comprises three components: a very short initial FM component; followed by a dominant F component; and a terminal FM component. Frequency values for the second harmonic are 120-7-133-2 kHz.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Dong Bac Trident Bats roost in small groups of several dozen individuals. It was usually recorded from the same caves as other species including Ha Long Leaf-nosed Bats { Hipposideros alongensis ), Great Himalayan Leaf-nosed Bats { H. armiger ), Phou Khao Khouay Leaf-nosed Bats { H. khaokhouayensis ), Horsfield’s Leaf-nosed Bats { H. larvatus ), Pomona Leaf-nosed Bats {H. pomond), Marshall’s Horseshoe Bats { Rhinolophus marshaUz), Pearson’s Horseshoe Bats { R. pearsonii ), and Least Horseshoe Bats (7t pusiUus). It appears in the roosts in every season of the year; it forages in different habitats ranging from fruit tree gardens to secondary and primary forests.

Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The IUCN Red List due to its recent recognition as a species. The Dong Bac Trident Bat would be threatened by disturbance at roost sites in caves, and at foraging habitats.

Bibliography. Furey, Mackie & Racey et al. (2009, 2011), Thong Vu Dinh (2011), Tu Vuong Tan, Csorba et al. (2015).

Figures

1. Arabian Trident Leaf-nosed Bat (Asellia arabica), 2. Somalian Trident Leaf-nosed Bat (Asellia italosomalica), 3. Patrizi’s Trident Leaf-nosed Bat (Asellia patrizii), 4. Geoffroy’s Trident Leaf-nosed Bat (Asellia tridens), 5. Greater Leaf-nosed Bat (Doryrhina camerunensis), 6. Telefomin Leaf-nosed Bat (Doryrhina corynophyllus), 7. Cyclops Leaf-nosed Bat (Doryrhina cyclops), 8. Hill’s Leaf-nosed Bat (Doryrhina edwardshilli), 9. Fly River Leaf-nosed Bat (Doryrhina muscinus), 10. Semon’s Leaf-nosed Bat (Doryrhina semoni), 11. Northern Leaf-nosed Bat (Doryrhina stenotis), 12. Wollaston’s Leaf-nosed Bat (Doryrhina wollastoni), 13. Commerson’s Leaf-nosed Bat (Macronycteris commersonii), 14. Madagascar Cryptic Leaf-nosed Bat (Macronycteris cryptovalorona), 15. Giant Leaf-nosed Bat Macronycteris gigas rench: (Phyllorhine géante), 16. Sao Tome Leaf-nosed Bat Macronycteris thomensis rench: Phyllorhine de (Sao Tomé), 17. Striped Leaf-nosed Bat (Macronycteris vittatus), 18. Dong Bac Trident Bat (Aselliscus dongbacanus), 19. Stoliczka’s Trident Bat (Aselliscus stoliczkanus), 20. Temminck’s Trident Bat (Aselliscus tricuspidatus), 21. East Asian Tailless Leaf-nosed (Bat Coelopsfrithii), 22. Malayan Tailless Leaf-nosed Bat (Coelops robinsoni), 23. Solomons Leaf-nosed Bat (Anthops omatus)

Distribution. Recorded from different karst and mountainous areas in NE Vietnam , including some offshore Is.