Rhinolophus mabuensis, Peter J. Taylor & Samantha Stoffberg & Ara Monadjem & Martinus Corrie Schoeman & Julian Baylis & Fenton P. D. Cotterill, 2012

Peter J. Taylor, Samantha Stoffberg, Ara Monadjem, Martinus Corrie Schoeman, Julian Baylis & Fenton P. D. Cotterill, 2012, Four New Bat Species (Rhinolophus hildebrandtii Complex) Reflect Plio-Pleistocene Divergence of Dwarfs and Giants across an Afromontane Archipelago, PLoS ONE 7 (9), pp. 1-23 : 17

Rhinolophus mabuensis new species urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:C205928E-D72C-40D5-9647FDC9391CB1A6

Mount Mabu Horseshoe Bat

Fig. 4, 4 , Fig. S1 , Table 3, 4, Table S1, Appendix S1

Holotype. DM 10842 ; adult male, alcohol skin, skull and prepared baculum, collected by M. Curran and M. Kopp, 13 October 2008.

Type locality. Mt Mabu , northern Mozambique, 16 ° 17 ' 2 " S; 36 ° 23 ' 53 " E; elevation 1043 m asl.

Diagnosis. Peak frequency of 37.5 and 37.9 kHz for two animals captured and released in sub-montane and montane forests at 550 m and 1000 m respectively on Mt Mabu (Curran and Kopp, personal communication). The echolocation call frequencies of the holotype from Mt Mabu and the paratype from Mt Inago were not measured. Body, cranium and noseleaf very large (FL 66.1 mm in holotype, 69.0 in paratype; GSL 29.7 mm in holotype; 30.3 mm in paratype; CCL 25.2 mm in holotype, 25.9 mm in paratype; NLW 15.0 mm in holotype, 15.3 mm in paratype; Table 5); size and position of anterior upper premolar variable; either relatively largeand situated partially within the toothrow, with gap between canine and posterior premolar (paratype) or small and located external to the toothrow (holotype). Much larger than all other members of the R. hildebrandtii complex, except for R. cohenae from which mabuensis can be distinguished by echolocation frequency (33 kHz in R. cohenae ; ca 38 kHz in R. mabuensis ) and baculum shape (Type 2 in mabuensis ; Type 1 in cohenae ; Fig. 9 ). Genotypes of R. mabuensis are members of Clade 1b ( Fig. 2 ).

Paratype. DM 11485 (adult female, alcohol skin and skull, collected J. Bayliss on 5 September 2009 from Mt Inago ) .

Description. External and noseleaf description and colour similar to R. hildebrandtii s.s., but larger in skull and external dimensions (see above). Lower lip with single mental groove. Noseleaf shape variable with profile of connecting process forming a continuous arch as typical for R. hildebrandtii [ 12] in the individual from Mt Inago, but highly distinctive in the Mt Mabu specimen, representing a small rounded bump ( Fig. 8 ). The robust skull is reflected in the large means recorded for most cranial dimensions ( Table 5). In lateral view the skull has a prominent rostral chamber which extends to the same height as the relatively weak sagittal crest. In dorsal view the V-shaped inter-orbital basin (frontal depression [ 12]) formed by the supraorbital ridges is very prominent and deep, and the anterior root of the sagittal crest is displaced posteriorly.

Distribution. Known only from two mountains in northern Mozambique but quite possibly extending to nearby Mts. Namuli, Chiperone, Mulanje and the Malawi Rift.

Ecology. All known specimens were associated with montane or sub-montane forest on the two mountains where they were collected.

Etymology. We selected the specific epithet to draw attention to the serious threats to the unique biodiversity isolated on the montane forest islands in northern Mozambique – notably Mts Mabu and Inago. None of these landforms lie within formally protected areas, and all are undergoing major habitat degradation and destruction from ever-increasing human activities - hunting, fires, timber harvesting and expanding agriculture [ 22]. The conservation status of this threatened biodiversity on Mts Mabu and Inago is highlighted by R. mabuensis , alongside recently discovered species of butterflies, crabs, snakes and chameleons [22;115,116,117,118].

Specimens examined. See Table S1.

Figures

Figure 1. Portraits of (a) Rhinolophus smithersi species novo, and (b) Rhinolophus mossambicus species novo, two of four new cryptic species described herein within the R. hildebrandtii complex. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0041744.g001

Figure 2. Map of southern, central and eastern Africa indicating localities of individuals of R. hildebrandtii species-complex included in this study. Grey-shaded area represents elevations in excess of 600 m a.s.l. Closed squares indicate museum specimens from which craniometric data were obtained. Open symbols indicate specimens genotyped in this study. The distribution of the three major clades is based on cytochrome b (see Figure 2): open circles = Clade 1; open squares = Clade 2; open diamonds = Clade 3. Closed squares enclosed in open symbols indicate localities where both molecular and morphological data were available for selected specimens. Numbers refer to respective localities listed in Table S1. ‘‘T’’ indicates the type localities of R. eloquens in Uganda and R. hildebrandtii in Kenyaı respectively. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0041744.g002

Figure 4. Morphometric variation in a series representing the R. hildebrandtii complex from Lutope-Ngolangola, Zimbabwe: a) biplot of forearm length versus noseleaf width and b) PCA of five craniometric variables (M3M3, CM3, IOC, NW, NH) in 26 individuals of known (37 or 46 kHz) and unknown (?) frequency. Females indicated by open circlesı males by closed circles or crosses or asterisk. Voucher specimens for molecular sequencing study indicated by asterisk (Clade 1e: = smithersii sp. nov.; see Taxonomic Conclusions) and crosses (Clade 2: = mossambicus sp. nov.; see Taxonomic Conclusions). Hereafterı all individuals with a frequency of 37 kHz were assumed to belong to Clade 2 (mossambicus sp. nov.) and the 46 kHz individual was assumed to belong to Clade 1e (smithersi sp. nov.). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0041744.g004

Figure 8. Photographs showing lateral views of noseleafs of selected individuals (including holotypes of new species) of the Rhinolophus hildebrandtii complex representing molecular Lineage 1a (= cohenae sp. nov.; a–b), Lineage 1b (= mabuensis sp. nov.; c) and Clade 2 (= mossambicus sp. nov.; d–f). a = DM 7886 (cohenae sp. nov.;Barberton Tunnel, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa); b = DM 8626 (cohenae sp. nov.; Barberton Tunnel, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa; Holotype); c = DM 10842 (mabuensis sp. nov.; Mt Mabu, Mozambique; Holotype); d = DM 8578 (mossambicus sp. nov.; Niassa Game Reserve, Mozambique; Holotype); e = DM 8579 (mossambicus sp. nov.; Chinizuia, Mozambique); f = DM 8577 (mossambicus sp. nov.; Namapa, Mozambique). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0041744.g008

Figure 9. Dorsal (D), ventral (V) and lateral (L) view of bacula (tips on right) from four individuals (a–d) from Mpumalanga (Clade 1a = cohenae sp. nov.), two (e–f) from lowland sites in Mozambique (Clade 2 = mossambicus sp. nov.) and one (g) from Mt Mabu in Mozambique (Clade 1b = mabuensis sp. nov.). a = DM 11558 (Sudwala); b = DM 11620 (Barberton Tunnel; Topotype of cohenae); c = DM 11560 (Mayo); d = DM 11618 (Barberton Tunnel); e = DM 8580 (Gorongosa); f = DM 8578 (Niassa GR; Holotype of mossambicus); g = DM 10842 (Mt Mabu; Holotype of mabuensis). Bacula of Clade 1a (cohenae sp. nov.) have spatulate tip (rounded in Clades 2 (mossambicus sp. nov.) and 1b (mabuensis sp. nov.))ı typically emarginated basal portion (less so in Clades 2 and 1b) and shaft laterally compressed (cylindrical in Clades 2 and 1b) and sloping downwards in lateral view (horizontal in Clades 2 and 1b). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0041744.g009