Miniopterus paululus, Hollister, 1913

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Miniopteridae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 674-709 : 695

7.

Philippine Long-fingered Bat

Miniopterus paululus

French: Minioptére des Philippines / German: Philippinen-Langflligelfledermaus / Spanish: Miniéptero de las Filipinas

Other common names: Philippine Bent-winged Bat

Taxonomy. Miniopterus paululus Hollister, 1913 ,

“ Guimaras Island,” Philippines.

Minwopterus paululus is the smallest of the three species of Miniopterus that live in the Philippines. It was originally considered a subspecies of M. australis , and it was also occasionally related to M. pusillus . Detailed morphological multivariate analysis and mtDNA sequences support its status as a distinct species. Taxonomic validity of subspecies here and their distribution must be confirmed genetically with in-depth revision of Miniopterus in the region. Three subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

M.p.paululusHollister,1913—thePhilippines.

M.p.graysonaeKitchener,2002—TanimbarIs(Selaru).

M. p. witkampi Sody, 1930 — Borneo,scattered records in N Sabah (Balambangan I and Gomatong Caves) and East Kalimantan (Kutai).

Descriptive notes. Head-body ¢.47-51 mm, tail 34-49 mm, ear 9-11 mm, hindfoot 7-9 mm, forearm 34-39 mm; weight 5-6 g. Pelage of the Philippine Long-fingered Bat is dense and uniform dark blackish brown. Ears are small ears, and tragusis short, blunt, broadest at tip, and somewhat curved forward. Wing membranes are dark blackish brown. Compared with other small species of Miniopterus with which it sharesits distribution, its forearm is noticeably smaller than in the Little Long-fingered Bat ( M. australis ) and the Small Long-fingered Bat ( M. pusillus ) and somewhat larger than Shortridge’s Long-fingered Bat ( M. shortridgei ).

Habitat. Variety of habitats from lowland agricultural areas and second growth lowland forests to primary lowland forests generally below elevations of 1000 m but up to 1450 m in secondary montane forests.

Food and Feeding. There is no specific information available for this species, but other long-fingered bats mainly eat soft insects captured in flight.

Breeding. One female Philippine Long-fingered Bat from Leyte ( Philippines) had a single small embryo in mid-March. Females captured on Bohol Island ( Philippines) were lactating in late June to mid-July.

Activity patterns. The Philippine Long-fingered Batis thought to be mainly nocturnal. It is cave dwelling.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. In the Philippines, the Philippine Long-fingered Bat is one of the most common species of bats found in caves, with colonies of a few hundred individuals but up to several thousands. It often shares roosts with other cave-dwelling bats, such as the Lesser Dawn Bat (Eonycteris spelaea), the Dusky Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros ater), the Diadem Leaf-nosed Bat (H. diadema), the Acuminate Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus acuminatus), the Arcuate Horseshoe Bat (R. arcuatus), Creagh’s Horseshoe Bat (R. creaghi), the Big-eared Horseshoe Bat (R. macrotis), the Yellow-faced Horseshoe Bat (R. virgo), the Great Long-fingered Bat ( M. tristis ), Eschscholtz’s Long-fingered Bat ( M. eschscholtzii ), and the Pallid Large-footed Myotis ( Myotis macrotarsus).

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. There is little information about population status, ecology, and distribution of the Philippine Long-fingered Bat, and conservation threats are unknown.

Bibliography. Esselstyn, Widmann & Heaney (2004), Furman, Oztung & Coraman (2010), Heaney, Balete et al. (1998), Heaney, Dolar et al. (2010), Heaney, Gonzales et al. (1991), Heaney, Tabaranza et al. (2006), Hill (1983), Hollister (1913a), Kitchener & Suyanto (2002), Payne et al. (2007), Phillipps & Phillipps (2016), Rickart et al. (1993), Sedlock, Jose et al. (2014), Sramek et al. (2013), Suyanto et al. (2008).

Figures

1. Asian Long-fingered Bat (Miniopterus fuliginosus), 2. Large Long-fingered Bat (Miniopterus magnater), 3. Small Long-fingered Bat (Miniopterus pusillus), 4. Intermediate Long-fingered Bat (Miniopterus meduius), 5. Ryukyu Long-fingered Bat (Miniopterus fuscus), 6. Eschscholtz’s Long-fingered Bat (Miniopterus eschscholtzii), 7. Philippine Long-fingered Bat (Miniopterus paululus), 8. Great Long-fingered Bat (Miniopterus tristis), 9. Shortridge’s Long-fingered Bat (Miniopterus shortridgei), 10. Javanese Long-fingered Bat (Miniopterus blepotis), 11. Little Long-fingered Bat (Miniopterus australis), 12. Small Melanesian Long-fingered Bat (Miniopterus macrocneme), 13. Loyalty Long-fingered Bat (Miniopterus robustior), 14. Australian Long-fingered Bat (Miniopterus orianae), 15. Pallid Long-fingered Bat (Miniopterus pallidus), 16. Schreibers’s Long-fingered Bat (Miniopterus schreibersu), 17. Neghrohion Long-fingered Bat (Miniopterus maghrebensis)

Subspecies and Distribution. M.p.paululusHollister,1913—thePhilippines. M.p.graysonaeKitchener,2002—TanimbarIs(Selaru). M. p. witkampi Sody, 1930 — Borneo,scattered records in N Sabah (Balambangan I and Gomatong Caves) and East Kalimantan (Kutai).