Miniopterus blepotis (Temminck, 1840) Bonaparte, 1837

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Miniopteridae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 674-709 : 696

10.

Javanese Long-fingered Bat

Miniopterus blepotis

French: Minioptére blépote / German: Java-Langflligelfledermaus / Spanish: Miniéptero de Java

Other common names: Javanese Bent-winged Bat

Taxonomy. Vespertilio blepotis Temminck, 1840 ,

“ Java,” Indonesia .

Miniopterus blepotis was often considered a subspecies of M. schreibersii . When the schreibersii complex was split, M. blepotis became a valid species clearly different from the rest of Asian and Australian species in the complex: M. fuliginosus, M. eschscholtzi, and M. orianae . This is supported by mtDNA sequence data from New Guinea and assigned to M. blepotis . As with other members of Miniopterus , taxonomic arrangement here should be considered provisional until an overall genetic study is completed. Currently, distribution of M. blepotis is unknown either at the continental level (specimens cited as schreibersii of southern Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand could theoretically be blepotis , magnater , or fuliginosus) or on islands of Melanesia (samples of the Solomon Islands are genetically quite different from blepotis of New Guinea). Itis also unknown if it is actually a complex that includes more than one species. Monotypic.

Distribution. Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo, Java, Sulawesi, some Lesser Sunda Is (Lombok and Timor) and Moluccas (Seram, Ambon, and Kai Is), New Guinea and some nearby islands (Waigeo I, Manus I in Admiralty Is, New Ireland I in Bismarck Archipelago, and D’Entrecasteaux Is), and Solomon Is; possibly this species also recorded on mainland SE Asia ( Thailand, S Cambodia, and S Vietnam).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 46-63 mm, tail 39-62-5 mm, ear 13-6-14-1 mm, hindfoot 7-10-6 mm, forearm 44-6-51-7 mm; weight 8-8-17-5 g. Forearm length is on average shorter but overlaps the range of the Large Long-fingered Bat ( M. magnater ). The Javanese Long-fingered Bat has a proportionally smaller tibia (17-1-21-4 mm) relative to its forearm length. Dorsal fur in New Guinea is bicolored, with hairs having dark black-brown bases and pale red-brown or medium brown tips. It occasionally has large reddish patches due to the ammonia effect on pelage in large nursery colonies. Skin of snout, ear, and wing membranesis black. Ears are short, and tragus is short, blunt, and curved slightly forward. Diploid numberis 2n = 46 (Sabah, Borneo).

Habitat. Dry forests, secondary forests, and wet tropical forests from sea level to elevations of ¢. 2900 m.

Food and Feeding. The Javanese Long-fingered Bat has swift direct flight and hunts aerial prey above forest canopies.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. The Javanese Long-fingered Bat is probably mainly nocturnal. It is cave dwelling but also roosts in mines or tunnels.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Colonies ofJavanese Long-fingered Bats are frequently mixed with other species of Miniopterus including the Little Longfingered Bat ( M. australis ), the Large Long-fingered Bat, the Intermediate Long-fingered Bat ( M. medius ), and the Great Long-fingered Bat (M. trists).

Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The IUCN Red List. The Javanese Long-fingered Bat was previously included in Schreibers’s Long-fingered Bat ( M. schreibersii ), which is classified as Near Threatened.

Bibliography. Bonaccorso (1998), Bumrungsri et al. (2006), Corbet & Hill (1992), Francis (2008a), Furman, Oztunc & Coraman (2010), Harada & Kobayashi (1980), Hill (1971c¢, 1983), Maeda (1982), Matveev (2005), Payne et al. (2007), Sramek etal. (2013), Wiantoro (2011), Wiantoro et al. (2017).

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)

Distribution. Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo, Java, Sulawesi, some Lesser Sunda Is (Lombok and Timor) and Moluccas (Seram, Ambon , and Kai Is), New Guinea and some nearby islands (Waigeo I, Manus I in Admiralty Is, New Ireland I in Bismarck Archipelago , and D’Entrecasteaux Is), and Solomon Is; possibly this species also recorded on mainland SE Asia ( Thailand , S Cambodia , and S Vietnam ).