Eonycteris spelaea (Dobson, 1871)

Kharkongor, Ilona Jacinta, Saikia, Uttam, Khynriam, Dimos & Saikia, Bhaskar, 2023, Current status of faunal diversity of Siju Cave, South Garo Hills, Meghalaya, Records of the Zoological Survey of India 123 (3), pp. 283-303 : 288

2. Eonycteris spelaea (Dobson, 1871)

1871. Macroglossus spelaeus Dobson, Proc. Asiat. Soc. Bengal : 105 (Farm caves, Moulmein, Burma)

Material examined: Nil

Remarks: This species was observed in the cave both during the March 2018 and 2019 surveys. An estimated 100-150 individuals of this species were seen roosting in the ceiling of the cave at about 150 m inside. This place is the same location where “myriads” of fruit bats were recorded during the earlier intensive exploration ( Kemp and Chopra, 1924). From the bat surveys in the early nineties, a large number of specimens of this bat were reported from Siju Cave and in probability this bat was a very common inhabitant of the cave ( Sinha, 1999). However subsequent visits to the cave did document an appreciable decline in bat populations inside the Cave ( Harries et al., 2020). From our surveys also, we noticed a serious numerical decline of this species in Siju Cave.