Bat cave and Hobbit hole, microbats of Liang Bua (Flores, Indonesia)

Abstract

Liang Bua is a limestone cave on the island of Flores, Indonesia. Palaeontological and archaeological excavations at this site have unearthed one of the best insular records of fossil bats to date. The assemblage is numerically dominated by the horseshoe bat species Rhinolophus euryotis, followed by the leafnosed bat Hipposideros diadema. In addition to these species, remains of Rhinolophus simplex, Hipposideros sp. cf. H. sumbae, Murina sp. aff. M. florium, Taphozous sp., Kerivoula sp. and Miniopterus sp. have also been recovered. Two taxa found in Liang Bua, Rhinolophus euryotis and Miniopterus sp., are not apparent in the modern bat fauna of Flores. Some specimens, found during the more recent excavations, are known from specific depths. Two age-groups are represented. The stratigraphically oldest is 74–61 ka and includes Murina sp. aff. M. florium and Rhinolophus euryotis. Conversely, the younger, Holocene, assemblage is much more diverse. Despite the relatively small amount of microbat material collected thus far, it displays a higher diversity than the rodents from the site. This is presumably related to the better dispersal ability of bats relative to other, non-volant mammals.