First records of the Hairy-winged bat (Harpiocephalus harpia) from Nepal

Abstract

Harpiocephalus is a monospecific genus including only the species Harpiocephalus harpia and is reported only from ten countries in Southeast Asia. H. harpia has been reported in several habitats but has a relatively patchy distribution, and its population monitoring and ecological studies are scarce or absent in many regions. During chiropteran surveys in 2016 and 2021, three individuals of the large Tubenosed bats (subfamily Murininae) were caught in Central and Eastern Nepal. Based on the following external morphological characteristics, the bats were distinguished from Murina spp. and identified as H. harpia: larger body, hairy and short muzzle, heavily haired feet and interfemoral membrane, long reddish hairs in dorsal pelage, white-tipped hairs over the head and neck; and whitish to greyish ventral pelage. These specimens represent the country’s first records of H. harpia and represent a remarkable extension of the specie range as it is approximately 400 km westward from its previously known distribution area.