Abstract
Maharashtra state is the third largest by area in India. Maharashtra’s bat fauna comprises eight families, 23 genera, and 41 species, most of which are insectivorous microchiropterans. Eleven of the 41 bat species are found throughout the state whereas 21 species have few colonies with restricted distribution. Five species endemic to South Asia occur in the state. Maharashtra is separated into six divisions in this paper on the basis of geography, topography, and agro-climatic conditions; the presence of bat species and their roosting sites are reported per division. The IUCN status of bat species is listed, as well as endemism. Types of forests in the state and forest cover in each of the six divisions are considered for discussion in the context of bat distribution. Bat species richness and evenness are compared using the Shannon-Weaver (S-W) Index and Simpson’s indices (Reciprocal and Diversity). The results are discussed from the viewpoint of conservation of bat fauna in forest areas in general and the Western Ghats region of the state in particular. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/tapro.v6i1.7083 TAPROBANICA, 2014. Vol. 06, No. 01: pp. 32-45
Highlights
The mammalian fauna of India was surveyed and results published by the Bombay Natural History Society in the early 20th century
Bat fauna reported from Maharashtra: The total number of bat species reported from the state comes to 41 (Appendix 1)
Four species were from the sub-Order Megachiroptera and they belonged to three genera (Rousettus, Cynopterus, Pteropus) and one family (Pteropodidae)
Summary
The mammalian fauna of India was surveyed and results published by the Bombay Natural History Society in the early 20th century. Robert Charles Wroughton and coworkers reported region-wide data of mammalian species including from Order Chiroptera. The contributions of Brosset (1962a–c) and Khajuria (1953), based on their fieldwork in central and western India in the mid-20th century, are noteworthy. Bates and co-workers surveyed Chiroptera in India. Several published studies are available on the reproductive biology, taxonomy, and distribution of the bats of Maharashtra. The present study is based on the literature available on the diversity and distribution of bat species in the state of Maharashtra available in publications by Ellerman & Morrison-Scott (1951), Corbet & Hill (1992), Bates & Harrison
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