Myotis Formosus Research Articles

Record of bats and their echolocation calls from southern Dolakha, central Nepal

Abstract With 52 species, bats make up almost a quarter of all the mammal species in Nepal, and yet remains the least understudied group of mammals. Owing to its diverse geography and climate, more species of bats potentially occur in the country, and acoustic surveys could improve the knowledge of their ecology. So, a study was conducted in Sailung and Melung Rural Municipalities of Dolakha district of Nepal, with the objectives of assessing bat species richness and preparing digital records of their echolocation calls. Using mist-netting and roost survey during three periods in 2018 (late March, late May to early June and mid-November), 10 species of bats were recorded: Cynopterus sphinx, Lyroderma lyra, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum, Rhinolophus luctus, Rhinolophus pearsonii, Rhinolophus sinicus, Hipposideros armiger, Myotis formosus, Myotis sp. and Nyctalus noctula. Ten roosts (mostly caves) were located. Echolocation calls of six of these species were documented, including signals of three species described for the first time in Nepal. This study also reports the fifth record of Myotis formosus in Nepal and new locality record of the species after two decades. The echolocation calls documented hereafter may serve as a reference for species identification for non-invasive studies of bats.

The Population Trend and Management for Conservation in Myotis formosus.

Understanding the need for temperature regulation, behavior, and ecology of hibernating bats provides the possibility of conservation and management for target species. Our objective in this study was to improve understanding of the population trend and ecological requirement in Myotis formosus population in South Korea. From 2007 to 2016, total of 58 hibernacula for Myotis formosus were found across the country. Of the 58 hibernating sites of Myotis formosus, 86% (n=49) were abandoned mines and 14% (n=8) were natural caves. During the survey period, 28 (5%) bats of total 570 bats were observed in natural caves (n=8) and 542 (95%) bats were observed in abandoned mines (n=49). The internal environments of hibernacula of M. formosus were highly stable despite dramatic variation in the external environment. Specifically, we examined the population trend of the endangered bat Myotis formosus in South Korea by long-term monitoring for hibernation sites. The population trend of endangered species M. formosus showed a marked stable in hibernating population. Our results indicate that a tightly collected long-term data set may help to establish the initial approximation of population trends and manage to threats for the endangered bat species.

Bat Fatalities at Wind Farms in Taiwan

We collected bat carcasses at three wind farms in Taiwan, located along the west coast mostly near the sea and/or in former coastal wetland habitats. We found 43 bat carcasses, mostly of common aerial-hawking species such as Pipistrellus abramus and Scotophilus kuhlii, but the island endemics Eptesicus serotinus horikawai and Myotis formosus flavus were also recovered. All bat species affected are believed to remain on the island all year. As far as we know this is the first report of bat fatalities at wind energy facilities in eastern Asia.

Detection of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome‐Related Coronavirus and Alphacoronavirus in the Bat Population of Taiwan

SummaryBats have been demonstrated to be natural reservoirs of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) CoV. Faecal samples from 248 individuals of 20 bat species were tested for partial RNA‐dependent RNA polymerase gene of CoV and 57 faecal samples from eight bat species were tested positive. The highest detection rate of 44% for Scotophilus kuhlii, followed by 30% for Rhinolophus monoceros. Significantly higher detection rates of coronaviral RNA were found in female bats and Scotophilus kuhlii roosting in palm trees. Phylogenetic analysis classified the positive samples into SARS‐related (SARSr) CoV, Scotophilus bat CoV 512 close to those from China and Philippines, and Miniopterus bat CoV 1A‐related lineages. Coronaviral RNA was also detected in bat guano from Scotophilus kuhlii and Myotis formosus flavus on the ground and had potential risk for human exposure. Diverse bat CoV with zoonotic potential could be introduced by migratory bats and maintained in the endemic bat population in Taiwan.

Elemental analysis of the liver, kidney, and intestine tissues from a Hodgson's bat (Myotis formosus tsuensis)

Elemental analysis of the liver, kidney, and intestine tissues from a Hodgson's bat (Myotis formosus tsuensis)

동굴성 박쥐 7종의 온도선호도와 동면처 선택

Bats hibernating in caves and unused mines were surveyed during six hibernation periods (from December to February, 2005 and 2011) in Korea. We recorded 13,288 individuals of 11 species at 140 hibernacula (60 caves and 80 abandoned mines): Rhinolophus ferrumequinum (n=3,509), Eptesicus serotinus (n=6), Hypsugo alaschanicus (n=349), Miniopterus fuliginosus (n=5,919), Murina hilgendorfi (n=417), Myotis aurascens (n=294), Myotis bombinus (n=2), Myotis formosus (n=401), Myotis macrodactylus (M.mac, n= 151), Myotis petax (n=2,131) and Plecotus ognevi (n=109). We studied the thermal preference and selection of hibernacula of seven dominant bat species. Four species (Myotis petax, Hypsugo alaschanicus, Plecotus ognevi and Murina hilgendorfi) hibernated mainly at the cold site below than 7.C, while three species (Myotis formosus, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum and Miniopterus fuliginosus) hibernated at warm site above than 7.C. Rhinolophus ferrumequinum had broad-ranged temperature zone for their hibernating site. The mean body temperature of each species was 2.64±0.98.C for Murina hilgendorfi, 2.76±1.68.C for Hypsugo alaschanicus, 2.78±0.98.C for Plecotus ognevi, 4.52±1.02.C for Myotis petax, 7.83±1.94.C for Miniopterus fuliginosus, 9.19±2.35.C for Rhinolophus ferrumequinum and 13.64±0.76.C for Myotis formosus, respectively. The body temperatures of hibernating bats were closely related to the rock surface temperatures rather than the ambient temperatures. In conclusion, the diversity of bats community in hibernacula were closely related to the range of inner ambient temperature of hibernacula, and more species of bats were occupied at sites presenting a broad range of ambient temperatures.

Thermal preference and hibernation period of Hodgson’s bats (Myotis formosus) in the temperate zone: how does the phylogenetic origin of a species affect its hibernation strategy?

Hibernation is regarded as a physiological and behavioral adaptation that permits the survival of animals such as bats during seasonal periods of energy shortage. Moreover, the phylogenetic history of a species can be used to investigate the evolution of its thermal regulation system during torpor. Hodgson’s bat (Myotis formosus (Hodgson, 1835)) is a temperate species that arose phylogenetically from an Ethiopian lineage, suggesting that this bat lineage secondarily colonized a temperate climate. Therefore, the hibernation pattern of M. formosus may differ from that of other temperate bat species. This study investigated the hibernation period of M. formosus in the temperate climate zone and the relationship between thermal preference and hibernating process of bats. Myotis formosus hibernated in roosts maintained in warm (temperature, 12–14 °C) and humid (relative humidity, >95%) ambient conditions. The bats began to hibernate in early October and final arousals occurred in mid-May so that the total length of the hibernation “season” was 220 days. The period of hibernation was strongly influenced by fluctuations in the external minimal temperature. Most bats entered the hibernacula when the external minimal temperature was lower than the temperature of the hibernacula (mean, 13 °C) and emerged from the hibernacula when the external temperature exceeded the temperature of the hibernacula. This study suggests that the onset and termination of M. formosus hibernation is due to the interaction between the temperature of the hibernacula and that of the external environment and is based on the thermal preference of the bats. The study also suggests that the hibernation strategy of this species may be a product of its phylogenetic origin as a tropical bat species adapting to a severely cold climate.

Complete mitochondrial genome of the Hodgson's bat Myotis formosus (Mammalia, Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae)

The first complete mitochondrial genome (17,159 bp) of the Hodgson's bat Myotis formosus, which is an endangered species in South Korea, was sequenced and characterized. The genome included 13 protein-coding, 22 tRNA, and 2 rRNA genes, and 1 control region. It has high AT content and the same gene arrangement pattern as those of typical vertebrate mitochondrial genome. Within the control region, a 80 bp tandem repeat unit was iterated five times which was found in Domain I. It has been observed only in the vespertilionid bat group, and could contribute to identifying the species or genus, and also distinguishing it from other bat families.

Study on Hibernating Caves and Food Source of Copper-winged Bat (Myotis formosus), for Multiplication and Preservation

Copper-winged bat (Myotis formosus) is a species of Vespetilionidae (Nowak 1994, Yun et al., 2004) and lives in East Asia, including Korea, Japan, Taiwan, southern China, the Philippines, Malaysia, northern India, and eastern Afghanistan. Bats prefer a specific range of temperatures and humidity when they select a hibernation place. The environments of a cave have great influences on survival of bats during hibernation, while the food supplies have an influence on survival during active periods. Bats feed on animals, mostly insects. Copper-winged bats are designated as IUCN Red List Vulnerable Species, and research and studies are imperative to preserve the species in Korea, as there are not many existing studies on the species. The environment of a hibernating cave was especially examined on the basis of preliminary studies, which found that the temperature in bat' hibernation place was specific to the species. In a study comparing night insects around caves with a large number of hibernating bats and caves with a small number of hibernating bats, it was found that there were more diverse species and higher number of insects around caves that had more hibernating copper-winged bats. As a result of correlation analysis on the body surface temperature and cave walls temperature, Geumseong Cave, Jovicave and Seokpo Cave showed high positive correlations (r2»0.86, p<0.01). Based on the results, this study was intended to present basic data on the importance of hibernating caves and foods (insect fauna) for multiplication and preservation of copper-winged bats.

The Current Distribution and Habitat Preferences of Hibernating Myotis formosus in Korea

We monitored 38 hibernation sites of Myotis formosus in South Korea and recorded the number of bats occupying each site and assessed the micro-climate at the sites during four winters from 2005 to 2009 at. The mean rock temperature of the bat roosting sites was <TEX>$13.2{\pm}1.4^{\circ}C$</TEX> and the mean body temperature of the hibernating bats was <TEX>$13.3{\pm}1.3^{\circ}C$</TEX>. The number of hibernating bats was negatively related to the size of the entrance and positively related to the minimum ambient temperature and humidity in the site interior. More bats hibernated in roosts with smaller entrances and higher minimum ambient temperatures, and more bats selected sites presenting a narrow temperature range. This study showed that the internal environments of hibernacula of M. formosus were highly stable despite dramatic variation in the external environment.

Identification of sympatric bat species by the echolocation calls

One hundred and thirty-eight echolocation calls of 63 free-flying individuals of five bat species (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum, Myotis formosus, Myotis ikonnikovi, Myotis daubentoni and Murina leucogaster) were recorded (by ultrasonic bat detector (D980)) in Zhi’an village of Jilin Province, China. According to the frequency-time spectra, these calls were categorized into two types: FM/CF (constant frequency) / FM (R. ferrumequinum) and FM (frequency modulated) (M. formosus, M. ikonnikovi, M. daubentoni and M. leucogaster). Sonograms of the calls of R. ferrumequinum could easily be distinguished from those of the other four species. For the calls of the remaining four species, six echolocation call parameters, including starting frequency, ending frequency, peak frequency duration, longest inter-pulse interval and shortest inter-pulse interval, were examined by stepwise discriminant analysis. The results show that 84.1% of calls were correctly classified, which indicates that these parameters of echolocation calls play an important role in identifying bat species. These parameters can be used to test the accuracy of general predictions based on bats’ morphology in the same forest and can provide essential information for assessing patterns of bat habitat use.

붉은박쥐 동면처의 특성

붉은박쥐 동면처의 특성

Mother-Young Interactions in a Maternity Colony of Myotis formosus

Mother-Young Interactions in a Maternity Colony of Myotis formosus

MOTHER-YOUNG INTERACTIONS IN A MATERNITY COLONY OFMYOTIS FORMOSUS

Abstract The maternity colony of Myotis formosus in Yun-lin County, southwestern Taiwan, began to form in late March, and the numbers peaked (about 200) in May. Most bats left the roost site between mid-August and early October for unknown hibernation sites. Females gave birth during May and June. Before parturition, females (n = 19) spent 563.9 min ± 47.28 SD outside the roost per night. Time away from the roost decreased significantly after they gave birth. Lactating females increased the total time that they spent outside the roost per night by 37.8% from early to late lactation. Females spent more time grooming young than self-grooming during the first 2 weeks of lactation. From the 3rd week on, more time was spent on self-grooming. Forearm length and body mass of newborns were 21.46 ± 1.90 mm (n = 13) and 3.71 ± 0.41 g (n = 12), about 42.8% and 24.1% of adult size, respectively. Young rarely moved during the 1st week after birth. They started to crawl at the 2nd week and to attempt short straight-lin...

Sperm Storage in the Reproductive Tract and Prolonged Survival of the Graafian Follicle in the Female Orange Whiskered Bat, Myotis formosus tsuensis , of Korea *

Sperm Storage in the Reproductive Tract and Prolonged Survival of the Graafian Follicle in the Female Orange Whiskered Bat, Myotis formosus tsuensis , of Korea *