New distribution and breeding record of Wroughton’s free-tailed bat (Otomops wroughtoni) (Chiroptera: Molossidae) from Meghalaya, India
-
Rajkumar D. Patel
,
Vinodkumar Kulkarni
,
Shraddha Kumari K.
,
Honnavalli N. Kumara
,
Karunakaran P. V.
,
Babu Santhanakrishnan
and
Rajesh Puttaswamaiah
Abstract
The Wroughton’s free-tailed bat (Otomops wroughtoni) is classified as Data Deficient under IUCN Red List due to inadequate information on its distribution, population, and ecology. The species was previously recorded from Belgaum district of Karnataka and from East Khasi Hills and Jaintia Hills districts of Meghalaya and from Cambodia, represented by a single specimen. Through our study on Chiroptera taxa across 19 Community Reserves between October 2021 and January 2022 using physical search, mist netting and acoustic study we have identified a new colony of O. wroughtoni from the Mikadogre village in South Garo Hills District of Meghalaya, which extends the current distribution to 135 km from the nearest known distribution site. Interestingly, unlike other known roosts of O. wroughtoni which are in large caves with high roofs and deep crevices or cupolas, this roost was in the open limestone cliff located next to a stream. In addition to this, we have also documented the breeding colony of the species from a previously known site at Pynurkba. This new finding emphasises that there are more potential roosts across the Northeast region of India with similar habitats and altitudes waiting to be identified.
Funding source: National Mission on Himalayan Studies (NMHS)
Award Identifier / Grant number: GBPNI/NMHS-2017-18/MG 32, dated: 28.03.2018
Funding source: Bat Conservation India Trust
Acknowledgments
Our sincere thanks are due to Shri H.C. Chaudhary IFS, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden (CWLW), Meghalaya, and officers of the Forest and Environment Department, Government of Meghalaya for facilitating permission from the Community Reserve Management Committees to carry out the field study. We are indebted to the Management Committees of each Community Reserve who have given us permission and helped the study. We are also indebted to every community member who helped us in the field work and provided us the required accommodation and logistics support. We would like to offer our special thanks to the community head of Pynurkba village and Mr. Dawan O Rymbai who facilitated and assisted our visit to their village. We also thank researchers Siddhesh Bhor and Sanyukta Kasbekar from SACON and driver Suniram who provided us with the guidance and ground support to carry out this project. Er. Kireet Kumar, Scientist and Nodal Officer and his team of scientists and other staff at the Project Management Unit (PMU-NMHS), at the G. B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment and Sustainable Development (GBPNIHESD) are acknowledged for their funding support and timely actions for the smooth conduct of the project.
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Research ethics: The project has been approved by the animal ethics committee of SACON and Bat Conservation India Trust and the bats were handled in accordance with international protocols and Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
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Author contributions: Conceptualization: Honnavalli N. Kumara, Karunakaran P V, Rajesh Puttaswamaiah. Funding acquisition: Honnavalli N. Kumara, Karunakaran P V, Babu S, Rajesh Puttaswamaiah. Investigation: Rajkumar D. Patel, Vinodkumar Kulkarni, Rajesh Puttaswamaiah. Methodology: Rajesh Puttaswamaiah. Project administration: Rajesh Puttaswamaiah, Honnavalli N. Kumara, Karunakaran P V. Writing – original draft: Rajkumar D. Patel, Rajesh Puttaswamaiah. Writing – review & editing: Rajkumar D. Patel, Rajesh Puttaswamaiah, Vinodkumar Kulkarni, Shraddha Kumari K, Honnavalli N. Kumara, Karunakaran P V, Babu S.
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Competing interests: The authors state no conflict of interest.
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Research funding: This article is part of a project on the ‘Characterization of Community Reserves and Assessment of their Conservation Values in Meghalaya’ funded by the National Mission on Himalayan Studies (NMHS) under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India (GBPNI/NMHS-2017-18/MG 32, dated: 28.03.2018). The Bat Conservation India Trust funded the resource cost, equipment’s and materials required to carry out the Chiroptera study.
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Data availability: The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Articles in the same Issue
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Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Conservation
- State of knowledge and distribution of the Andean white ear opossum (Didelphis pernigra, Allen 1900) in Colombia
- Ecology
- A tapestry of habitats: exploring abundance and habitat preferences of the Northern Red Muntjac (Muntiacus vaginalis) across the Central Himalayan landscape
- Notes on the ecology, activity patterns and behavior of the kinkajou (Potos flavus)
- Seasonal breeding in three sympatric rodent species in semi-arid Tigray, northern Ethiopia
- Widespread population of invasive ferrets Mustela furo (Carnivora: Mustelidae) on the island of Madeira, Macaronesia
- First record of albinism in long-nosed mongoose Xenogale naso documented with camera traps in the Yoko Council Forest, Centre Cameroon
- New distribution and breeding record of Wroughton’s free-tailed bat (Otomops wroughtoni) (Chiroptera: Molossidae) from Meghalaya, India
- The bat Tonatia bidens (Phyllostomidae) as an insect pest predator in the Brazilian Caatinga
- Observations of a greater sac-winged bat pup (Saccopteryx bilineata) with a chromatic disorder
- Biogeography
- Presence of the crab-eating fox Cerdocyon thous in La Rioja, Argentina, and implications for its geographic and environmental niche modeling
- The southern geographic range of Micronycteris sanborni (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae)
- Museology/History of Science
- The scientific discovery and subsequent history of the douc monkey Pygathrix nemaeus (Linnaeus, 1771) near Da Nang, Vietnam
