Miniopterus paululus Hollister 1913
Creators: name: Don E. Wilson
name: Russell A. Mittermeier
Publisher: name: Lynx Edicions
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Chiroptera
Miniopteridae
Miniopterus
Miniopterus paululus

description: 7.
Philippine Long-fingered Bat
Miniopterus paululus
French: Minioptére des Philippines / German: Philippinen-Langflligelfledermaus / Spanish: Miniéptero de las Filipinas
Other common names: Philippine Bent-winged Bat
Taxonomy. Miniopterus paululus Hollister, 1913,
“ Guimaras Island,” Philippines.
Minwopterus paululus is the smallest of the three species of Miniopterus that live in the Philippines. It was originally considered a subspecies of M. australis, and it was also occasionally related to M. pusillus. Detailed morphological multivariate analysis and mtDNA sequences support its status as a distinct species. Taxonomic validity of subspecies here and their distribution must be confirmed genetically with in-depth revision of Miniopterus in the region. Three subspecies recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution.
M.p.paululusHollister,1913—thePhilippines.
M.p.graysonaeKitchener,2002—TanimbarIs(Selaru).
M. p. witkampi Sody, 1930 — Borneo,scattered records in N Sabah (Balambangan I and Gomatong Caves) and East Kalimantan (Kutai).
Descriptive notes. Head-body ¢.47-51 mm, tail 34-49 mm, ear 9-11 mm, hindfoot 7-9 mm, forearm 34-39 mm; weight 5-6 g. Pelage of the Philippine Long-fingered Bat is dense and uniform dark blackish brown. Ears are small ears, and tragusis short, blunt, broadest at tip, and somewhat curved forward. Wing membranes are dark blackish brown. Compared with other small species of Miniopterus with which it sharesits distribution, its forearm is noticeably smaller than in the Little Long-fingered Bat (M. australis) and the Small Long-fingered Bat (M. pusillus) and somewhat larger than Shortridge’s Long-fingered Bat (M. shortridgei).
Habitat. Variety of habitats from lowland agricultural areas and second growth lowland forests to primary lowland forests generally below elevations of 1000 m but up to 1450 m in secondary montane forests.
Food and Feeding. There is no specific information available for this species, but other long-fingered bats mainly eat soft insects captured in flight.
Breeding. One female Philippine Long-fingered Bat from Leyte (Philippines) had a single small embryo in mid-March. Females captured on Bohol Island (Philippines) were lactating in late June to mid-July.
Activity patterns. The Philippine Long-fingered Batis thought to be mainly nocturnal. It is cave dwelling.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. In the Philippines, the Philippine Long-fingered Bat is one of the most common species of bats found in caves, with colonies of a few hundred individuals but up to several thousands. It often shares roosts with other cave-dwelling bats, such as the Lesser Dawn Bat (Eonycteris spelaea), the Dusky Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros ater), the Diadem Leaf-nosed Bat (H. diadema), the Acuminate Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus acuminatus), the Arcuate Horseshoe Bat (R. arcuatus), Creagh’s Horseshoe Bat (R. creaghi), the Big-eared Horseshoe Bat (R. macrotis), the Yellow-faced Horseshoe Bat (R. virgo), the Great Long-fingered Bat (M. tristis), Eschscholtz’s Long-fingered Bat (M. eschscholtzii), and the Pallid Large-footed Myotis (Myotis macrotarsus).
Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. There is little information about population status, ecology, and distribution of the Philippine Long-fingered Bat, and conservation threats are unknown.
Bibliography. Esselstyn, Widmann & Heaney (2004), Furman, Oztung & Coraman (2010), Heaney, Balete et al. (1998), Heaney, Dolar et al. (2010), Heaney, Gonzales et al. (1991), Heaney, Tabaranza et al. (2006), Hill (1983), Hollister (1913a), Kitchener & Suyanto (2002), Payne et al. (2007), Phillipps & Phillipps (2016), Rickart et al. (1993), Sedlock, Jose et al. (2014), Sramek et al. (2013), Suyanto et al. (2008).
description: Published as part of Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Miniopteridae, pp. 674-709 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on page 695, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.5735202