Glauconycteris cf. argentata (Dobson, 1875)

Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh & Denys, Christiane, 2016, An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity, Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2), pp. 359-375 : 368

Glauconycteris cf. argentata (Dobson, 1875)

During this survey, a single specimen (DM 13218) of this species was netted over water in old growth forest at Bentor, Liberian Nimba. The dorsal pelage of the specimen is cinnamon-brown which extends onto the head. The ventral pelage is light silvery-grey. Both dorsal and ventral hairs have darker bases. There is no flank or dorsal stripe, or dots present on the bat. The wing membrane is medium brown without reticulation; however from dorsal view, there appeared to be obvious bright orange-red markings on the wing ( Fig. 3A ), which completely disappeared in the preserved specimen. The tragus is fairly elongate with the outer margin more curved than that of the inner margin; there is a distinct pointed lobe near the base of the outer margin ( Fig. 3B ). Forearm length is 43.7 mm, and greatest skull length 16.2 mm. We have tentatively assigned this specimen to G. argentata , but caution that it may represent an undescribed species. Although the measurements and pelage fit that of G. argentata , the wing membrane differs distinctly by not being pale in colour ( Happold, 2013 a). It is noteworthy that G. argentata has not yet been recorded west of Cameroon (about 2,000 km from Mt Nimba).

Figures

FIG. 3. Image of the Glauconycteris cf. argentata specimen (DM 13218) captured at Bentor, Liberian Mt Nimba, showing: A — the distinct orange-red markings on the upper wing; and B — the tragus