Murina aenea Hill, 1964

Bumrungsri, Sara, Harrison, David L., Satasook, Chutamas, Prajukjitr, Amorn, Thong-Aree, Siriporn & Bates, Paul J. J., 2006, A review of bat research in Thailand with eight new species records for the country, Acta Chiropterologica 8 (2), pp. 325-359 : 349-350

Murina aenea Hill, 1964

Bronzed tube-nosed bat

Murina aenea Hill, 1964: 57 , pl. 44–45; Ulu Chemperoh, Bentong, Pahang, Malaysia.

New Material

PSU-M 05.6 (field no. SB031018.10), ♀, 18 October 2003, Namsai Ranger Station , Hala Forest , Hala-Bala Wildlife Sanctuary, Yala Province, 06°04’00”N, 101°22’00”E. PSU-M 05.7 (field no. SB041219.4), ♀, Boripatr Waterfall , Ton Nga-chang Wildlife Sanctuary , Songkhla Province, 06°59’N, 100°08’E. Both specimens collected by S. Bumrungsri and members of the PSU bat research team.

Taxonomic Notes

This is a small Murina . The forearm lengths of the Thai specimens are 34.7 and 35.7 mm. The hairs on the dorsal pelage are dark brown with golden tips. The ventral pelage is paler, with dark roots and buff- brown tips ( Fig. 2d ). The ears have a small emargination on their posterior borders. Each wing is attached near to the base of the claw on the outer toe. The dorsal aspect of the tail membrane and the feet are cover- ed with golden hairs. The skull, with a condylo-canine length of 15.0– 15.4 mm, is larger than that of M. suilla ( Table 5). The rostrum is more robust and the anterior part is slightly bulbous when viewed laterally. There is a well developed rostral sulcus and a sagittal crest is present. The upper toothrows are not conspicuously convergent. The second upper incisor (I 3) is equal in height, has twice the crown area, and is situated alongside the bicuspid first (I 2), which in consequence is scarcely visible when viewed laterally. The first upper canine (C 1) is equal to, or larger than, the second upper premolar (P 4) when viewed laterally and has an equal crown area. The mesostyle of the first (M 1) and second (M 2) upper molars is greatly reduced. In the low- er dentition, the first premolar (P 2) is about 60% of the crown area of the second (P 4). The talonids of the first (M 1) and second (M 2) lower molars are smaller than the trigonid.

Distribution and Ecological Notes

Currently, M. aenea is recorded from peninsular Malaysia and Sabah in Borneo ( Medway, 1969; Hill and Francis, 1984). This is the first record from Thailand.

In Hala Forest, it was captured in a harp trap set over a small stream (4 m wide). The area is relatively flat, with an elevation of less than 200 m a.s.l. The vegetation com- prises pristine lowland evergreen forest with a lower storey of dense shrub and sapling cover. It is ca. 500 m from a river. In Ton Nga-chang, it was caught in a harp trap set at ground level along a trail leading to a waterfall. The trail is on a foothill, which as has an elevation of about 200 m a.s.l. and is close to a stream. The vegetation is undisturbed lowland evergreen forest. The canopy (30 m in height) is dominated by large dipterocarps while the ground lay- er is moderately covered with shrubs and herbs.

Figures

FIG. 2. A general view of part of Hala Forest and six bat species new to the fauna of Thailand: A — Hipposideros ridleyi, B — Myotis hermani, C — Murina suilla, D — Murina aenea, E — Kerivoula pellucida, F — Mops mops