Nycteris tragata, K. Andersen, 1912

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Nycteridae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 374-386 : 384

5.

Malayan Slit-faced Bat

Nycteris tragata

French: Nyctere de Malaisie / German: Malayische Schlitznase / Spanish: Nicterio malayo

Other common names: Malayan Hollow-faced Bat

Taxonomy. Petalia tragata K. Andersen, 1912 ,

“Bidi Caves, Sarawak,” Borneo.

Nycteris tragata belongs to the javanica group. Monotypic.

Distribution. Patchily distributed in Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 68-75 mm, tail 70-73 mm, car 31-33 mm, hindfoot 10 mm, forearm 46-55 mm; weight 13-22 g. The Malayan Slit-faced Bat is small, with short rounded wings.

Longitudinal cleft runs along top of muzzle, covering noseleaves. Fur is long and fluffy, pale reddish brown to grayish brown dorsally, and slightly lighter ventrally. Ears are very long. Wing membranes are dark brown. There are no obvious sexual differences in pelage.

Habitat. Variety of tropical lowland forests and regenerating forests but apparently not rubber plantations.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. Practically nothing is known about breeding biology of the Malayan Slitfaced Bat, except that pregnant and lactating females have been collected throughout the year, suggesting that breeding is not seasonal. Littersize is one.

Activity patterns. Malayan Slit-faced Bats roost during the day mostly in hollow trees and caves, with a single record from an abandoned building. Echolocation call is multiharmonic and involves a steep FM sweep with peak energy at 84 kHz.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Malayan Slit-faced Bats roost singly or in small groups of 2-5 individuals.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Near Threatened on The IUCN Red List. The Malayan Slit-faced Batis primarily restricted to undisturbed forest and does not enter rubber plantations. Natural lowland forest is being cleared at a rapid rate in this region, and this is cause for conservation concern.

Bibliography. Griffiths (1994, 1997), Kingston, Francis et al. (2003), Medway (1983), Mohd-Hanif et al. (2015), Phommexay et al. (2011), Pottie et al. (2005), Thomas et al. (1994), Van Cakenberghe & De Vree (1993b).

Figures

1. Bates’s Slit-faced Bat (Nycteris arge), 2. Intermediate Slitfaced Bat (Nycteris intermedia), 3. Dwarf Slit-faced Bat (Nycteris nana), 4. Dja Slitfaced Bat (Nycteris major), 5. Malayan Slit-faced Bat (Nycteris tragata), 6. Javan Slit-faced Bat (Nycteris javanica), 7. Andersen’s Slit-faced Bat (Nycteris aurita), 8. Large Slitfaced Bat (Nycteris grandis), 9. Hairy Slitfaced Bat (Nycteris hispida), 10. Large-eared Slit-faced Bat (Nycteris macrotis), 11. Madagascar Slitfaced Bat (Nycteris madagascariensis), 12. Parisi’s Slitfaced Bat (Nycteris parisii), 13. Wood's Shitfaced Bat (Nycteris wood), 14. Gambian Slitfaced Bat (Nycteris gambiensis), 15. Egyptian Slitfaced Bat (Nycteris thebaica)

Distribution. Patchily distributed in Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo.