Pipistrellus tenuis (Temminck, 1840)

Thapa, Sanjan, Subedi, Pradeep, Singh, Nanda B. & Pearch, Malcolm J., 2012, The first record of Scotozous dormeri Dobson, 1875 from Nepal with new locality records of Pipistrellus coromandra (Gray, 1838) and P. tenuis (Temminck, 1840) (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae), Journal of Threatened Taxa 4 (4), pp. 2481-2489 : 2485-2486

Pipistrellus tenuis (Temminck, 1840)

Least Pipistrelle, Indian Pygmy Bat.

Vespertilio tenuis Temminck, 1840 (1824–1841): 229. Sumatra ( Tate, 1942).

Pipistrellus mimus Wroughton, 1899: 722 . Mheskatri, Dangs, Surat District, W. India.

New material

31.iii.2009, 1 male (adult) (CDZ TU _ BAT 021 ) , 1 female (adult) (CDZ TU _ BAT 020 ) , 1km south-east of Kusaha, Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve (buffer zone), Sunsari District , 26035 ’N & 86058 ’E, elevation 83m.

Variation

Following the analysis of Sinha (1980), Bates & Harrison (1997) refer all specimens from the Indian subcontinent to the subspecific form P. t. mimus . The new material listed above is referred similarly as the bacular morphology of CDZ TU_BAT 021 compares favourably with that of Pipistrellus mimus as depicted by Hill & Harrison (1987: 290, Fig. 7(g)).

Diagnosis and description

The pelage on the dorsal surface is a uniform midbrown with individual hairs having black roots. Hairs on the ventral surface, which is paler than the

dorsal, have buffy brown tips. The ears and membranes are dark brown.

Cranial morphology is similar to P. coromandra (CDZ TU_BAT 022-024) although the average size of the skull is smaller.

In the dentition, the first upper incisor (i 2) is bicuspidate. The robust, second upper incisor (i 3) is slightly higher than the second cusp of i 2. i 3 is close to, but not in touch with, the upper canine (C 1), which has a distinct posterior secondary cusp. The crown area of the first upper premolar (pm 2), which is intruded from the toothrow, is about half that of i 2 (cf. Bates & Harrison, 1997: 175, who indicate that in specimens of tenuis from India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, the crown areas of the two teeth are “about equal”).

The baculum of the single male P. tenuis collected from the study area (CDZ TU_BAT 021) has a long, thin shaft and a notably bifid tip ( Fig. 3 ). The tip is declined from the horizontal at the most distal part. The basal lobes are clavate and are deflected ventrally at approximately 450 to the shaft.

Distribution in Nepal

Bahwanipur Village (Banke District) ( Mitchell, 1980). Bairia (Hinton & Fry 1923). Dudora Nala/Park Rd. (Royal Chitwan NP) ( Myers et al. 2000). Hazaria (Hinton & Fry 1923). Sauraha [Sauraba] (H.N.H.M.; Myers et al. 2000). Simal Ghol Tal (Royal Chitwan NP) ( Myers et al. 2000). Tamar Tal (Royal Chitwan NP) ( Myers et al. 2000). Tiger Tops, Dhangari Khola (Royal Chitwan NP) ( Myers et al. 2000).

IUCN status

Least Concern (ver. 3.1, 2001) ( Francis et al. 2008).

Figures

Figure 3. Dorsal (d) and lateral (l) views of the bacula of Pipistrellus coromandra (CDZ TU_BAT 022) and Pipistrellus tenuis (CDZ TU_BAT 021).