Taphozous theobaldi, Dobson, 1872

Bonaccorso, Frank, 2019, Emballonuridae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 350-373 : 353-354

8 . Theobald’s Tomb Bat

Taphozous theobaldi

French: Taphien de Theobald I German: Theobald-Grabffledermaus / Spanish: Tafozo deTheobald

Other common names: Theobald's Bat

Taxonomy. Taphozous theobaldi Dobson, 1872 ,

Tenasserim , Burma .

Taphozous theobaldi is in the subgenus Taphozous . Two subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

. t. theobaldi Dobson, 1872 - Tenasserim, Myanmar.

. t. secatus Thomas, 1915 - Madhya Pradesh, India.

Boundaries and complete distribution for subspecies are unknown, but T theobaldi is patchily distributed from C & SW India (Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Kerala), S China (Yunnan, imprecise locality and therefore not mapped), and SE Asia to Greater Sundas (Borneo, Java) and Sulawesi. Distribution is poorly known in India, and. theobaldi likely is more widespread than presently understood. It presumably will be found on other islands of the Indonesian Archipelago.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 88-95 mm, tail 25-30 mm, ear 22—28 mm, hindfoot 15-18 mm, forearm 70-76 mm; weight 40-50 g (estimated from forearm size). Dorsal fur of Theobald’s Tomb Bat is gray-brown to dark brown; bases of hairs are paler. Adult males have black beards. Well-developed, radio-metacarpal sacs are present in adult males. Legs, feet, and flight membranes are naked. Wing attaches above ankle to tibia.

Habitat. Moist forests from sea level to elevations of c.1200 m. Theobald’s Tomb Bats roost in large limestone caves with deep crevices.

Food and Feeding. Theobald’s Tomb Bat feeds on aerial insects while flying high above forest canopies.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Roost colonies of Theobald’s Tomb Bats vary from ten individuals to several thousands.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Theobald’s Tomb Bat has a large distribution and presumably large overall population, and it is not believed to be in serious population decline. It is threatened by disturbance and destruction of roosting sites and harvesting for bushmeat and medicinal purposes in parts of its distribution. Guano is mined from large roost colonies for use as fertilizer in South-east Asia. There are no direct conservation measures in place. Theobald’s Tomb Bat occurs in some protected areas in India including Silent Valley National Park in Kerala and Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary in Maharashtra. Important roosting sites throughout its distribution should be protected. Studies of distribution, abundance, breeding biology, general ecology, and population trends are needed.

Bibliography. Bates & Harrison (1997), Bates, Bumrungsri, Walston et al. (2008), Bates, Harrison & Muni (1994a, 1994b, 1994c), Brasset (1963), Francis (2008a), Molur et al. (2002), Smith & Xie Yan (2008), Wang Yingxiang (2003).

Figures

On following pages: 4. Hamilton'sTomb Bat [Taphozous hamiltoni); 5. Hildegarde'sTomb Bat (Taphozous hildegardeae}; 6. Long-winged Sheath-tailed Bat (Taphozous longimanus); 7. Black-beardedTomb Bat (Taphozous melanopogoh); 8. Theobald'sTomb Bat (Taphozous theobaldi); 9. Indonesian Tomb Bat (Taphozous achates); 10. Arnhem Sheath-tailed Bat (Taphozous kapalgensis}; 11. Coastal Sheath-tailed Bat (Taphozous australis}; 12. Common Sheath-tailed Bat (Taphozous georgianus); 13. Hill's Sheath-tailed Bat (Taphozous hilli); 14. Troughton's Sheath-tailed Bat (Taphozous troughtoni); 15. Pel's Pouched Bat (Saccolaimus peli); 16. Bare-rumped Sheathtailed Bat (Saccolaimus saccolaimus); 17. Papuan Sheath-tailed Bat (Saccolaimus mixtus); 18. Yellow-bellied Sheath-tailed Bat (Saccolaimus flaviventris).

Subspecies and Distribution. . t. theobaldi Dobson, 1872 - Tenasserim, Myanmar. . t. secatus Thomas, 1915 - Madhya Pradesh, India. Boundaries and complete distribution for subspecies are unknown, but T theobaldi is patchily distributed from C & SW India (Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Kerala), S China (Yunnan, imprecise locality and therefore not mapped), and SE Asia to Greater Sundas (Borneo, Java) and Sulawesi. Distribution is poorly known in India, and. theobaldi likely is more widespread than presently understood. It presumably will be found on other islands of the Indonesian Archipelago.