Integrative taxonomy resolves three new cryptic species of small southern African horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus)
Author
Taylor, Peter J.
SARChI Chair on Biodiversity Value & Change and Core Team Member of the Centre for Invasion Biology, School of Mathematical & Natural Sciences, University of Venda, Private Bag X 5050, Thohoyandou 0950, South Africa & School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Biological Sciences Building, South Ring Road, Westville Campus, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal 3630, South Africa
peter.taylor.univen@gmail.com
Author
Macdonald, Angus
School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Biological Sciences Building, South Ring Road, Westville Campus, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal 3630, South Africa
Author
Goodman, Steven M.
Field Museumof Natural History, 1400 South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605, USA & Association Vahatra, BP 3972, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar
Author
Kearney, Teresa
Ditsong National Museumof Natural History, POBox 413, Pretoria 0001, South Africa & School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa
Author
Cotterill, Fenton P. D.
Geoecodynamics Research Hub, c / o Department of Botany and Zoology, University of Stellenbosch, Private Bag X 1 Matieland, 7602, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Author
Stoffberg, Sam
Department of Botany and Zoology, University of Stellenbosch, Private Bag X 1 Matieland, 7602, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Author
Monadjem, Ara
All Out Africa Research Unit, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Swaziland, Private Bag 4, Kwaluseni, Swaziland
Author
Schoeman, M. Corrie
School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Biological Sciences Building, South Ring Road, Westville Campus, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal 3630, South Africa
Author
Guyton, Jennifer
Author
Naskrecki, Pitor
Author
Richards, Leigh R.
text
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society
2018
2018-04-24
184
1249
1276
journal article
9628
10.1093/zoolinnean/zly024
c93d9a7f-28c5-4282-a677-5f28410fc66c
4253044
65FFC8DB-4738-49FF-99F5-FC8532CC9795
RHINOLOPHUS GORONGOSAE
SP. NOV.
LEAST HORSESHOE BAT
Holotype
:
Durban Natural Science Museum (DM) No. 14820 (field number
JAG196
), is an adult male, preserved in 70% ethyl alcohol, originally part of series of specimens collected by J. A. Guyton on
25 April 2015
. The cranium and baculum has been extracted and examined for this study. The specimen has been included in both morphometric analyses.
Type locality:
Bunga Inselberg, Gorongosa National Park,
Sofala Province
,
Mozambique
−
18.599° S
,
34.343° E
,
212 m
.
Paratypes
:
Eight specimens
collected
24–25 April 2015
(
DM 14815–14819
),
2 May 2015
(
DM 14828
),
5 November 2015
(
DM 14843
)
and
22 July 2015
(
DM 14865
).
Referred specimens having molecular identification:
DM 14815
(
JAG 188
) a
female
specimen collected by J
. A. Guyton
from
Mozambique
,
Sofala Province
,
Gorongosa National Park
,
Bunga Inselberg
, -
18.599° S
,
34.343° E
,
212 m
;
DM 14843
(
JAG 228
) a
female
specimen collected by
J. A. Guyton
from
Mozambique
,
Sofala Province
,
Gorongosa National Park
, -
18.694° S
,
34.208° E
,
308 m
.
Referred specimens having only morphological identification:
TMSA 49116
(
JAG 31
), adult
male
, collected on
21 April 2013
by
J. A. Guyton
from
Mozambique
,
Sofala Province
,
Gorongosa National Park
,
Cheringoma Plateau
,
Gorge Rim
,
Site
1, -
18.635° S
,
34.808° E
,
213 m
.
Incertae
sedis
:
DM 14864
adult
female
collected by
J. A. Guyton
on
21 July 2015
from
Mozambique
,
Sofala Province
,
Gorongosa National Park
, -
18.465° S
,
34.052° E
,
1150 m
;
DM 11482
, adult
female
collected on
1 May 2009
by
J. Bayliss
from
Mozambique
,
Nampula Province
,
Mount Inago Forest Camp
, -
15.045° S
,
37.396° E
1478 m
.
Etymology:
The species derives its name from the Gorongosa district of Mozambique, in particular Gorongosa National Park, a biologically diverse region of southern Africa.
Diagnosis:
The species can be clearly distinguished from both
R. swinnyi
s.s.
and
R. rhodesiae
on molecular grounds (
Figs 2
,
3
) as well as by its smaller size (
Fig. 4
;
Table 2
), distinct cranial shape (
Figs 5
,
6
), echolocation call peakfrequency (
Table 2
), baculum (
Figs 7
,
8
) and noseleaf (
Figs 9
,
12
) characteristics. Although some measurements overlap, there is minimal overlap in condylocanine skull length and zygomatic skull width between this species (14.8–15.2 mm; 8.13–8.56 mm) and
R
.
swinnyi
(14.3–16.0 mm; 8.7–9.2 mm) and
R
.
rhodesiae
(15.1–15.7; 8.46–8.96 mm). The small size of this form makes it even smaller than
denti
(regarded by
Csorba
et al.
, 2003
as the smallest species in the Ethiopian region), therefore making this new species Africa’s smallest horseshoe bat. Comparing means for
R
.
gorongosae
sp. nov.
(
Table 2
) and
denti
(
Monadjem
et al.
, 2010
)
: forearm 41.3 mm cf. 43.1 mm; mass 5.6 g cf. 7.0 g.
Description:
The genetically-distinct
R. gorongosae
sp. nov.
is similar in pelage colour but distinctly smaller in external (mean total length 68 mm, mean forearm length = 41 mm) and cranial (mean condylocanine length 15.1 mm) measurements (
Table 2
) than both
rhodesiae
(mean totallength 75 mm, forearmlength 44 mm, condyolocanine length 15.4 mm) and
swinnyi
s.s.
from South Africa (mean totallength 73 mm, forearm length 44 mm, condyolocanine length 15.4 mm). Based on geometric morphometric results, the diminutive
R. gorongosae
sp. nov.
has a reduced foramen magnum, a noticeable depression along the parietal region, low set bullae, a narrow braincase and a narrow and high set nasal inflation with a sharp slope from the nasal inflation to the maxillae (
Fig. 6
). Lancet is subtriangular with straight to slightly concave sides, and a high, rounded connecting process; the sella has a diminutive, pointed tip (
Fig. 12
). Baculum short with reduced base, with a characteristic notch on one side of the shaft tip (position variable). The slightly narrower baculum shaft with narrower tip distinguishes
R. gorongosae
sp. nov.
from
R
.
swinnyi
(
Table 5
;
Figs 7
,
8
). Maxillary toothrow with minute and laterally displaced PM
1
with a distinct gap between the alveolar borders of canine and PM
2
(
Fig. 10
). Mean peak echolocation CF frequency is 106 kHz (104–108 kHz;
Table 2
).
Figure 3.
Haplotype network using minimum-spanning inference method based on 667 base pairs of
Cytb
.
Figure 4.
PCA variation for five log-transformed cranial variables for six proposed small southern Africa
Rhinolophus
spp. defined on molecular and morphological grounds.
Figure 5.
Biplot showing the first and second principal components from a PCA of 2D landmark data for small southern Africa
Rhinolophus
spp., including data from type specimens of
R. swinnyi
and
R. s.
rhodesiae
. Deformation grids illustrate cranial shape changes associated with each PC.
Figure 6.
Overall lateral cranial morphology of small southern African
Rhinolophus
taxa as illustrated by deformation grids (exaggerated 3×).
Figure 7.
Biplot showing the first and second principal components from a PCA of eight bacular measurements for small southern Africa
Rhinolophu
s taxa. Numbers indicate the position of taxa referred to in Table 5.
Distribution and biology:
So far, it appears that this tiny species is restricted in its distribution to Gorongosa National Park in
Mozambique
(
Fig. 11
), although we provisionally refer a very small adult individual from Mount Inago in Mozambique to this taxon. Molecular sequences are required from a wider range of localities to determine the range of this taxon. Given that the two individuals sequenced from Gorongosa National Park were distinct from each other, the possibility exists that more than one cryptic species may be present.