Studies on some Indian Chiroptera from West Bengal

174 Pages·2003·5.4 MB·English

by  Das, Prafulla Kumar

OCCAS ONAl PAPER NO. 217
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PRAFULLA KUMAR DAS
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OCCATIONAL PAPER NO. 217
RECORDS OF THE
ZOOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA
Studies on some Indian Chiroptera from West Bengal
PRAFULLA KUMAR DAS
Department of Zoology, Viswa-Bharati, Santin ike tan 731 235. West Bengal
Edited by the Director Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata.
Zoological Survey of India
Kolkata
CITATION
I?as, P. K. 2003. Studies on the Some Indian Chiroptera from West Bengal, Ree. zool. Sun. India,
Dec. Paper No. 217 : 1-164. (Published by the Director, Zool. Surv. India, Kolkata)
Published: June, 2003
ISBN 81-8171-014-2
<0 Government of India, 2003
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RECORDS OF THE
ZOOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA
OCCATIONAL PAPER NO.
217 2003 1-164
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 1
Scope ....................................................................................................................................... 3
Review of literature ............................................................................................................... 3
Last six decades of the nineteenth century ...................................................................... 3
The first half of the twentieth century ............................................................................. 4
The first half of the twentieth century ............................................................................. 4
Post-Independence period .................................................................................................. 5
Publications of the Chiropteran fauna of West Bengal .................................................... 6
History of bat collecting in West Bengal ............................................................................. 7
MATERIAL AND METHODS ............................................................................................... 17
Collecting methods. ............................. .... ...... .... ..... .... ......... ....... ...... ................... .................. 17
Methods of preserving ........................................................................................................ 17
Measurements taken ............................................................................................................ 17
Arrangement ......................................................................................................................... 23
Other methods ............................................................................................•......................... 24
Abbreviations used ............................................................................................................... 25
SYSTEMATIC ACCOUN'T .................................................................................................... 31
Order CHIROPTERA .... 3 I
II •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Suborder MEGACHIROPTERA .................................................................................... 31
Family PTEROPODIDAE ....................................................................................... 32
Key to the subfamilies of the family PTEROPODIDAE .................................... 32
Subfamily PTEROPODINAE ................................................................................. 32
Key to the genera, species and subspecies of the Subfamily PTEROPODINAE ........ 33
(iv)
Genus Rousellus ............................................................................................... 33
1. Rousettus JeschenauJti' JeschenauJti (Desmarest) ........................................................ 33
Genus Pteropus ................................................................................................. 34
2. Pteropus giganteus giganteus (BrUnnich) ................................................................... 3S
Genus Cynopterus............................................................................................. 36
3. Cynopterus sphinx sphi-nx (Vahl) ................................................................................. 36
Genus Megaerops ........................................................ _.. .................................. 38
4. Megaerops niphanae Yenbutra & Felten .................................................................... 38
Genus Sphaerias .............. 39
I ••••••••••••••••••••••••••• I ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
S. Sphaerias bJanj'ordi (Thomas) .................................................................................... 39
Subfamily MACROGLOSSINAE ........................................................................... 42
Key to the genera, species and subspecies of the subfamily MACROGLOSSlNAE ... 42
Genus Eonycteris ................................................................•............................. 42
6. Eonycteris spelaea spelaea (Dobson) ............................... ,. ........................................ 42
Genus Macroglossus ......................................................................................... 4S
7. Macroglossus sobrinus sobrinus Andersen ................................................................. 4S
Suborder MICROCHIROPTERA .................................................................................. 47
Key to the families of the suborder MICROCHIROPTERA ...................................... 48
Family RHINOPOMATIDAE .................................................................................... 48
Genus Rhinopoma ............................................................................................ 49
Key to the species and subspecies of the genus Rhinopoma ............................ 49
8. Rhinopoma microphyllum kinneari Wroughton ......................................................... 49
9. Rhinopoma hardwickei hardwickei Gray .................................................................... SO
Family EMBALLONURIDAE .................................................................................... 51
Genus Taphozous.............................................................................................. 51
Key to the species and subspecies of the genus Taphozous ............................. 51
10. Taphozous longimanus longimanus Hardwickei ....................................................... S2
11. Taphozus saccolaimus crassus Blyth ......................................................................... S3
12. Taphozous nudiventris kachhensis Dobson .............................................................. 56
Fami Iy M EGADERMAT IDAE ................................................................................... 57
(v)
Genu,; Megaderma ............................................................................................ 58
Key to the species and subspecies of the genus Megaderma ........................... 58
13. Megaderma spasma horsfieldi Blyth ......................................................................... 58
14. Megaderma lyra lyra E. Geoffroy ........................................................................... 60
Family RHINOLOPHIDAE ........................................ ~ .............................................. 62
Subfamily RHINOLOPHINAE ............................................................................... 63
Genus Rhin lophus ........................................................................................... 64
0
Key to the species and subspecies of the genus Rhimolophus .................... 64
15. Rhinolophus affinis himalayanus Andersen ............................................................. 64
16. Rhinolophus rouxi rouxi Temminck .......................................................................... 65
17. Rhinolophus pusillus blythi Andersen ...................................................................... 66
18. Rhinolophus lepidus lepidus Blyth ............................................................................ 67
19. Rhinolophus luctus perniger Hodgson ...................................................................... 68
20. Rhinolophus trigoliatus trifoliatus Temminck ......................................................... 69
21. Rhinolophus pearsoni Horsfield ................................................................................ 70
Subfamily HIPPOSIDERINAE .............................................................................. 70
Key to the genera, species and subspecies of the subfamily HIPPOSIDERINAE .... 71
Genus Hipposideros .......................................................................................... 72
22. Hipposideros pomona gentilis Andersen ................................................................... 72
23. Hipposideros fulvus pallidus Andersen .................................................................... 73
24. Hipposideros cineraceus Blyth ................................................................................... 76
25. Hipposideros armiger armiger (Hodgson) ................................................................ 77
26. Hipposideros lankadivq Kelaart ................................................................................. 78
Genus Coelops .................................................................................................. 82
27. Coelops frithi frithi Blyth ......................................................................................... 82
Family VESPERTILIONIDAE .................................................................................. 83
Key to the subfamilies of the family VESPERTILIONIDAE ............................. 83
Subfamily VESPERTILIONINAE .......................................................................... 84
Key to the genera of the subfamily VESPERTILIONINAE ............................... 84
Genus Myotis .................................................................................................... 85
(vi)
Key to the species and subspecies of the genus Myotis ................................... 85
28. Myotis sicarius Thomas ............................................................................................ 86
29. Myotis mystacinus nipalensis (Dobson) ................................................................... 86
30. Myotis muricola muricola (Gray) ............................................................................. 86
31. Myotis siligorensis siligorensis (Hodgson) ................................................................ 88
32. Myotis annectans (Dobson) ...................................................................................... 89
33. Myotis form os us form os us (Hodgson) ...................................................................... 90
34. Myotis hasseltii (Temminck) ..................................................................................... 91
Genus Plecotus ................................................................................................................. 92
\ .
35. Plecotus auritus homochrous Hodgson ..................................................................... 92
Genus Barbastella ............................................................................................................ ·95
36. Barbastella leucomelas darjelingensis (Hodgson) .................................................... 95
Genus Scotomanes ............................................................................................................ 96
37. Scotomanes ornatus ornalus (Blyth) ......................................................................... 96
Genus Scotophilus .................................................................... ....................................... 98
~
Key to the species and subspecies of the genus Scotophilus ...................................... 98
38. Scotophilus kuhli kuhli Leach .................................................................................. 98
39. Scotophilus heathi heathi (Horsfield) ....................................................................... 99
Genus Eples icus ....................................................................... ................ ... ... ... .... ...... .... 100
40. Eptesicus latei Ellerman & Morrison-Scott ........................................................... 101
Genus 1jJlonycteris .......................................................................................... 101
41. 1Ylonycleris pachypus fulvida (Blyth) .................................................................... 101
Genus PipiSlrellus ........................................................................................... 103
Key to the species and subspecies of the genus Pipistrellus .......................... 103
42. Pipislrellus babu Thomas ........................................................................................ 103
43. Pipistrellus peguensis Sinha .................................................................................... 104
44. Pipistrellus coromandra coromandra (Gray) .......................................................... 105
4S. PipiSlrellus mimus Wroughton ................................................................................ 106
46. Pipislrellus ceylonicus indicus (Dobson) ................................................................ 108
47. Pipistrellus cadornae Thomas .................................................................................. 109
48. Pipistrellus affinis (Dobson) ...... _. .......................................................................... 109
(vii)
Genus Scotozous ............................................................................................. 110
49. Scotozous dormeri Dobson ............. \........................................................................ 110
Genus Scotoecus .................................................................. ............................ III
50. Scotoecus pallidus (Dobson) ................................................................................... 112
Genus Nyctalus ............................................................................................... 113
51. Nyetalus noctula labiatus (Hodgson) ..................................................................... 113
Genus Hesperoptenus ...................................................................................... 113
52. Hesperoptenus tickelli (Blyth) ................................................................................. 114
Subfamily MINIOPTERINAE ............................................................................. 114
Genus Miniopterus ......................................................................................... 114
53. Miniopterus schreibersi fuliginosus (Hodgson) ...................................................... 115
Subfamily MURININAE ...................................................................................... 116
Key t9 the genera of the subfamily MURININAE ............................................ 116
Genus Murina ................................................................................................. 116
Key to the species and subspecies of the genus Murina ................................ 116
54. Murina leucogaster rubex Thomas ......................................................................... 116
55. Murina tubinaris (Scully) ........................................................................................ 117
56. Murina huttoni huttoni Peters ................................................................... , ............ 118
57. Murina eye/otis eye/otis Dobson............................................................................. 118
Genus Harpiocepha/us ................................................................................... 119
Key to the species and subspecies of the genus Harpi ocephalus ................. 119
58. Harpioeephalus harpia /asyurus (Hodgson) ........................................................... 119
59. Harpioeepha/us mordax (Thomas) ..................................................................... =..... 120
Subfamily KERIVOULINAE ................................................................................ 121
Genus Kerivoula............................................................................................. 121
Key to the species and subspecies of the genus Kerivoula ............................ 122
60. Karivou/a pieta piela Pallas .................................................................................... 122
61. Kerivou/a hardwickei depressa Miller ..................................................................... 123
62. Kerivoula papillosa lenis Thomas.......................................................................... 124
Family MOLOSSIDAE ............................................................................................ 124
(viii)
Genus Tadarida .............................................................................................. 125
Key to the species and subspecies of the genus Tadarida.............................. 125
63. Tadarida teniotis insignis (Blyth) .................................................................................. 125
64. Tadarida aegyptiaca tragata (Dobson) ....................................................................... 126
65. Tadarida plicata plicata (Buchannan) ............................................................................ 127
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................ 128
Specl'eds 'Iv ersl·t y ............................................................................................................... . 129
Distri butional pattern ......................................................................................................... . 132
Species restricted to the northern districts ................................................................... 132
Species restricted to the southern districts ............................ 134
0 ••••• 00... ••• ........................
Commonly occurring species ........................................................................................ 134
Rare, species ................. .................................................................................................. 134
~
Habitat preference .............................................................................................................. 135
Montane species ............................................................................................................. 135'
II ............... II............................................................. ....
Bats of the semi-arid tract ......... 136
Forest-dwelling ................................................................................................. . 136
~pecies
Cave-dwelling species .................................................................................................... . 136
Perih uman bats .............................................................................................................. . 136
Problematic locality records .......................................................................................... . 137
Zoogeograp h·IC consl' dera"tlo ns .......................................................................................... . 137
Non-Oriental faunal elements ...................•...•........................................•..............•....••..• 138
Oriental faunal elements ................................................................................................. 139
West Bengal at the end of distributional range ............................................................ 140
Indian Chiropteran fauna known from West Bengal only ........................................... 141
Bats of the fauna of West Bengal endemic to the Indian Union ................................ 141
Taxonomic changes ........................................................................................................... 141
Taxa added to the Chiropteran fauna of West Bengal ......................................•....•.••••••. 146
SUMMARY ...................................................................................................................... ..... 149
LITERATURE CITED .......................................................................................................... lSI
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Professor (Dr.) N.C. Sukul, Department of Zoology, Visva-Bharati University guided me
throughout the present work, for which I am deeply indebted to him. I am thankful to the
Director, Zoological Survey of India and the Officer-in-Charge, Mammal & Osteology Section
of the same department for providing me facilities for this work. My sincere thanks are due
to the Head of the Department of Zoology, Visva-Bharati University, for permitting me to
work in the zoological laboratories of that university. I express my sincerest thanks to Shri
M.K. Ghosh of the Mammal & Osteology Section for helping me time and again with the
specimens.
I am thankful to Sarvashri T.P. Bhattacharyya, S.R. Dey Sarkar, S. Bhuinya and N.K.
Sharma for their help during the field work. I thank the concerned authorities of the
Department of Forests, Govt. of West Bengal for their unfailing co-operation in successfully
conducting field trips in different areas under their jurisdiction.
Dr. V.C. Agarwal and Shri A.K. MandaI allowed me tQ include unreported specimens from
Sikkim, Manipur and Mizoram, respectively. I am thankful to them for this excellent jesture.
My' thanks are due to Dr. G.G. Musser, Chairman, Department of Mammalogy, American
Museum of Natural History, who very kindly sent a good number of specimens" on loan, a
part of which was utilised in the present study.
Discussion with three bat specialists, viz, Dr. K.F. Koopman, Emeritus Scientist, American
Museum of Natural History, Dr. D.A. Schlitter, Curator of Mammals, Carnegie Museum of
Natural History. and Dr. Y. P. Sinha of the Zoological Survey of India, proved to be very
helpful in taking certain taxonomic decisions. In addition, Dr. Koopman provided me a list
of bats from India, present in his museum, while Dr. Schlitter helped me locating the
misplaced holotype of Hipposideros pomona in the National Zoological Collections of India.
Dr. G.W.H. Davison of the University Kebangsaan Malaysia kindly sent an unpublished list
of bats of Myanmar for my use which was quite useful in the present work. I sincerely
thank all these eminent workers on bats.
Shri B.N. Chakraborty of the library of the Zoological Survey of India rapidly supplied
me copies of publications, as per my demand. I thank him most sincerely for this commendable
service.
My sincere thanks are due to Sarvashri T.K. Chakraborty, B. Dutta, J .M. Dasgupta, S.
Chattaopadhyay, F. Soren, S.S. Saha and to Dr. R.K. Ghose, for their help in connection with
this work.
Sarvashri P.N. Mukherjee, S.K. Chanda, P. Saha and T. Bhattacharyya meticulously
prepared the illustrations, including the camera lucida drawings and maps, under my direct
supervision. I am thankful to aU these gentlemen.
I thank Shri S.K. Sett and Shri P. Das for the preparation of the type-script and correcting
the proof sheets, respectively.
Dr. P.K.
DAS
Present address: Late Dr. P.K. Das, 28/17, Station Road, Dhakuria, Kolkata-700031