112.

Kirindy Pipistrelle

Hypsugo bemainty

French: Vespere de Kirindy / German: Kirindy-Zwergfledermaus / Spanish: Hypsugo de Kirindy

Other common names: Dark Madagascar Pipistrelle

Taxonomy. Hypsugo bemainty Goodman et al., 2015,

“ Madagascar: Province de Toliara, Kirindy Forest (CNFEREF), 60 km N Morondava, along the Kirindy River, 20°4'29.1"S, 44°40'14.47"E, 45m asl.”

Hypsugo bemainty was recently split from H. anchieta; genetically, the two appear to be sisters, seemingly imbedded within Neoromicia, where they may really belong.

Monotypic.

Distribution. CW & SW Madagascar.

Descriptive notes. Head-body ¢.42-47 mm, tail 33-36 mm, ear 10-13 mm, hindfoot 4-5 mm, forearm 29-32 mm; weight 2-8—4-4 g. Pelage of the Kirindy Pipistrelle is notably shaggy; dorsally dark chocolate-brown to dark tan with some gray streaking; ventrally medium tan (hairs with dark base). Bare portions of face, wings, uropatagium, and ears are dark brown (ventral surface of wings sometimes has white venation). Ears have moderately long hair on proximal one-half of dorsal surface and are subtriangular with rounded tip; tragus is parallel for proximal lower one-half and then tapers medially toward rounded tip. Tail is more or less surrounded to tip by uropatagium. Baculum is short (1-5-1-8 mm) with distinct bifurcation at broad tip, and narrow base, similar in general structure to Anchieta’s Pipistrelle ( Hypsugo anchieta); base is slightly deflected ventrally but tip is not deflected; shaft is straight. Skull is gracile, with thin zygomatic arches; rostrum is broad; braincase is rounded and partially flattened; palate 1s relatively long and proportionately not broad; nasal emargination has angular tapered indentation forming slightly open V-shape. I” is bicuspid and I’ is tricuspid; P* is reduced and not always visible in lateral view, as it is displaced lingually; there is small to moderate gap between C' and P* in most cases; and lower molars are myotodont.

Habitat. Various forested and non-forested habitats, including dry forests and humanaltered areas. Recorded from sea level up to elevations of 870 m.

Food and Feeding. The Kirindy Pipistrelle feeds on a variety of arthropod prey. In Kirindy, western Madagascar, diet consisted of Isoptera (52% by volume, 80% by frequency), Lepidoptera (18:6%, 58-3%), Coleoptera (14-1%, 61-7%), Hymenoptera (12%, 53-3%), Homoptera (2-2%, 13-3%), Arachnida (0-5%, 6-7%), and Orthoptera (0-5%, 6:7%).

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Kirindy Pipistrelles are nocturnal. Search-call shape is a steep FM sweep with start frequencies of 69-120-6 kHz, end frequencies 28-46-8 kHz, peak frequencies 49-3-51-2 kHz, durations 1-9—4-6 milliseconds, and interpulse intervals 19-8-70-2 milliseconds.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Kirindy Pipistrelle is currently known only from a few localities, but appears to be relatively common throughoutits range, based on capture frequency. The species is found in human-altered areas, indicating some degree of resilience. However,it might be threatened by forest clearing for agricultural expansion.

Bibliography. ACR (2018), Bates et al. (2006), Goodman (2017j), Goodman, Rakotondramanana et al. (2015), Rakotondramanana et al. (2015).