315.

Saint Aignan’s Woolly Bat

Kerivoula agnella

French: Kérivoule de Louisiade / German: Misima-Wollfledermaus / Spanish: Querivoula de Louisiade

Other common names: Louisiade Woolly Bat, Saint Aignan’s Trumpet-eared Bat

Taxonomy. Kerivoula agnella Thomas, 1908,

“St. Aignan Island [= Misima Island, Louisiade Archipelago], S.E. of New Guinea [= Papua New Guinea].”

Phylogenetic position of K. agnella is uncertain because it has not been included in any genetic studies. Monotypic.

Distribution. Fergusson, Woodlark, Misima, and Sudest Is.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 42 44 mm, tail 48 mm (type specimen), ear 13-15 mm, hindfoot 10 mm (one specimen), forearm 34- 5-38 mm. Saint Aignan’s Woolly Bat is similar to the Fly River Woolly Bat ( K. muscina) and the Bismarck Woolly Bat ( K. myrella). Fur is dense and woolly. Dorsal pelage is buffy brown (hairs with dark brown bases, pale grayish brown middles, and medium yellow-brown tips); venteris paler (hairs with dark brown bases and pale brown tips). Ears are large and virtually naked, with convex anterior margins, rounded tips, and concavityjust below tips on posterior borders; tragus is narrow and tall, with virtually straight anterior margin except for very slight convexity near tip, and has concave posterior margin with small hooked basal lobe. Wings are attached at base of outer toes, and sparse fringe of hairs occurs on posterior margin of uropatagium. I* is three-fourths the height of I?, canines appear to go outward when viewed dorsally, and lower incisors are tricuspid and overlap.

Habitat. Tropical lowland forests and hill forests from sea level upto elevations of¢. 700 m.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. Saint Aignan’s Woolly Bat is very poorly known and has not been collected since the 1950s. Studies on its ecology and threats are needed.

Bibliography. Bonaccorso (1998), Bonaccorso & Hamilton (2008b), Flannery (1995a), Thomas (1908).