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Mountain Noctule

Nyctalus montanus

French: Noctule des montagnes / German: Bergabendsegler / Spanish: Noctulo montano

Other common names: Himalayan Noctule

Taxonomy. Plerygistes montanus Barrett-Hamilton, 1906,

“Mussooree, Northwestern Himalayas [Dehra Dun, Uttar Pradesh, India], at an altitude of 4500 to 5500 feet [= 1372 to 1676 m].”

The phylogenetic affiliations of N. montanus are uncertain but morphologically it 1s most similar to N. leisler:, in which it has been included as a subspecies. Monotypic.

Distribution. WC Afghanistan (Nangarhar and Paktika provinces) and along the S Himalayas of N India (Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand) and W Nepal; it apparently occurs in N Pakistan, but this requires confirmation.

Descriptive notes. Head-body ¢.60-70 mm, tail ¢. 43 mm, ear c.12-14 mm, forearm 42-5-44 mm. The Mountain Noctule is very similar to Leisler’s Noctule (N. leisleri). Dorsal pelage is uniformly brown, with ventral pelage very slightly lighter; individual hairs are bicolored, being brown throughout except base, which is black. Face, ears, wings, and uropatagium are darkly pigmented and mostly naked. Ears are short and triangular, with 4-5 folds on outer edge; tragus is club-shaped and expanded distally, being short and stubby with a rounded tip. Muzzle is short with large glands between nostrils and eyes. Tail extends to a few millimeters beyond uropatagium. Calcaris well developed with a postcalcarial lobe divided by a visible T-piece,as in all other Nyctalus . Skull is robust, being larger and stouter than in Leisler’s Noctule; lambdoid crests are relatively developed but sagittal crest is not; P* is very small, about one-quarter the size of that of Leisler’s Noctule; lower molars are nyctalodont.

Habitat. Occurs primarily in riparian habitats and arid floodplains, and has been recorded from elevations of 680-2100 m along the southern edge of the Himalayas.

Food and Feeding. The Mountain Noctule is insectivorous but there are apparent records of the species feeding on fish near riverbanks.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Mountain Noctules roost around rocky cliffs and crevices, in rocks and overhanging vegetation. One individual was recorded roosting in the roof of a bungalow in Shimla, northern India.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information. Mountain Noctules probably roost like other species of Nyctalus in smallto medium-sized colonies.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Mountain Noctule has a relatively restricted distribution along the Himalayas that may be threatened by deforestation due to logging and agricultural expansion, as well as mining activities, and hunting for medicinal purposes.

Bibliography. Bates & Harrison (1997), Benda & Gaisler (2015), Corbet (1978), Corbet & Hill (1992), Gaisler (1970), Molur & Srinivasulu (2008c), Molur et al. (2002), Roberts (1997), Saikia et al. (2011), Srinivasulu, C. & Srinivasulu (2012), Srinivasulu, C. et al. (2010).