51.

Pygmy Bamboo Bat

Tylonycteris pygmaea

French: Vespertilion pygmée / German: Zwergbambusfledermaus / Spanish: Tilonicterio pigmeo

Taxonomy. Tylonycteris pygmaea Feng Qing, Li Song & Wang Yingxiang, 2008,

“Damenglong (100°42’E, 21°35°'N), Jinghong County, Xishuangbanna Prefecture, Yunnan, China, alt. 670 m.”

Tylonycteris pygmaea has not been genetically assessed to determine its position within the genus, but it is probably closely related to I: fulvida and T. pachypus . Monotypic.

Distribution. Known only from SC Yunnan in S China.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 28-8-34 mm,tail 23-5-27-7 mm, ear 5-8-6-2 mm, hindfoot 3-8—4-8 mm, forearm 23-9-25-6 mm; weight 2-5-3-5 g. The Pygmy Bamboo Bat is the smallest species of Tylonycteris and one of the smallest vespertilionids. Head is dorso-ventrally flattened and broadened in all members of genus, which may be an adaptation for entering and exiting through small fissures in bamboo. Dorsal pelage is rich blackish brown, becoming brighter tawny brown over the shoulders, neck, and head, whereas ventral pelage is a paler brownish gray on the throat and chest, becoming rufescent black on the lower chest and belly. Lower lip and chin are tawny brownish. Face, membranes, and ears are blackish, and edge of the ears appears to be bluish black. Ears are subtriangular, relatively long with a broadly rounded tip; tragus is short and blunt. Base of thumbs and soles of hindfeet have well-developed rounded fleshy pads for gripping smooth surfaces. Wing membrane attaches at base of metatarsus; uropatagium extends to tip oftail, and calcar is over halfway to tail from ankle. Skull is very small and flattened, with a flattened, wide braincase; rostrum is short and wide; forehead is slightly hunched and inclined from the upper forehead to lambdoid crests, which are thin; there is no sagittal crest. I* is bicuspid and pointed toward inner front of mount; I’ is short and thick but longer than second cusp of I*; canines are robust and dented posteriorly, being slightly spoon-shaped; P* is relatively large with crown area about half M?; lower incisors are tricuspid; lower premolars are unicuspid and spoon-shaped. Dental formula for species of Tylonycterisis 12/3, C 1/1, P 1/2, M 3/3 (x2) = 32. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 30 and FN = 50.

Habitat. Recorded in bamboo forests at an elevation of 670 m.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Roosts of the Pygmy Bamboo Bat are found in hollowed bamboo internodes.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Three Pygmy Bamboo Bats were found roosting with the Tonkin Greater Bamboo Bat (7. tonkinensis) in Yunnan.

Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The IUCN Red List. The Pygmy Bamboo Bat is currently known only from the type locality, although it may be found over a wider area than currently known.

Bibliography. Ao, Lei et al. (2006), Feng Qing, Li Song & Wang Yingxiang (2008), Tu Vuong Tan, Csorba et al. (2017).