368.

HimalayanBroad-muzzled Bat

Submyotodon caliginosus

French: Murin obscur / German: Himalaya-Breitmaulfledermaus / Spanish: Ratonero del Himalaya

Other common names: Mustached Myotis

Taxonomy. Vespertilio caliginosus Tomes, 1859,

India .

See S. latirostris . Taxon blanfordi (described from an unspecific locality in the Himalayas) is included as a synonym. Exact distribution of S. caliginosus relative to S. moupinensis and M. muricola and its taxonomic distinction from S. latirostris and S. moupinensis are very uncertain. Additional research is needed. Monotypic.

Distribution. Verified records based on analyzed specimens are from NE Afghanistan, N Pakistan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab), and NW & N India (Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, and Sikkim), but distribution likely includes other regions of NW India (Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand) and SW China (S Tibet [= Xizang]); it probably also occurs in Nepal, although further sample comparison is needed.

Descriptive notes. Head-body ¢.40- 6 mm, tail ¢.25- 4 mm, ear ¢.10- 2 mm, hindfoot c. 7 mm (type specimen), forearm ¢.31-: 8-34 mm (two specimens). The Himalayan Broad-muzzled Bat seems to be similar to the Taiwan Broad-muzzled Bat (S. latirostris) and the Moupin Broad-muzzled Bat (S. moupinensis), although detailed comparisons between them are still needed. Pelage is long and soft. Dorsal pelage is brownish black (black-based hairs with yellowish chestnut tips); venter is dark grayish brown (blackbased hairs with grayish brown tips). Face is dark brown and comparatively hairy, with flesh-colored skin around eyes. Ears are long and pointed, with distinctive sharp notch near rear edge of concha; tragus is relatively short and bent forward, with spatulated tip and parallel-sided base. Wing and tail membranes are dark brown; wings attach to bases of outer toes. Uropatagium extends to tail tip. Skull is similar to that of the Taiwan Broad-muzzled Bat.

Habitat. Evergreen oak forests (Afghanistan) at elevations of 2000-3250 m.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The IUCN Red List.

Bibliography. Benda (2010a), Benda & Gaisler (2015), Francis et al. (2010), Kruskop & Borisenko (2013), Lack et al. (2010), Ruedi & Mayer (2001), Ruedi et al. (2015), Smith & Xie Yan (2008), Stadelmann et al. (2007), Wiantoro et al. (2012), Zhang Zhenzhen et al. (2009).