taxonID	type	description	language	source
03BD87F43F756D40FEF1FC13FBC7FD24.taxon	discussion	A single specimen was captured on 16 December 2010 in Yekepa (Liberia), however the species was regularly sighted in this and neighbouring villages in December 2010 but not in the following year in December 2011. These sightings were of bats at the roost during the day, usually in the canopy of a tall tree, or of bats in a fruiting tree at night. The number of bats either observed at roosts or fruit trees never exceeded 10 individuals. In the case of the fruiting tree, bats were recorded in it over a two week period, but detailed notes were not taken. Migratory movements are well known in this species (e. g., Thomas, 1983; Richter and Cummings, 2006). Although satellite-tracked individuals migrated over large distances (Richter and Cummings, 2008), the broad-scale (i. e., continent-wide) movement ecology of this species is still not well understood (Ossa et al., 2012). However, a recent study has report- ed on the landscape-scale movements of a small number of individuals fitted with tracking loggers (Fahr et al., 2015).	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F756D40FF79FD49FE09FC8A.taxon	discussion	A total of 11 species of pteropodids have been recorded from Mt Nimba.	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F756D41FC9AFCBDFE1DFF2C.taxon	discussion	This species was previously recorded from Liberian Nimba (Coe, 1975; Verschuren, 1977; Wolton et al., 1982). This was the second most commonly captured fruit bat during this study after Micropteropus pusillus, and was recorded from 450 m up to 1,200 m a. s. l. It was regularly caught in forest edge habitats, as well as in forest interior and at the edge of settlements on both Liberian and Guinean sides of the mountain.	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F746D41FF07FEB5FD72FDD0.taxon	discussion	This species was previously recorded from Liberian Nimba (Coe, 1975; Verschuren, 1977; Wolton et al., 1982). This species was captured in forested habitats on both Liberian and Guinean sides of the mountain from 500 m up to 1,350 m a. s. l.	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F746D41FF34FDC9FF0CFC7A.taxon	discussion	This species was not previously recorded from Mt Nimba. This species was only captured within old growth or secondary forest at relatively low altitudes on both Liberian and Guinean sides of the mountain between 450 m and 690 m a. s. l. We follow Nesi et al. (2013) in recognising this newly described West African taxon as a species separate from M. woermanni, which occurs further east.	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F746D41FF05FC63FC27FE52.taxon	discussion	This was the most commonly captured fruit bat in this study, yet it was not reported from any of the older surveys in the region (Coe, 1975; Verschuren, 1977; Wolton et al., 1982). The first published mention of the occurrence of this species at Mt Nimba was by Denys et al. (2013). However, it has been drawn to our attention that two specimens (SMF 87661 and 87682, deposited in the Senckenberg Museum, Frankfurt) of this species were captured by Wulf Gatter in 1982 and 1988 on the Liberian side of Mt Nimba (Jakob Fahr, in litt.), showing that it had been present in this region at least since the late 1980 s. It was captured inside and outside of forested habitats on both Liberian and Guinean sides of the mountain from 500 m to 1,350 m a. s. l.	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F746D41FCACFE4BFB75FD3A.taxon	discussion	This species was only recorded at higher altitudes on both Liberian and Guinean sides of the mountain from 900 m to 1,200 m a. s. l., supporting Coe’s (1975) and Wolton et al. ’ s (1982) conclusion that this species is restricted to montane forest in this region. We follow Nesi et al. (2013) in placing this species in the genus Myonycteris.	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F746D41FC95FCA3FC9EFB09.taxon	discussion	This species had previously been recorded from the Liberian and Guinean side of Mt Nimba (Coe, 1975; Verschuren, 1977; Wolton et al., 1982; Fahr et al., 2006). This species was recorded across a wide range of forested habitats on both Liberian and Guinean sides of the mountain from 450 m to 1,350 m a. s. l. We follow Nesi et al. (2013) in recognising the West African taxon as a species separate from M. torquata, which occurs further east.	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F746D41FC85FA90FCB5F9CF.taxon	discussion	This species was captured in forested habitats on both Liberian and Guinean sides of the mountain from 500 m to 1,200 m a. s. l. It may be a migrant to Mt Nimba as it has not been recorded during the wet season (Coe, 1975; Wolton et al., 1982).	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F746D41FCBDF9D6FC31F874.taxon	discussion	During this study, this species was only captur- ed on the Guinean side of Mt Nimba, but had previously been recorded from the Liberian side (Coe, 1975; Verschuren, 1977; Wolton et al., 1982). Its apparent disappearance from the Liberian side may be as a result of disturbance to roosting sites, presumably due to hunting of bats for food, as reported by local hunters (P. Farnloe, personal communication).	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F776D42FF1EFF2AFEF1FDA4.taxon	discussion	A single specimen was recorded by Coe (1975) from Mt Nimba in Liberia, and a further 10 individuals were reported by Wolton et al. (1982). Hence, the proportion of this species as a function of the total number of fruit bats captured is typically very low: 0 (n = 247 fruit bats; Verschuren, 1977), 0.5 % (n = 199; Coe, 1975) and 1.0 % (n = 979; Wolton et al., 1982). This species has not been recorded at Mt Nimba since then. We follow Hassanin (2014) in placing this species in the genus Casinycteris.	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F776D42FF79FBFAFF31FB3E.taxon	discussion	A total of eight species of hipposiderids have been recorded from Mt Nimba (Monadjem et al., 2013 b).	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F776D42FF0BFAD8FF0EF9E6.taxon	discussion	This species was previously mentioned from Mt Nimba by Fahr et al. (2006), and was recorded widely during this study in forested habitats on the Liberian side of Mt Nimba from 420 m to 700 m a. s. l.	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F776D42FF3AF9F0FD45F874.taxon	discussion	The occurrence of this species at Mt Nimba is mentioned by Fahr et al. (2006), who re-examined specimens, originally identified as Hipposideros beatus, collected from Zouguépo and deposited in MNHN. Hipposideros caffer sensu stricto, however, is restricted to southern Africa (Vallo et al., 2008), and it is not clear what species these specimens refer to. It was not recorded during this survey.	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F776D42FC85FF2AFC73FE76.taxon	discussion	This species was previously recorded by Verschuren (1977) and Wolton et al. (1982) at Mt Nimba in Liberia and by Fahr et al. (2006) in Guinea. During this study, it was recorded at two forested sites on the Liberian side between 480 m and 730 m a. s. l.	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F776D42FC67FE6FFC09FCDF.taxon	discussion	Previously, two individuals were recorded by Wolton et al. (1982, as H. commersoni), and Decher and Fahr (2007) mention specimens from Mt Nimba at altitudes of 1,470 to 1,700 m. During this survey, it was recorded widely in forested and disturbed habitats in Liberian Nimba, ranging from 460 m to 1,060 m a. s. l.	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F776D42FC6DFCC6FBCCFA8E.taxon	discussion	This species was originally described from Guinean Nimba (Brosset, 1985), and is probably endemic to that region (Monadjem et al., 2013 b). Problems with identification (e. g. Koopman et al., 1995) have been shown to result from an incorrect description of the type specimen (Decher and Fahr, 2007; Monadjem et al., 2013 b). This species was collected in 2008 and 2012 in mine adits at Pierré Richaud and Chateaux peaks, at 1,500 m a. s. l. in Guinean Nimba. It is listed as Critically Endangered and its only known roosting sites are located within the mining concession in Guinean Nimba (Mickleburgh et al., 2008).	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F776D42FC64FA17FC30F938.taxon	discussion	This species was previously recorded from Mt Nimba at Gouan (Guinea) and North Beeton (incorrectly given as ‘ Bona’ by Wolton et al., 1982) (Liberia) (Aellen, 1963; Hill, 1982). Both individuals captured during this survey were emerging from mine adits on Mt Gangra, adjacent to Mt Nimba on the Liberian side (Monadjem et al., 2013 b). The distribution of this species has recently been reviewed by Fahr (2013 a).	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F776D43FC69F8A1FEB1FDA7.taxon	discussion	This species belongs to the caffer / ruber complex and has yet to be named, but has been placed in the lineage C 1 (Vallo et al., 2008). Morphologically, it is indistinguishable from the next species, but differs in echolocation call and on molecular grounds (Monadjem et al., 2013 b). At present this species is only known from the Liberian side of Mt Nimba and further molecular studies on the Guinean side are needed to confirm its presence there. Species of the caffer / ruber complex have previously been recorded widely in Guinean and Liberian Nimba (Aellen, 1963 [as H. caffer guineensis]; Verschuren, 1977; Wolton et al., 1982; Brosset, 1985; Denys et al., 2013), but it is not known to which lineage these specimens belong.	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F776D42FF03FD3EFD5EFBF9.taxon	discussion	Recorded from Mt Nimba in Liberia by Coe (1975), Verschuren (1977), Wolton et al. (1982), and A. Forbes-Watson (A. Monadjem, personal observation), but has not been recorded anywhere on Mt Nimba since then. The proportion of this species as a function of the total number of fruit bats captur- ed is typically low: 3.2 % (n = 247 fruit bats; Verschuren, 1977), 1.5 % (n = 199; Coe, 1975) and 2.7 % (n = 979; Wolton et al., 1982), but appreciably higher than for the previous species (C. ophiodon).	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F766D43FCC7F9A8FB9BF971.taxon	discussion	A single species from this family has been recorded from Mt Nimba.	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F766D43FF19FD3FFE52FC34.taxon	discussion	This species belongs to the caffer / ruber complex and has yet to be named, but has been placed in the lineage E 1 (Vallo et al., 2008). Morphologically, it is indistinguishable from the previous species, but differs in echolocation call (Monadjem et al., 2013 b). This species has been recorded roosting widely, and in large numbers, in old mine adits on the Liberian side of the mountain.	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F766D43FF79FBB8FE9AFB5A.taxon	discussion	Four species of rhinolophids have been recorded from Mt Nimba.	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F766D43FF37FB44FDDDF914.taxon	discussion	This West African endemic is only known from 15 localities (Fahr, 2013 c), and was previously recorded from Guinean Nimba (Brosset, 1985). It was recorded from both Guinean and Liberian Nimba during this survey, at higher altitudes above 900 m. This species closely resembles R. landeri (specimens of both species at Mt Nimba had pointed connecting processes and the anterior premolar within the toothrow) but was distinguished from it by its larger size (forearm and greatest skull lengths were 44.3, 46.7 mm and 19.3, 21.2 mm for two individuals DM 13214 and DM 14088). Rhinolophus alcyone is typically far larger in size.	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F766D43FF08F88AFC33FE1D.taxon	discussion	Five specimens of this rarely recorded species were captured in forested habitats on the Liberian side of the mountain between 780 m and 1,200 m a. s. l. A single roost was discovered in an old mine adit at Mt Tokadeh, adjacent to Mt Nimba on the Liberian side. This species was previously recorded from Liberian Nimba by Verschuren (1977) [as R. alcyone], and Wolton et al. (1982) [as R. clivosus] (see Fahr et al., 2006; Fahr, 2013 b for details of these re-identifications). All specimens had round- ed connecting processes and forearms of 53.0 – 54.9 mm (n = 5).	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F766D43FC7FFD85FBBCFC6C.taxon	discussion	During this study, this species was recorded from forested habitat in Liberian Nimba at altitudes ranging from 550 m to 1,000 m. Despite its wide distribution (Monadjem et al., 2010 a), this species had not been recorded from Mt Nimba prior to this survey. This species closely resembles R. guineensis but was distinguished from it by its smaller size (forearm and greatest skull lengths were 42.0 – 43.9 mm and 18.8 – 18.9 mm, n = 3). Rhinolophus alcyone is typically far larger in size.	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F766D43FCAAFC76FCBCF9C7.taxon	discussion	This species was previously recorded from Guinean Nimba (Brosset, 1985). During this survey, it was recorded roosting in mine adits above 1,400 m on the Guinean side of the mountain, at the same locality as previously recorded by Brosset (1985). The taxon alticolus may represent a distinct species (Csorba et al., 2003), and was in fact recognized as such by Rosevear (1965). The records from Guinean Nimba and Wonegizi Mts in Liberia are isolated by about 2,000 km from the nearest records in Nigeria and Cameroon (Happold, 1987), which themselves are further isolated by thousands of kilometres from populations in East and Southern Africa.	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F766D4CFC6BF969FF1DFE94.taxon	discussion	This species has only been recorded at Mt Nimba by Coe (1975) in forested habitat on the Liberian side. A. Forbes-Watson also collected a specimen from Liberian Nimba and deposited it in the National Museums of Kenya (A. Monadjem, personal observation of the specimen). Despite its characteristic and conspicuous habits of foraging during the early evening, it was not observed during this study.	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F796D4CFC9CFBCFFCBDFA66.taxon	discussion	The type specimen of this species was originally collected from an unspecified location in Liberia (Fahr, 2013 e). The occurrence of this species at Mt Nimba is mentioned only by Fahr (2013 e), who stated that it had been recorded in montane grassland at 1,600 m (specimen in the Senckenberg Museum, Frankfurt). It was not recorded during this survey.	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F796D4CFC92FA70FB07F94A.taxon	discussion	This species was previously recorded at Grassfield in Liberian Nimba (Wolton et al., 1982), but was not recorded during this study.	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F796D4CFCD1F955FCA0F874.taxon	discussion	This species was previously recorded from Liberian Nimba (Verschuren, 1977). During this survey, a large roost was discovered in Yekepa (Liberian Nimba), in the roof of a school 540 m a. s. l.	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F796D4CFCC7FC02FC2CFBD7.taxon	discussion	Seven species of molossids have been recorded from Mt Nimba.	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F796D4CFF79FEE7FED9FDC1.taxon	discussion	Six species of nycterids have been recorded from Mt Nimba.	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F796D4CFECCFDD9FE33FC4E.taxon	discussion	This species was previously recorded from Liberian Nimba (Verschuren, 1977; Wolton et al., 1982). During this survey, it was recorded widely in forested habitats between 400 and 1,000 m a. s. l. on the Liberian side. This species was distinguished from the similar N. intermedia by its larger size (forearm length 39.8 – 48.8 mm, and greatest skull length 19.7 – 20.1 mm, n = 5).	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F796D4CFEF5FC49FD81FB1A.taxon	discussion	This species was previously recorded from Guinean and Liberian Nimba (Aellen, 1963; Wolton et al., 1982). During this survey, it was recorded widely in forested and forest edge habitats between 400 and 700 m a. s. l. on the Liberian side. Forearm lengths were 54.2 – 57.8 mm (n = 8).	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F796D4CFEEDFA84FD98F9E7.taxon	discussion	This species was previously recorded from Zouguépo, Guinean Nimba (Aellen, 1963). During this survey, it was recorded sparsely in open savanna on the Liberian side of the mountain. This species was easily identifiable by its trifid upper incisors and short ears (21 mm in DM 12611).	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F796D4CFEE8F9FFFE5CF874.taxon	discussion	This species was previously recorded from Ziéla, Guinean Nimba (Fahr, 2013 d). A single specimen was also recorded during this survey on the Guinean side (Denys et al., 2013). These two specimens (MNHN 1985 - 1143 and MNHN 2015 - 1357) were re-examined here. Greatest skull lengths were 17.4 mm and 18.2 mm, fitting the description of this species (Fahr, 2013 d).	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F796D4CFC73FF29FC63FE1F.taxon	discussion	This species was previously recorded from Liberian Nimba (Wolton et al., 1982). During this survey, a single specimen was recorded in disturbed habitat adjacent to a settlement at 500 m a. s. l. on the Liberian side. Forearm and greatest skull lengths for this specimen (DM 12597) were 49.5 mm and 20.8 mm).	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F796D4CFC68FDB8FC35FCAE.taxon	discussion	This species was previously recorded from Ziéla, Guinean Nimba (Fahr, 2013 i). It is also known from the Iti River (550 m), Liberian Nimba where Verschuren (1977) was not sure of its identification, listing it as either N. arge or N. major. This specimen was later re-examined and determined to be N. major (J. Fahr, in litt.). However, it was not recorded during this study.	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F786D4DFCBFFF29FC4AFB81.taxon	discussion	During this survey, a single specimen (DM 13218) of this species was netted over water in old growth forest at Bentor, Liberian Nimba. The dorsal pelage of the specimen is cinnamon-brown which extends onto the head. The ventral pelage is light silvery-grey. Both dorsal and ventral hairs have darker bases. There is no flank or dorsal stripe, or dots present on the bat. The wing membrane is medium brown without reticulation; however from dorsal view, there appeared to be obvious bright orange-red markings on the wing (Fig. 3 A), which completely disappeared in the preserved specimen. The tragus is fairly elongate with the outer margin more curved than that of the inner margin; there is a distinct pointed lobe near the base of the outer margin (Fig. 3 B). Forearm length is 43.7 mm, and greatest skull length 16.2 mm. We have tentatively assigned this specimen to G. argentata, but caution that it may represent an undescribed species. Although the measurements and pelage fit that of G. argentata, the wing membrane differs distinctly by not being pale in colour (Happold, 2013 a). It is noteworthy that G. argentata has not yet been recorded west of Cameroon (about 2,000 km from Mt Nimba).	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F786D4DFC6CFB19FB9BFA48.taxon	discussion	During this survey, this species was widely collected in forested habitats as well as degraded secondary forests and, in one instance, on the edge of small village on the Liberian side, from 450 m to 880 m a. s. l. This species had not been previously recorded from Mt Nimba.	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F786D4DFC63FA52FCB5F913.taxon	discussion	This species was previously recorded from Ziéla, Guinean Nimba (Aellen, 1963 [as K. harrisoni bellula), but was not recorded during this study. It has also been collected from the Simandou Range in north-eastern Guinea (Fahr and Ebigbo, 2003).	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F786D4DFF36FE62FDE7FC0E.taxon	discussion	This species was not previously recorded from Nimba. During this survey, this species was sparsely captured flying above water at small forest streams on both the Liberian and Guinean sides of the mountain, at low altitudes 450 to 550 m a. s. l. The taxon leonis is widely distribution in the Afrotropical forest zone from Sierra Leone to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and may be distinct from the taxon brachypterus, which is restricted to coastal East Africa and western Uganda (Thorn and Kerbis Peterhans, 2009). The relationship between these two taxa needs to be investigated.	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F786D4DFF15FF2AFE71FE7B.taxon	discussion	This species was not previously recorded from Mt Nimba. During this survey, a large roost was discovered in Yekepa (Liberian Nimba), in the roof of a school 540 m a. s. l. A single individual was also netted above water at ‘ Blue Lake’ also on the Liberian side, 880 m a. s. l.	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F786D4DFEE3FB88FF18FABF.taxon	discussion	This species was previously recorded from Guinean Nimba (Lamotte, 1942). During this survey, this species was captured above water at small streams and swamps in forested habitats on the Liberian side, at low altitudes 450 m to 600 m a. s. l. This species was distinguished from the similar Mops nanulus by the enlarged cingula of the lower canines, which were in contact in the male.	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F786D4DFEFFFA27FF0EF906.taxon	discussion	This species was previously recorded from Liberian Nimba (Verschuren, 1977). During this survey, this species was captured above water in forested and open habitats on both the Liberian and Guinean sides of the mountain, from 450 to 880 m a. s. l.	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F786D4DFF79F969FD61F874.taxon	discussion	A total of 20 species of vespertilionids have been recorded from Mt Nimba, including 13 pipistrelloids in the genera Hypsugo, Neoromicia and Pipistrellus (Fahr et al., 2006; Monadjem et al., 2013 a).	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F786D4EFC60F88BFD88F94E.taxon	discussion	During this survey, this species was widely collected in forested habitats on the Liberian side, from 450 m to 700 m a. s. l. This species had not been previously recorded from Mt Nimba, which is not surprising since all of the seven specimens were captured with a harp trap, equipment that was not employed during the earlier surveys.	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F786D4EFC60F88BFD88F94E.taxon	description	.	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F7B6D4EFCB4FE4EFC77FB7D.taxon	discussion	During this survey, just three specimens of this species were collected in forested habitats on the Liberian side, from 400 m to 1,200 m a. s. l. This species had not been previously recorded from Mt Nimba. The taxon bellieri is restricted to the Upper Guinea forest zone and is separated by over 2,000 km from the nearest populations of the taxon crassulus from southern Cameroon; the two taxa also differ in morphology suggesting that they are specifically distinct (Fahr, 2013 f). The conservation status of the taxon bellieri has not been assessed, but due to continued habitat fragmentation and destruction it may be threatened (Fahr, 2013 c). The results of this study support this, as this species was only recorded in old growth forest. In a recent molecular study, Decher et al. (2015) showed that this species groups with other members of the genus Hypsugo, corroborating the results of a karyological study (Volleth et al., 2001). We have therefore assigned this species to Hypsugo.	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F7B6D4EFBFCFB65FB22F971.taxon	discussion	This undescribed species is only known from a single specimen collected on 27 December 2011 at 1,400 m a. s. l. in forested habitat in Liberian Nimba. It was referred to as Neoromicia sp. 1 by Monadjem et al. (2013 a) due to the absence of an enlarged anterior premolar in the upper jaw. Decher et al. (2015) reported on four new specimens collected in the Simandou Range, confirming its specific distinction, and suggested that it belongs in the genus Hypsugo. The species is currently being described (R. Hutterer, personal comunication).	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F7B6D4EFF01F948FE53F874.taxon	discussion	A specimen was recorded from Ziéla, Guinean Nimba (Fahr et al., 2006). During this survey, four specimens of this species were collected in forested and disturbed habitats on the Liberian side, from 400 m to 520 m a. s. l.	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F7B6D4EFC42FF37FB9BFE54.taxon	discussion	During this survey, a single specimen was collected over water in old growth forest on the Liberian side, at 420 m a. s. l. This species, which has a wide African distribution, had not been previously recorded from Mt Nimba.	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F7B6D4EFC91F969FB79F874.taxon	discussion	During this survey, this species was widely collected in forested habitats on the Liberian side, from 400 m to 520 m a. s. l. This species had not been previously recorded from Mt Nimba.	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F7A6D4FFF04FF2AFF10FE7A.taxon	discussion	This species has been recorded by Verschuren (1977) at Liberian Nimba. The specimen (IRSNB 16786, deposited in the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences Museum) has been examined by J. Fahr who verified the identification (J. Fahr, in litt.).	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F7A6D4FFF0AFE65FE12FC8A.taxon	discussion	This species was previously recorded from Zouguépo, Guinean Nimba (Aellen, 1963 [as Eptesicus guineensis]). An additional specimen (MNHN 1977 - 559) reported by Lamotte (1942 [as Eptesicus grandidieri]) and Koopman et al. (1995 [as Pipistrellus capensis]), have been assigned to this species by Fahr et al. (2006). This species was not recorded during this study.	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F7A6D4FFCB1FDC9FCB5FB44.taxon	discussion	This recently described species (Decher et al., 2015) has only been recorded from a small settlement adjacent to the Liberian town of Yekepa at the base of Mt Nimba. This species was referred to as Neoromicia cf. rendalli by Monadjem et al., (2013 a) who recognised it as a distinct species (with features similar to those of N. rendalli) but did not have sufficient material with which to publish a new species description. In a separate study, two further specimens were collected in the Simandou Range in north-eastern Guinea, which genetically and morphologically refer to the same species as the Mt Nimba specimen (Decher et al., 2015).	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F7A6D4FFEE3FC14FD51FAA5.taxon	discussion	This species was previously recorded from Liberian and Guinean Nimba (Wolton et al., 1982; Brosset, 1985; Fahr et al., 2006). During this survey, it was recorded widely in forested and forest edge habitats between 450 and 530 m a. s. l. This taxon is distributed across much of sub-Saharan Africa, occurring in a wide range of habitats and exhibiting significant morphological variation (Happold, 2013 b) suggesting the presence of cryptic species. This species displayed rather large variation in size at Mt Nimba (forearm range 25.6 – 30.0 mm), but the significance of this has yet to be investigated.	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F7A6D4FFF51FA3DFF16F932.taxon	discussion	This recently described species has only been recorded from forested habitats at the base of Mt Nimba on the Liberian side (Monadjem et al., 2013 a), although new records have been reported from the nearby Simandou Range in north-eastern Guinea (Decher et al., 2015). This species is currently only know from the Upper Guinea forest zone.	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F7A6D4FFF04F8ACFB37FECE.taxon	discussion	During this survey, a single specimen was collected in an urban environment within the Liberian town of Yekepa at the base of Mt Nimba. This species is typically associated with savannas, and has possibly recently colonised this region.	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F7A6D4FFC94FED7FAF6FDD0.taxon	discussion	This species was previously recorded from Ziéla, Guinean Nimba (Aellen, 1963). During this survey it was only recorded from two small settlements, where it was roosting in the roofs of houses.	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F7A6D4FFCB3FB5DFC6BF938.taxon	discussion	This species is only known from a single specimen collected during this study at 1,200 m a. s. l. in forested habitat in Liberian Nimba. It was referred to as Pipistrellus sp. 1 in Monadjem et al. (2013 a). Its cranial characters are very similar to those of P. grandidieri, however the latter species is currently only known from over 2,500 km away in East Africa (Thorn et al., 2007) and therefore the status of this species remains uncertain (also see Decher et al., 2015). For this reason, we refer to it as P. cf. grandidieri until such time as P. grandidieri has been genetically characterized allowing for a phylogenetic comparison. This species had not been previously recorded from Mt Nimba.	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F7A6D48FC83F8A1FE78FE58.taxon	discussion	This species was previously recorded from Liberian Nimba (Hill, 1982; Wolton et al., 1982 [as Pipistrellus kuhli and P. rusticus, see Monadjem and Fahr, 2007]), but was not recorded during this study. The previously recorded specimens (BMNH 79.509 and BMNH 79.512, deposited in the British Museum of Natural History, London) have been examin- ed by J. Fahr who confirmed their identity as P. hesperidus (J. Fahr, in litt.).	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F7D6D48FF79FB8DFE9AFB57.taxon	discussion	Two species of miniopterids have been recorded from Mt Nimba.	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F7D6D48FF14FB4FFF0EF9E7.taxon	discussion	This species was previously recorded from Liberian Nimba (Hill, 1982; Wolton et al., 1982). During this study, it was recorded on the Liberian side from 500 m to 1,000 m a. s. l. in a variety of forested and disturbed habitats. It was also recorded roosting in old mine adits on Mt Gangra and Mt Yuelliton, adjacent to Mt Nimba on the Liberian side.	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F7D6D48FF41F9FFFF23F874.taxon	discussion	This species was not previously recorded from Mt Nimba. During this survey, it was recorded from 460 m to 900 m a. s. l., and was roosting in old mine adits on Mt Gangra and Mt Yuelliton, adjacent to Mt Nimba, on the Liberian side. The taxon villiersi may represent a distinct species restricted to the Upper Guinea forest zone (Fahr et al., 2006).	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F7D6D48FF12FE42FE52FD03.taxon	discussion	This species was previously recorded from Liberian Nimba (Hill, 1982; Wolton et al., 1982). During this survey, six specimens were recorded in lowland forest from 420 m to 480 m a. s. l. on the Liberian side of the mountain.	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
03BD87F43F7D6D48FEFAFC9BFEBDFC2A.taxon	discussion	This species was previously recorded from Liberian Nimba as Scotophilus dinganii (Wolton et al., 1982). During this survey, two specimens were collected over water in disturbed forest on the Liberian side, at 520 m a. s. l.	en	Monadjem, Ara, Richards, Leigh, Denys, Christiane (2016): An African bat hotspot: the exceptional importance of Mount Nimba for bat diversity. Acta Chiropterologica 18 (2): 359-375, DOI: 10.3161/15081109ACC2016.18.2.005
