Murina yadongensis Mao, Zhao & Zhou, 2025

Luo, Tao, Mao, Ming-Le, Lan, Chang-Ting, Zhao, Zi-Fa, Wang, Zhong-Lian, Yu, Jing, Wang, Jia-Jia, Yan, Chen-Rui, Xiao, Ning & Zhou, Jiang, 2025, Four new tube-nosed bat species of the genus Murina (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae) from Xizang Autonomous Region, China, based on morphological and molecular data, Zoosystematics and Evolution 101 (3), pp. 1023-1055 : 1023-1055

Murina yadongensis Mao, Zhao & Zhou sp. nov.

Figs 13 , 14 , Table 4 , Suppl. material 2

Holotype.

• Adult male, field number XZ 2023082 (Figs 13 , 14 ), collected by Ming-Le Mao, Qing-Qing He, and Qin Yang, on 6 August 2023, at Boluoka , Xiayadong Township, Yadong County, Shigatse City, Xizang Autonomous Region, China (27.36420685°N, 88.97613108°E; ca. 2775 m. a. s. l.; Fig. 1 ).

Paratypes.

• Three specimens from the same locality as the holotype. Two males, field numbers XZ 2023036 and XZ 2023016. One female, field numbers XZ 2023062. XZ 2023082 and XZ 2023062 have been dissected for sampling and are incomplete specimens .

Measurements (in mm) and body weight (in g) of the holotype.

HB: 35.54, EL: 14.02, EW: 6.20, TRL: 7.48, TRW: 2.14, HFL: 6.07, FL: 30.29, TIB: 13.57, GTL: 13.73, CCL: 12.61, BCW: 6.36, BCH: 5.66, ZYW: 8.72, MAW: 7.04, IOW: 3.51, CM 3 L: 5.31, C 1 C 1 W: 2.45, M 3 M 3 W: 3.80, RCM: 0.64, CM 3 L: 5.74, ML: 9.22, MDL: 9.49, CPH: 3.61; BW: 5.68.

Etymology.

The specific epithet yadongensis refers to the type locality of the new species: Xiayadong Township, Yadong County, Shigatse City, Xizang Autonomous Region, China. We propose the common English name “ Yadong Tube-nosed Bat ” and the Chinese name “ Yà Dōng Guǎn Bí Fú (亚东管鼻蝠) ”.

Diagnosis.

Murina yadongensis sp. nov. can be distinguished from all of the other congeners by the following combination of characters: (1) small-size Murina, FL 28.81–31.84 mm, GTL 13.73–14.11 mm; (2) dorsal fur brown-gold, black at the base, gradually transitioning to brown-gold tips 2 / 3 from base; (3) ventral fur grayish brown, black at the base, gray-white at tips; (4) ears narrow and oval, without smoothly convex anterior margins, no notch on posterior margins; (5) forearm and wrists covered with sparse hairs; (6) wing attachment point located at 1 / 3 from base of claw to base of toe; (7) an off-white circumferential band around the neck; (8) sagittal crest absent, lambdoid crest present, poorly developed; (9) I 2 is situated anterior to I 3 and clearly visible in lateral view, I 2 equal to I 3 in height; (10) mesostyles of M 1 and M 2 are slightly reduced; (11) C 1 taller than P 4, crown is about 2 / 3 of P 4; (12) P 2 exceeded 2 / 3 of P 4 in height, and the crown area is about 2 / 3 of P 4; (13) C 1 equal to P 4 in height and crown area. and crown area of P 2 larger than 2 / 3 that of P 4.

Description.

Morphometric data of Murina yadongensis sp. nov. are provided in Table 4 and Suppl. material 2. Small-size Murina, HB 28.68–35.54 mm, FL 28.81–31.84 mm, EL 11.40–14.20 mm, HFL 6.07–8.55 mm, and BW 5.68–7.00 g. Nostrils tubular, open sideways, and slightly longer. Ears small, short, and narrow, oval, blunt at tips, without smoothly convex anterior margins, not notched on posterior margin. Tragus short, narrow, and tapering toward pointed tip, with slightly convex anterior margin, concave posterior margin, and basal notch, and it curves outwards slightly, about half as long as ear. Body covered with thick and fluffy hair. Dorsal hairs brown-gold (bicolored, black at the base, gradually transitioning to brown-gold tips from 2 / 3 from base). Dorsal hairs extend onto bases of wings, uropatagium, thumbs, forearm, wrist, tibia, and feet, with slight-developed fringe of hairs around margin of uropatagium. Densely furred anterior 1 / 3 of the dorsal uropatagium, posterior 2 / 3 covered with sparse hairs. Ventral hairs grayish brown overall, bicolored, black at the base, gray-white at tips. An off-white circumferential band around the neck. Dark flesh-purple around the eyes, muzzle, and lower forehead, and the face is hairy except for the long, protuberant nostrils that are naked. TL 28.32–32.12 mm, slightly shorter than head-body length, tip of the tail extending significantly past the rear edge of the uropatagium, tip distinctly free. Plagiopatagium attachment point located at 1 / 3 from base of claw to base of toe, near base of claw (Fig. 13 E, F ).

Skull robust, nearly oval, relatively small, GTL 13.73–14.11 mm. Rostrum long, deep, gradually ascending to forehead; prominent median depression present. Sagittal and lambdoid crests absent. In dorsal view, braincase domed; zygomatic arches weak and slender, gradually widening posteriorly, widest at the base of the zygomatic arches; posterior margin of skull slightly protruding; middle from snout to frontal region distinctly concave downward. In lateral view, skull slightly elongated, with elongated oval braincase; height gradually rising from snout to parietal, with slightly increasing slope from snout to frontal and decreasing slope from frontal to parietal; slight depression between snout and frontal, with slight distinct prominence at frontal; zygomatic arches gradually rising from anterior to posterior. In ventral view, palatine wide and nearly flat, ending at posterior margin of C 1; basisphenoid pits slightly shallowly tadpole-shaped, extending posteriorly to anterior half of cochlea. Mandible length 8.85–9.22 mm, inverted L-shaped in lateral view. Line between coronoid process and condyle nearly flat; distinct inward depression between condyle and angle; angle short and wide; mandibular foramina clearly visible, situated below anterior margin of P 4.

Dental morphology: Dental formula is I 2 / 3, C 1 / 1, P 2 / 2, M 3 / 3 = 34 (Fig. 14 ). In the maxilla, I 2 is situated anterior to I 3, and I 2 clearly visible laterally; crown area of P 2 approximately half that of P 4 and slightly smaller than C 1. Based on these characters, the species belongs to the “ suilla - type ”. Maxillary dentition converges slightly anteriorly (RCM = 0.64–0.66). I 2 and I 3 bicuspid, smaller secondary cusp situated posterior to primary cusp; I 2 almost equal to I 3 in height, with crown area approximately half that of I 3; distinct gap between posterior surface of I 3 and C 1, not in contact, about half of height of C 1. C 1 smaller than P 4 in height, slightly elongated and lacking secondary cusps, crown area 2 / 3 that of P 4; P 2 slightly smaller, delicate and pointed, about half as tall as P 4 and C 1, with crown area of P 2 is half that of P 4 and slightly smaller than C 1. Mesostyles of M 1 and M 2 are reduced, but retaining distinct cusps; paracone, protocone, metacone, and parastyle well developed. M 3 reduced, with only parastyle, paracone, and protocone. In the mandible, I 1, I 2, and I 3 smaller, tricuspid, almost equal in height and width; overlap of outer cusps of I 1, I 2, and I 3; with rapid increase in height from I 3 to C 1. C 1 without pointed cusp on anterior inner margin, not in contact with I 3 outer cusp. C 1 almost equal to P 4 in height and basal area, about twice as much as P 2. P 2 exceeded 4 / 5 of P 4 in height, and the basal and crown areas are about 2 / 3 of P 4. In lateral view, trigonids of M 1, M 2, and M 3, metaconidhe slightly equal to protoconid in height, paraconid about 1 / 3 of protoconid. Talonid of M 1 and M 2 almost the same size as trigonid; entoconid and hypoconid distinctly separated from trigonid, lower than metaconid and paraconid, nearly equal to metaconid and paraconid in height. M 1 and M 2 are nyctalodont types, with well-developed entoconids. M 3 reduced, talonid approximately 1 / 3 as long as trigonid, paraconid, protoconid, and metaconid complete and well developed.

Morphological comparisons with congeneric species.

Based on its dentition, I 2 situated anterior to I 3, and the crown area of P 2 is less than half that of P 4 and smaller than that of C 1, Murina beibengensis sp. nov. belongs to the “ suilla - type, ” a character that distinguishes 12 species belonging to the “ cyclotis - type, ” including M. aenea , M. annamitica , M. cyclotis , M. fionae , M. guilleni , M. harrisoni , M. huttoni , M. peninsularis , M. pluvialis , M. puta , M. recondita , and M. rozendaali . Detailed morphological differences between the new species and congeners are listed in Suppl. material 5 and illustrated in Suppl. material 1: fig. S 3.

Murina yadongensis sp. nov. can be distinguished from Murina beibengensis sp. nov. by dorsal fur brown-gold (vs. brown-gold), sagittal crest absent (vs. well-developed), I 2 is situated laterally anterior to I 3, and I 2 is partially visible in the lateral view (vs. I 2 is anterior to I 3, I 2 is clearly visible in the lateral view), I 2 almost equal to I 3 in height (vs. I 2 taller than I 3), and C 1 taller than P 4 in height (vs. C 1 almost equal to P 4).

Murina yadongensis sp. nov. can be distinguished from Murina medogensis sp. nov. by brown-gold dorsal fur (vs. dark grayish), dorsal hairs extend onto forearm and wrist (vs. hairless forearms and wrists), I 2 is situated laterally anterior to I 3, and I 2 is partially visible in the lateral view (vs. I 2 is anterior to I 3, I 2 is clearly visible in the lateral view), I 2 almost equal to I 3 in height (vs. I 2 higher than I 3), C 1 taller than P 4 (vs. C 1 almost equal to P 4), and an off-white circumferential band around the neck (vs. lacking); from Murina milinensis sp. nov. by lambdoid crest absent (vs. poorly developed), C 1 taller than P 4 (vs. C 1 lower than P 4), C 1 taller than P 4 (vs. C 1 equal to P 4), and an off-white circumferential band around the neck (vs. lacking).

Murina yadongensis sp. nov. can be distinguished from M. bicolor , M. fanjingshanensis , M. fusca , M. hilgendorfi , M. jinchui , M. leucogaster , and M. ryukyuana by the small size, forearm length 28.81–31.84 mm (vs. forearm length over 35 mm).

Murina yadongensis sp. nov. can be distinguished from M. aurata , M. balaensis , M. beelzebub , M. bicolor , M. chrysochaetes , M. eleryi , M. fanjingshanensis , M. feae , M. florium , M. hilgendorfi , M. hkakaboraziensis , M. jaintiana , M. jinchui , M. leucogaster , M. liboensis , M. lorelieae , M. rongjiangensis , M. ryukyuana , M. shuipuensis , M. suilla , M. tenebrosa , M. tubinaris , M. ussuriensis , M. walstoni , M. yuanyang , and M. yushuensis by an off-white circumferential band around the neck (vs. absent). By dorsal fur brown-gold (bicolored, black at the base, gradually transitioning to brown-gold tips from 2 / 3 from base), Murina yadongensis sp. nov. can be further distinguished from M. aurata (vs. golden brown), M. balaensis (vs. orange-reddish), M. chrysochaetes (vs. golden brown), M. eleryi (vs. coppery brown), M. feae (vs. dark grayish), M. jaintiana (vs. medium gray with brownish tinge), M. jinchui (vs. brownish gray), M. liboensis (vs. yellowish brown), M. lorelieae (vs. reddish brown), M. walstoni (vs. brownish gray), M. walstoni (vs. warm brown, whitish at the base, orangish brown at tips), and M. yuanyang (vs. bark gold). By ventral fur is grayish brown overall (bicolored, dark at the base, pale at tips), M. milinensis sp. nov. can be further distinguished from M. bicolor (vs. uniformly yellow), M. rongjiangensis (vs. bright yellowish orange), and M. shuipuensis (vs. bright orange yellow).

By the ears without smooth convex anterior margins and no notch on posterior margin, Murina yadongensis sp. nov. can be distinguished from M. gracilis , M. harpioloides , and M. kontumensis (vs. with smoothly convex anterior margins and distinct notch on posterior margin). By the lambdoid crest absent, I 2 almost equal to I 3 in height, C 1 taller than P 4, C 1 equal to P 4 in height and crown area, and Murina yadongensis sp. nov. can be further distinguished from M. gracilis (vs. lambdoid crest very weak), M. harpioloides (vs. I 2 lower than I 3 in height, C 1 less than P 4 in height, and C 1 taller than P 4), and M. kontumensis (vs. lambdoid crest present, and C 1 larger than P 4 in height and crown area).

Habitat and ecology.

The type locality experiences a subtropical semi-humid monsoon climate, characterized by mild and humid conditions. The average temperature in July is approximately 14.4 ° C, and the mean annual precipitation is about 800 mm. The perennial influence of the monsoon, along with the mild and humid climate, contributes to the richness of forest resources in the southern part of the county. The specimen was captured in a harp trap on 6 August 2023 in a mixed coniferous forest in Xiayadong Township, Yadong County. The area is surrounded by dense thickets and bamboo forests, with rivers and primary forests situated approximately 3 kilometers away. In this forest, we also collected five species from four genera: Plecotus homochrous , Rhinolophus sinicus , Rhinolophus ferrumequinum , Myotis sp. , and Submyotodon moupinensis .

Figures

Figure 1. Geographical distribution of recognized species and the four new species of the genus Murina in Asia. The base maps are from the Standard Map Service website (http://bzdt.ch.mnr.gov.cn/index.html; Map Approval No. GS (2020) 4619).

Figure 13. External morphological characteristics of the Murina yadongensis sp. nov. in living holotype XZ 2023082. A. Lateral view; B. Ventral view; C. Dorsal view of the body and uropatagium; D. Ventral hairs; E. Dorsal hairs; F. Hindfoot ventral view; G. Hindfoot dorsal view.

Figure 14. Skull and dentition of the Murina yadongensis sp. nov. holotype, XZ 2023082. A. Lateral view; B. Dorsal view; C. Ventral view; D. Frontal view of mandible.