Scotophilus ejetai, B, 2014

B, D M. B J W., 2014, N S S (C: V) S - S A, Occasional Papers of the Museum 326, pp. 1-24 : 14-16

Scotophilus ejetai , new species

Ejeta’s House Bat

Holotype. —Voucher BRTC 57970 ( Fig. 5 ); adult male; standard skin and skull deposited at the Texas Cooperative Wildlife Collection (Texas A&M University, College Station , Texas, USA). Collected on 23 February 2001 by Duane Schlitter. Prepared by Duane Schlitter, field number 10310. Muscle tissue sample AK 21235. External measurements (mm) are: head-body length 76.0; tail length 41.8; hind foot length 10.7; ear length 11.7; forearm 50.4. Cranial measurements (mm) are: greatest skull length 17.5; zygomatic breadth 13.1; braincase breadth 9.2; braincase height 7.7; interorbital width 4.6; greatest breadth across upper molars 8.9; greatest breadth across upper canines 6.7; mandibular length 13.7.

Type locality. — Ethiopia: Orimaya Region , Dogy River Bridge (8º21'43"N, 35º53'02"E). Collected at 1390 m asl .

Paratypes. —Two additional specimens were collected from Ethiopia and based on morphological and genetic data are designated as paratypes. The first paratype is voucher CMNH 114043 ; adult female; standard skin and skull deposited at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA). Collected on 2 April 1995 by Duane Schlitter from 7 km N, 10 km W Debre Tabor, Wereta-Weldiya Rd (11°55'N, 37°55'E; 2100 m), Gondar Province , Ethiopia. Prepared by Duane Schlitter (field number 9986). Tissue sample SP 13027. External measurements (mm) are: head-body length 77.1; tail length 40.4; hind foot length 12.1; ear length 10.2; forearm 50.3. Cranial measurements (mm) are: greatest skull length 18.8; zygomatic breadth 13.3; braincase breadth 9.2; braincase height 7.9; interorbital width 4.7; greatest breadth across upper molars 8.4; greatest breadth across upper canines 6.2; mandibular length 13.7 .

The second paratype is voucher BRTC 57954 ; adult female; standard skin and skull deposited at the Texas Cooperative Wildlife Collection (Texas A&M University, College Station , Texas, USA). Collected on 21 February 2001 by Duane Schlitter at Dogy River Bridge (8º21'43"N, 35º53'02"E; 1390 m), Orimaya Region , Ethiopia. Prepared by Duane Schlitter (field number 10292). Tissue sample AK 21213. External measurements (mm) are: head-body length 72.6; tail length 45.1; hind foot length 9.3; ear length 11.3; forearm 50.2. Cranial measurements (mm) are: greatest skull length 17.4; zygomatic breadth 12.2; braincase breadth 8.6; braincase height 7.6; interorbital width 4.3; greatest breadth across upper molars 9.0; greatest breadth across upper canines 6.7; mandibular length 13.5 .

Distribution. —The specimens are known from two localities in Ethiopia ranging from 1390 to 2100 m asl. An additional specimen, BRTC 57927 (skull only) was collected at a different locality in the Orimaya Region: E sideshore Bishan Waka Lake (07º18'01"N 35º16'24"E; 1402 m). These combined localities encompass a minimum geographic range of approximately 8580 km 2 ( Fig. 3 ).

Etymology. —This species is named in honor of Dr. Gebisa Ejeta, Distinguished Professor of Plant Breeding & Genetics and International Agriculture at Purdue University, who was born and raised in the village of Wollonkomi, west-central Ethiopia. Dr. Ejeta is a plant breeder and geneticist who received the 2009 World Food Prize for his research and development of improved sorghum hybrids resistant to drought and Striga weed. The results of his work have dramatically enhanced the food supply of hundreds of millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa.

Diagnosis.— Scotophilus ejetai is distinguished from S. dinganii from Natal by a combination of external and craniodental features. S. ejetai averages smaller overall in body size, with females presenting non-overlapping forearm length (≤ 50.3 in S. ejetai vs. ≥ 52.5 mm for S. dinganii ; Table 1). Additionally the ventral pelage in S. ejetai has an orange hue, whereas the ventral fur is buff with a greyish abdomen in S. dinganii .

Cranial measurements in S. ejetai are smaller, with non-overlapping measurements for skull length (≤ 18.5 in S. ejetai vs. ≥ 19.2 mm for S. dinganii ), zygomatic breadth (≤ 13.3 vs. ≥ 13.6 mm) and braincase breadth (≤ 9.3 vs. ≥ 9.5 mm) for males ( Table 2), and zygomatic breadth (≤ 13.5 vs. ≥ 13.8 mm) and braincase breadth (≤ 9.2 vs. ≥ 9.3 mm) for females ( Table 3).

Description.— Scotophilus ejetai has a forearm length ranging 50.2–50.4 mm. Dorsal fur is dark reddish mahogany. Ventral fur is orange with a grayish hue on the abdomen. Ears range 10.2–11.7 mm with rounded tips. Ventral plagiopatagium is hairy proximal to forearm. Dorsal plagiopatagium, uropatagium, dactylopatagium, tail, legs, and feet are naked.

Premaxillae deeply notched and wide. Sagittal crest is prominent along entire braincase. Orbits are wide ventrally with square outline and rounded corners. Zygomatic arch is thin. Palatine bones are angled inward anteriorly. Tympanic bullae are well developed and spherical to conical in shape with anterior projection. Foramen magnum is slightly oval. Occipital condyles are well developed.

Upper incisors (I1) are bilobate with inner cusp much longer than highly reduced outer cusp. Upper canines (C1) are long and well developed. Paracone of upper premolar (P1) is much longer than metacone, which is longer than hypocone. P1 has a smaller diameter, yet longer paracone than molars M1 and M2. Upper molars M1 and M2 similar in size and structure, with trapezoid outline in occlusal view, interior edge shortest. Metacone of M1 and M2 longer than paracone, which is longer than the hypocone. The last molar (M3) is highly reduced, half the length of M1 and M2 with a rectangular outline in occlusal view.

Lower incisors (I1–I3) are small. I1 and I2 present trilobate. Lower canine is long and well developed. Lower premolar (P1) paracone is shorter than canine. Lower molars (M1–M3) are similar in size and structure, with trapezoid outline in occlusal view, exterior edge shortest. Paracone of M1–M3 longer than metacone, which is longer than hypocone. M3 is more reduced than M1 and M2. All mandibular processes are well developed. Coronoid process is low. Angular process extends to same level as mandibular condyle.

Comments.— S. ejetai was identified by Tru- jillo et al. (2009) as clade 8 which is a paraphyletic cytochrome- b lineage including S. ejetai haplotypes as well as a single haplotype of S. nigrita . There is a distinct size difference between the two species, and the sharing of similar haplotypes is likely due to past hybridization, mtDNA capture, or incomplete lineage sorting. Clade 8 is sister to S. andrewreborii (clade 9) and is 4.9% different in sequence of cytochrome- b. It is 9.4% different from nominate S. dinganii (clade 13) which is indicative of species level divergence.

Figures

Figure 3. Distributions of the four new species in Africa (top right inset): Scotophilus andrewreborii: 1 - (Holotype and Paratype 1) 12 km S, 4 km E Nakuru; 2 - (Paratype 2) Njoro River; 3 - Nanyuki; 4 - Makandara; 5 - Bushwackers; 6 - Weiwei R. bridge. Scotophilus livingstonii (bottom left inset): 7 - (Holotype and Paratype 1) Ikuywa R. Bridge; 8 - (Paratype 2) Univ. Ghana Bot. Garden; 9 - 5 km S, 16 km E Kakamega. Scotophilus ejetai: 10 - (Holotype and Paratype 2) Dogy R. Bridge; 11 - (Paratype 1) Wereta-Weldiya Rd; 12 - Bishan Waka L. Scotophilus trujilloi: 13 - (Holotype and Paratypes) Moana Marine Sta.; 14 - Shimba Hills N.R.; 15 - 3 km E Taveta.

Figure 5. Study skin (a) and cranium and mandible (b) of Scotophilus ejetai holotype (BRTC 57970).