Murina medogensis Mao, Lan & 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 medogensis Mao, Lan & Zhou sp. nov.

Figs 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , Table 3 , Suppl. material 2

Holotype.

• Adult male, field number XZ 2024038 (Figs 6 , 7 ), collected by Ming-Le Mao, Tao Luo, Chang-Ting Lan, Zi-Fa Zhao, and Zhong-Lian Wang on 16 August 2024, from Medog Town , Medog County, Nyingchi City, Xizang Autonomous Region, China (29.29867524°N, 95.28785706°E; ca. 813 m. a. s. l.; Fig. 1 ).

Paratype.

• Field number XZ 2024006 (Figs 8 , 9 ), adult female, collected near Beibeng Township , Medog County, Nyingchi City, Xizang Autonomous Region, China (29.2297514°N, 95.14752388°E; ca. 816 m) on 14 August 2024 .

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

HB: 38.46, EL: 11.89, EW: 6.79, TRL: 6.19, TRW: 1.94, HFL: 6.94, FL: 29.75, TIB: 15.47, GTL: 15.01, CCL: 14.09, BCW: 7.55, BCH: 6.71, ZYW: 8.74, MAW: 7.11, IOW: 4.39, CM 3 L: 4.82, C 1 C 1 W: 3.61, M 3 M 3 W: 5.07, RCM: 0.712, CM 3 L: 5.86, ML: 9.1, MDL: 10.21, CPH: 3.42; BW: 4.20.

Etymology.

The specific epithet medogensis refers to the type locality of the new species: Medog Town, Medog County, Nyingchi City, Xizang Autonomous Region, China. We propose the common English name “ Medog Tube-nosed Bat ” and the Chinese name “ Mò Tuō Guǎn Bí Fú (墨脱管鼻蝠) ”.

Diagnosis.

Murina medogensis sp. nov. can be distinguished from all of the other congeners by the following combination of characters: (1) small-size Murina, FL 29.75–31.24 mm, GTL 15.01–18.74 mm; (2) dorsal fur dark grayish overall, dark grey at the base, gradually transitioning to gray-brown / white tips 2 / 3 from the base; (3) ventral fur silvery-gray overall, dark grey at the base, with silvery-gray tips; (4) ears broadly rounded, with smoothly convex anterior margins, no notch on posterior margins; (5) forearm and wrists without covered sparse hairs; (6) wing attachment point located at 1 / 3 from base of claw to base of toe; (7) sagittal crest absent, lambdoid crest present and poorly developed; (8) I 2 is situated laterally anterior to I 3 and partially visible in the lateral view, I 2 equal to I 3 in height; (9) mesostyles of M 1 and M 2 are well developed; (10) C 1 slightly lower than P 4 in height and crown area of P 2 larger than 2 / 3 that of P 4; (11) P 2 is approximately equal to P 4 in height, with a basal area 2 / 3 that of P 4; (12) C 1 taller than P 4 in height, crown area equal to P 2 and 2 / 3 of P 4; (13) mandibular foramina clearly visible, situated below P 4; (14) without distinct prominence at frontal aspect of skull.

Description.

Morphometric data of Murina medogensis sp. nov. are provided in Table 3 and Suppl. material 2. Small-size Murina, HB 37.68–38.46 mm, FL 29.75–31.24 mm, EL 11.89–14.06 mm, HFL 6.94–8.52 mm, and BW 4.20 g. Nostrils tubular, open sideways, and slightly short. Ears small, short, oval, blunt at tips, with smoothly convex anterior margins, not notched on posterior margin. Tragus short, narrow, and tapering toward pointed tips, 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 dark grayish overall (bicolored, dark grey at the base, gradually transitioning to gray-brown / white tips 2 / 3 from base). Dorsal hairs extend onto bases of wings, uropatagium, thumbs, 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 are silvery-gray overall, bicolored, dark grey at the base, with silvery-gray tips. Flesh-purple around the eyes, muzzle, and lower forehead, and the face is hairy except for the long, protuberant nostrils that are naked. TL 34.54–36.37 mm, slightly shorter than head-body length, tip of the tail extending significantly past the rear edge of the uropatagium, tip slightly free. Plagiopatagium attachment point located at about 1 / 3 from base of claw to base of toe, near base of claw (Fig. 6 F, G ).

Skull robust and domed, relatively small, GTL 15.01–18.74 mm. Rostrum long, deep, gradually ascending to forehead; prominent median depression present. Sagittal crest absent, lambdoid crest present, poorly developed. In dorsal view, braincase nearly rounded; 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, without 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 teardrop-shaped, extending posteriorly to anterior third of cochlea. Mandible length 9.1 mm, inverted L-shaped. Line between coronoid process and condyle nearly flat; distinct inward depression between condyle and angle; angle slightly long and wide; mandibular foramina clearly visible, situated below P 4.

Dental morphology: Dental formula is I 2 / 3, C 1 / 1, P 2 / 2, M 3 / 3 = 34 (Figs 7 , 8 ). In the maxilla, I 2 is situated laterally anterior to I 3 and partially visible in the lateral view; crown area of P 2 larger than 2 / 3 that of P 4 and smaller than that of C 1. Based on these characters, the species belongs to the “ cyclotis - type ”. Maxillary dentition converges slightly anteriorly (RCM = 0.71). I 2 and I 3 bicuspid, smaller secondary cusp situated posterior to primary cusp; I 2 equal to I 3 in height, crown area of I 2 less than 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 slightly lower 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 high as P 4 and 2 / 3 as high as C 1, crown area 2 / 3 that of P 4. 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; slight overlap of outer cusps of I 1, I 2, and I 3; with gradual increase in height from I 1 to C 1. C 1 contains pointed cusp on anterior inner margin, in contact with I 3 outer cusp, exceeding P 2 and P 4 in height; C 1 equal to P 2 in basal area but smaller than P 4. P 2 slightly smaller than P 4 in height, and the basal and crown area of P 2 approximately 2 / 3 that of P 4. In lateral view, trigonids of M 1, M 2, and M 3, metaconid, and paraconid approximately 2 / 3 as high as protoconid in height. Talonids of M 1 and M 2 are slightly half the size of trigonids; entoconids and hypoconids distinctly separated from trigonids, lower than metaconid and paraconid. 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 is situated laterally anterior to I 3, and I 2 is partially visible in the lateral view, and crown area of P 2 larger than 2 / 3 that of P 4, Murina medogensis sp. nov. belongs to the “ cyclotis - type ” a character that distinguishes 30 species belonging to the “ suilla - type ”, I 2 is anterior to I 3, I 2 is clearly visible in the lateral view, and the crown area of P 2 is half or less than that of P 4, including M. rubella , M. aurata , M. balaensis , M. beelzebub , M. bicolor , M. chrysochaetes , M. eleryi , M. fanjingshanensis , M. feae , M. fusca , M. gracilis , M. harpioloides , M. hilgendorfi , M. hkakaboraziensis , M. jaintiana , M. jinchui , M. kontumensis , 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 . 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 medogensis sp. nov. can be distinguished from Murina beibengensis sp. nov. by dorsal fur dark grayish overall (vs. orangish-yellow), forearm and wrists without covered sparse hairs (vs. covered with sparse hairs), lambdoid crest well developed (vs. absent), C 1 slightly less than P 4 in height (vs. C 1 taller than P 4), P 2 slightly less than P 4 in height (vs. P 2 equal to P 4), and mandibular foramina clearly visible, situated below P 4 (vs. situated below P 2).

Within the “ cyclotis - type ”, Murina beibengensis sp. nov. different from M. aenea , M. fionae , M. harrisoni , M. huttoni , and M. pluvialis by the forearm length 29.75–31.24 mm (vs. forearm length over 34 mm). By dorsal hairs dark grayish, Murina medogensis sp. nov. can be further distinguished from M. aenea (vs. dark brown), M. fionae (vs. orange), M. harrisoni (vs. orangish brown), M. huttoni (vs. rusty brown), and M. pluvialis (vs. reddish brown).

Murina beibengensis sp. nov. different from M. annamitica , M. cyclotis , M. guilleni , M. peninsularis , and M. recondita by the sagittal crest absence (vs. presence) and dorsal hairs dark grayish (vs. orangish brown or yellowish brown). Murina beibengensis sp. nov. different from M. puta by the forearm length 29.75–31.24 mm (vs. 33.0–39.0 mm), dorsal fur (bicolored, with dark grey at the base and gray-brown tips vs. tricolored, with black at the base, tan in the middle, and reddish tips), and ventral fur silvery-gray (vs. paler). Murina beibengensis sp. nov. different from M. rozendaali by dorsal fur dark grayish (vs. shiny yellowish brown), ventral fur silvery-gray (vs. yellowish white), mesostyles of M 1 and M 2 reduced (vs. well-developed).

Murina medogensis sp. nov. is morphologically similar to M. jaintiana but can be distinctly distinguished from it by combining the following morphological characters: dorsal fur bicolored, dark grey at the base, gradually transitioning to gray-brown / white tips from 2 / 3 from base (vs. dorsal fur has three distinct bands: basal half dark grey, almost black, middle part dirty white, distal end brownish-grey), I 2 equal to I 3 in height (vs. I 2 smaller than I 3), C 1 slightly less than P 4 in height (vs. C 1 taller than P 4), and without distinct prominence at frontal aspect of skull (vs. with distinct prominence at frontal) ( Ruedi et al. 2012).

For M. florium not assigned to “ suilla - type ” and “ cyclotis - type ”, can be distinguished by the combination of the following morphological characters: dorsal fur dark grayish overall (vs. gray-brown to orange rufous brown), absence of notch at the posterior margin of the ear (vs. distinct notch on posterior margin), and P 2 less than P 4 in height (vs. P 2 equal to P 4).

Habitat and ecology.

Currently, this new species is known only from Medog County, Nyingchi City, in the Tibet Autonomous Region, China, where two specimens were captured using a harp-shaped trap in broad-leaved evergreen forests near Medog Town, Medog County, on 16 August 2024, at two locations approximately 8 km apart. The type locality exhibits a subtropical climate, characterized by a mean annual temperature of 16 ° C and mean annual precipitation ranging from 2500 to 3900 mm. The area is also surrounded by various cash crops, such as tea and banana plants. Additionally, species such as Harpiola isodon , Sphaerias blanfordi , Myotis sp. , and Kerivoula kachinensis were also captured in the same region.

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 6. External morphological characteristics of Murina medogensis sp. nov. in living holotype, XZ 2024038. 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 7. Micro-CT reconstruction of the skull of Murina medogensis sp. nov. holotype, XZ 2024038. A. Lateral view; B. Dorsal view; C. Ventral view; D. Frontal view of mandible.

Figure 8. Skull and dentition of the Murina medogensis sp. nov. paratype, XZ 2024006. A. Lateral view; B. Dorsal view; C. Ventral view; D. Frontal view of mandible.

Figure 9. External morphological characteristics of Murina medogensis sp. nov. in living paratype, XZ 2024006. 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.