Murina milinensis Luo, Mao & 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 milinensis Luo, Mao & Zhou sp. nov.

Figs 10 , 11 , 12 , Table 4 , Suppl. material 2

Holotype.

• Adult male, field number XZ 2023010 (Figs 10 , 11 ), collected by Ming-Le Mao, Chang-Ting Lan, Zi-Fa Zhao, and Zhong-Lian Wang on 14 August 2023, from Nanyi Lhoba Township , Milin County, Nyingchi City, Xizang Autonomous Region, China (29.1598922°N, 94.20712670°E; ca. 3020 m. a. s. l.; Fig. 1 ).

Paratypes.

• Eight specimens from the same locality as the holotype. Five males, field numbers XZ 2024066, XZ 2024065, XZ 2024067, XZ 2024074, and XZ 2024075. Three females, field numbers XZ 202384, XZ 2024072, and XZ 2024076. Female XZ 2024102 is from Zari Township , Longzi County, Shannan City, Xizang Autonomous Region, China (28.68318987°N, 93.34190369°E; ca. 3450 m) .

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

HB: 34.68, EL: 12.74, EW: 7.89, TRL: 7.81, TRW: 5.35, HFL: 5.31, FL: 30.02, TIB: 12.75, GTL: 14.07, CCL: 12.01, BCW: 7.03, BCH: 6.49, ZYW: 8.07, MAW: 6.68, IOW: 4.40, CM 3 L: 4.44, C 1 C 1 W: 2.21, M 3 M 3 W: 4.97, RCM: 0.44, CM 3 L: 4.53, ML: 9.06, MDL: 9.46, CPH: 3.20; BW: 3.36.

Etymology.

The specific epithet milinensis refers to the type locality of the new species: Nanyi Lhoba Township, Milin County, Nyingchi City, Xizang Autonomous Region, China. We propose the common English name “ Milin Tube-nosed Bat ” and the Chinese name “ Mǐ Lín Guǎn Bí Fú (米林管鼻蝠) ”.

Diagnosis.

Murina milinensis sp. nov. can be distinguished from all of the other congeners by the following combination of characters: (1) small-size Murina, FL 28.84–34.01 mm, GTL 14.07–14.27 mm; (2) dorsal fur brown-gold overall, black at the base, gradually transitioning to brown-gold tips 2 / 3 from the base; (3) ventral fur pale overall, dark black at the base, with grayish white at the 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) sagittal crest absent, lambdoid crest present and poorly developed; (8) I 2 is situated anterior to I 3 and clearly visible in the lateral view, I 2 equal to I 3 in height; (9) mesostyles of M 1 and M 2 are slightly reduced; (10) C 1 less than P 4 in height, crown is about 2 / 3 of P 4; (11) P 2 approximately half of P 4 in height, crown area of P 2 larger than 2 / 3 that of P 4; (12) C 1 equal to P 4 in height and crown area; (13) mandibular foramina clearly visible, situated below anterior margin of P 4.

Description.

Morphometric data of Murina milinensis sp. nov. are provided in Table 4 and Suppl. material 2. Small-size Murina, HB 29.23–39.29 mm, FL 28.84–34.01 mm, EL 12.48–14.58 mm, HFL 5.31–9.18 mm, and BW 3.15–7.50 g. Nostrils tubular, open sideways, and slightly longer. Ears small, short, and narrow, oval, blunt at tips, with 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 overall (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 are pale overall, bicolored, bicolored, dark black at the base and grayish white at the tips. 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 24.51–30.32 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. 10 F ).

Skull robust, nearly oval, relatively small, GTL 14.07–14.27 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 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 8.77–9.42 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 (Figs 11 , 12 ). In the maxilla, I 2 is situated anterior to I 3, and I 2 clearly visible laterally; crown area of P 2 approximately 1 / 3 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 = 0.44–0.70). I 2 and I 3 bicuspid, smaller secondary cusp situated posterior to primary cusp; I 2 almost equal to I 3 in height, crown area of I 2 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 less than P 4 in height, slightly elongated and lacking secondary cusps, crown area half 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, and 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; 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. C 1 taller than P 2 and P 4 in height, with a basal area larger than P 2 but smaller than P 4. P 2 equal to P 4 in height, and the basal and crown areas are about half of P 4. In lateral view, trigonids of M 1, M 2, and M 3 clearly bicuspid, metaconid, and paraconid approximately 2 / 3 as high as protoconid in height. Talonid of M 1 and M 2 is slightly half the size of 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 milinensis sp. nov. can be distinguished from Murina beibengensis sp. nov. by dorsal fur dark grayish overall (vs. brown-gold), ventral fur black at the base (vs. dark grey at the base), 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 equal to I 3 in height (vs. I 2 taller than I 3), and C 1 slightly less than P 4 in height (vs. C 1 taller than P 4).

Murina milinensis sp. nov. can be distinguished from Murina medogensis sp. nov. by dorsal fur brown-gold (s. dark grayish), ventral fur pale (vs. silvery-gray), 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), and I 2 equal to I 3 in height (vs. I 2 taller than I 3).

Murina milinensis sp. nov. can be distinguished from M. fanjingshanensis , M. fusca , M. hilgendorfi , and M. leucogaster by the small size, forearm length 28.84–34.01 mm, and greatest length of skull 14.07–14.27 mm (vs. forearm length over 37 mm and greatest length of skull over 16 mm in the latter).

Murina milinensis sp. nov. can be distinguished from M. aurata by dorsal fur brown-gold, bicolored, black at the base, gradually transitioning to brown-gold tips from 2 / 3 from base (vs. golden brown), from M. balaensis (vs. orange-reddish), from M. eleryi (vs. coppery brown), from M. feae (vs. dark grayish), from M. jaintiana (vs. medium gray with brownish tinge), from M. jinchui (vs. brownish gray), from M. liboensis (vs. yellowish brown), from M. lorelieae (vs. reddish brown), from M. walstoni (vs. brownish gray), from M. walstoni (vs. warm brown, whitish at the base, orangish brown at tips), and from M. yuanyang (vs. bark gold). M. milinensis sp. nov. can be further distinguished from M. bicolor by ventral fur is pale overall, bicolored, dark at the base, pale at tips (vs. uniformly yellow), from M. rongjiangensis (vs. bright yellowish orange), and from M. shuipuensis (vs. bright orange yellow).

Murina milinensis sp. nov. can be distinguished from M. beelzebub , M. gracilis , M. harpioloides , M. hkakaboraziensis , M. kontumensis , and M. suilla by the ears without smooth convex anterior margins and no notch on posterior margin (vs. with smoothly convex anterior margins, distinct notch on posterior margin); from M. chrysochaetes , M. ryukyuana , M. tenebrosa , M. ussuriensis , and M. yushuensis (vs. with smoothly convex anterior margins). By lambdoid crest absent and I 2 equal to I 3 in height, Murina milinensis sp. nov. can be further distinguished from M. rubella and M. chrysochaetes (vs. present, I 2 less than I 3); from M. rongjiangensis (vs. present, I 2 taller than I 3), and M. yushuensis (vs. present). Murina milinensis sp. nov. can be distinguished from M. bicolor by sagittal crest absent (vs. present), C 1 slightly less than P 4 in height (vs. C 1 taller than P 4), P 2 less than P 4 in height (vs. P 2 taller than P 4), and C 1 taller than P 4 in height (vs. C 1 equal to P 4).

Murina milinensis sp. nov. can be distinguished from M. tubinaris by dorsal hairs brown-gold (vs. light gray), P 2 less than P 4 in height (vs. P 2 taller than P 4), ears without smooth convex anterior margins and no notch on posterior margin (vs. with smoothly convex anterior margins and small notch on posterior margins), and basal area of P 2 is larger than one-half that of P 4 (vs. less than one-half that of P 4).

For M. florium not assigned to “ suilla - type ” and “ cyclotis - type ”, can be distinguished by the combination of the following morphological characters: absence of notch at the posterior margin of the ear (vs. distinct notch on posterior margin), I 2 almost equal to I 3 in height (vs. I 2 taller than I 3), and P 2 slightly less than P 4 in height and crown area (vs. equally).

Habitat and ecology.

Currently, this new species is known only from two areas in the Xizang Autonomous Region, China. The type specimen was captured using a harp trap in a water channel near Nanyi Lhoba Township, Miling County, Nyingchi City, on 14 August 2023. A single additional specimen of the same species (Specimen No. XZ 2023084) was also captured at the same site. The water channel was approximately 4 m wide and 3 m deep, with a shallow flow of water (approximately 25 cm deep). Dense thickets grew along both sides of the channel. Nanyi Lhoba Township, situated at an elevation of about 3020 m, experiences a plateau temperate semi-humid monsoon climate, with an average annual temperature of approximately 9.3 ° C and an annual rainfall of around 600 mm. The collection site is located in a river valley, surrounded by mixed coniferous and broadleaf forests as well as agricultural land, where wheat, highland barley, and oilseed rape are the primary crops. In August of the following year, we captured seven specimens of the same species at the same site. Additionally, the presence of Myotis sp. was recorded in this area.

Another distribution site is located in the mixed coniferous and broadleaf forest near Zari Township, Longzi County, Shannan City, where one specimen was captured using a harp-shaped trap. This site has a plateau temperate continental monsoon climate, with an average annual temperature of 10.3 ° C and annual precipitation ranging from 350 to 550 mm. The collection site is also situated in a river valley with dense vegetation. In the vicinity, we recorded Rhinolophus sp. and Myotis sp.

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 10. External morphological characteristics of Murina milinensis sp. nov. in living holotype, XZ 2023010. 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. These photographs were acquired under incandescent lighting conditions using a Canon EOS 6 D Mark II camera ISO: 6400; focal length: 105 mm at approximately 22: 41 on 5 August 2023.

Figure 11. Micro-CT graph of the skull of Murina milinensis sp. nov. paratype, XZ 2024066. A. Lateral view; B. Dorsal view; C. Ventral view; D. Frontal view of mandible.

Figure 12. Skull and dentition of the Murina milinensis sp. nov. holotype, XZ 2023010. A. Lateral view; B. Dorsal view; C. Ventral view; D. Frontal view of mandible.