Murina rubella Thomas, 1914

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 rubella Thomas, 1914

Figs 15 , 16 , 17 , Table 5 , Suppl. material 2

Chresonymy.

Murina huttoni rubella : Zhang 1997 (Guangxi and Fujian, China); Wang 2003 (Fujian, Jiangxi, and Guangxi, China); Csorba et al. 2007 ( China); Francis and Eger 2012 (Fokien, China); Jiang 2015, 2021 (Fujian, Jiangxi, and Guangxi, China); Zhang et al. 2016 (Jinggangshan National Natural Reserve, Jiangxi, China); Moratelli et al. 2019 (Hunan, Jiangxi, Fujian, Guangdong, and Guangxi, China; Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Peninsular Malaysia). Murina huttoni : Zhou et al. 2011 (Guangdong, China); Jiang 2015, 2021 (Fujian, Jiangxi, and Guangxi, China); Huang et al. 2018 (Huibei, Zhejiang, China); Wei 2022 (Xizang, Hubei, Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Guangxi, China); Wei et al. 2022 ( China); Qin et al. 2023 (Anhui, China); and Liao et al. 2023 (Hunan, China).

Holotype.

BMNH 1908.8 . 11.6., adult male.

Type locality.

Kuatun, Fokien, China (Kuatun, Wuyishan City, Fujian Province, China).

Measurements (in mm) holotype.

FL: 37.50, GTL: 18.2 ( Thomas 1914).

Material examined.

• Four male specimens (XZ 202387, XZ 202399, XZ 2023102, and XZ 2023104) and three female specimens (XZ 2024041, XZ 2023101, and XZ 2023103) were collected from Xiachayu Town , Zayu County, Nyingchi City, Xizang Autonomous Region, China . • One female specimen (GS 20240031, Figu. 15) was collected from Yaodu Town , Wen County, Longnan City, Gansu Province, China .

Etymology.

The specific epithet “ rubella ” comes from the Latin word rubellus, meaning “ slightly reddish ” or “ reddish ”. The common English name “ Fujian Tube-nosed Bat ” and the Chinese name “ Fú Jiàn Guǎn Bí Fú (福建管鼻蝠) ”.

Diagnosis.

Murina rubella can be distinguished from all of the other congeners by the following combination of characters: (1) larger body size, FL 34.24–38.45 mm, GTL 17.08–18.51 mm; (2) dorsal fur tan overall, pale brown at the base, gradually transitioning to dark tan tips from 2 / 3 from base; (3) ventral fur uniformly pale brown overall, black at the base, gray-white at tips; (4) ears narrow and oval, with 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) without off-white circumferential band around the neck; (8) sagittal and lambdoid crests absent; (9) I 2 is situated anterior to I 3 and clearly visible in lateral view, I 2 slightly smaller than I 3 in height; (10) mesostyles of M 1 and M 2 are slightly reduced; (11) C 1 slightly smaller than P 4 in height, crown is about 2 / 3 of P 4; (12) P 2 approximately half of P 4 in height, crown area 2 / 3 that of P 4; (13) C 1 equal to P 4 in height and crown area.

Redescription.

Morphometric data of M. rubella are provided in Table 5 and Suppl. material 2. Medium-size Murina, HB 37.29–48.73 mm, FL 34.24–38.45 mm, EL 16.15–17.68 mm, HFL 7.58–9.49 mm, and BW 4.00–21.00 g. Nostrils tubular, open sideways, and short. Ears slightly large, short, and broadly rounded, 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 tan, similar to rust color (pale brown at the base, gradually transitioning to dark tan tips from 2 / 3 from base). Dorsal hairs extend onto bases of wings, uropatagium, thumbs, forearm, 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 uniformly pale brown overall. Without off-white circumferential band around the neck. Dark reddish-brown around the eyes, muzzle, and lower forehead, and the face is hairy except for the long, protuberant nostrils that are naked. TL 36.53–40.69 mm, slightly shorter than head-body length, tip of the tail extending significantly past the rear edge of the uropatagium, tip slight free. Plagiopatagium attachment point located at 1 / 3 from base of claw to base of toe, near base of claw (Fig. 15 G ).

Skull robust, nearly oval, relatively small, GTL 17.08–18.51 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 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 half of cochlea. Mandible length 11.03–12.49 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 2.

Dental morphology: Dental formula is I 2 / 3, C 1 / 1, P 2 / 2, M 3 / 3 = 34 (Fig. 16 ). 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 M. rubella belongs to the “ suilla - type ”. Maxillary dentition converges slightly anteriorly (RCM = 0.63–0.80). I 2 and I 3 bicuspid, smaller secondary cusp situated posterior to primary cusp; I 2 slightly smaller than I 3 in height, crown area of I 2 2 / 3 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 smaller than P 4 in height, slightly elongated and lacking secondary cusps, crown area 2 / 3 that of P 4. P 2 smaller, delicate and pointed, about half of P 4 and 2 / 3 of C 1 in height, 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 without pointed cusp on anterior inner margin, in contact with I 3 outer cusp. C 1 taller than P 4 and equal in basal area to P 4. P 2 exceeded four-fifths 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 is situated anterior to I 3 and crown area of P 2 approximately half that of P 4 and slightly smaller than C 1, M. rubella belongs to the “ suilla - type ”, a character that distinguishes 14 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 M. rubella and congeners are shown in Suppl. material 5 and Suppl. material 1: fig. S 3.

Murina rubella can be distinguished from M. beibengensis sp. nov. by the dorsal hairs dark tan (vs. orangish-yellow overall), from M. medogensis sp. nov. (vs. dark grayish), from M. yadongensis sp. nov. (vs. brown-gold), M. milinensis sp. nov. (vs. brown-gold), from M. aurata (vs. golden brown with golden tips), from M. balaensis (vs. golden orangish brown, with orange reddish brown tips), from M. harpioloides (vs. orangish brown with orange gold tips), from M. hilgendorfi (vs. silvery brownish gray), from M. jaintiana (vs. medium gray with brownish tinge), from M. jinchui (vs. brownish gray), from M. liboensis (vs. yellowish brown), from M. shuipuensis (vs. golden grayish brown), from M. suilla (vs. orangish brown), from M. tubinaris (vs. light grayish brown), and from M. yushuensis (vs. brown-gold).

Murina rubella can be distinguished from M. chrysochaetes , M. gracilis , M. kontumensis , and M. yuanyang by without off-white circumferential band around the neck (vs. absent). By the ears with smooth convex anterior margins, but without notch on posterior margin, M. rubella can be distinguished from M. beelzebub , M. bicolor , M. eleryi , M. fanjingshanensis , M. hkakaboraziensis , M. leucogaster , and M. rongjiangensis (vs. with distinct notch on posterior margin).

By I 2 less than I 3 in height, M. rubella can be distinguished from M. lorelieae (vs. I 2 higher than I 3), M. ryukyuana (vs. I 2 equal to I 3), and M. florium (vs. I 2 higher than I 3). Murina rubella different from M. walstoni by sagittal and lambdoid crests absent (vs. present) and ventral hairs uniformly pale brown (vs. pure white); from M. tenebrosa and M. florium by ventral hairs uniformly pale brown (vs. paler).

Habitat and ecology.

Specimen GS 2023031 was captured on 23 April 2024, using a harp trap in a mixed coniferous and broadleaf forest located at the border between Longnan City, Gansu Province, and Guangyuan City, Sichuan Province, China. The area, situated in the western part of the Qinling Mountains, is surrounded by small-scale agricultural land and tea plantations. Rich in forest resources, the region has a subtropical, mild, and humid climate, with a multi-year average temperature of 16.5 ° C and an average annual precipitation of approximately 600 mm. Only one specimen was captured during the survey, and no other bats were observed or captured in subsequent surveys. We speculate that the bats in this area may have been in a post-hibernation stage and were not yet active.

Remark.

Murina rubella was described on the basis of specimens from the Guadun, Fujian, China, as a subspecies of M. huttoni and is widely accepted ( Moratelli et al. 2019). Subsequently, M. huttoni has been widely recorded from southern provinces of China, including Xizang, Hubei, Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, and Anhui ( Zhang 1997; Wang 2003; Zhou et al. 2011; Jiang 2015; Huang et al. 2018; Jiang 2021; Liao et al. 2023; Qin et al. 2023; Wei et al. 2025). Recently, mitochondrial markers of the near-type locality of M. h. rubella and M. huttoni were published ( Zhang et al. 2016; Chakravarty et al. 2020), offering the possibility of resolving the phylogenetic relationships of these two species. In our phylogenetic tree reconstructed on the basis of mitochondrial COI, the M. huttoni complex from different regions formed seven clades: Clade i included M. huttoni from the near type locality; Clade ii included the species M. puta ; Clade iii was from central Vietnam; and Clade iv was from southern China (Guangdong, Hunan, Jiangxi), including the near-type locality M. rubella ; Clades v and vi are from Xizang, China; and Clade vii is from China (Hunan), Vietnam, and central Laos. From the results of the mPTP species delimitation, Clades i, ii, and iii-vii are proposed as separate species, with genetic distances between them ranging from 6.2 % to 6.9 %. Based on this evidence, and the validity of M. huttoni and M. puta is recognized, then the proposal to elevate the subspecies M. h. rubella in China to species status should be accepted. For M. huttoni , we speculate that its distribution in China may be limited to the territory of Xizang Autonomous Region, along the Himalaya.

Geographic distribution.

Based on this study, phylogenetic evidence, and previous literature, M. rubella can be definitively recorded as distributed in China (Anhui, Fujian, Guangxi, Guangdong, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Xizang) ( Zhang 1997; Wang 2003; Francis et al. 2010; Zhou et al. 2011; Jiang 2015; Zhang et al. 2016; Huang et al. 2018; Moratelli et al. 2019; Yu et al. 2020; Jiang 2021; Liao et al. 2023; Qin et al. 2023), northern Laos ( Francis et al. 2010; Francis and Eger 2012; Nguyen et al. 2015 b), and Vietnam ( Francis and Eger 2012; Tu et al. 2015; Tu et al. 2016). Although M. huttoni has also been recorded in northern Thailand, northern Myanmar, and Peninsular Malaysia ( Moratelli et al. 2019), the authenticity of these records ( Francis and Eger 2012) requires further evidence due to the lack of available genetic data. The M. huttoni sensu stricto may be confined to the periphery of the Himalayas ( Moratelli et al. 2019).

Figures

Figure 15. External morphological characteristics of the M. rubella in living specimen, GS 2024031. 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 16. Skull and dentition of the M. rubella. A. Lateral view; B. Dorsal view; C. Ventral view; D. Frontal view of mandible.

Figure 17. External morphological characteristics of the M. rubella in living specimen, XZ 2024041. 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.