A new Pipistrelle bat from the oceanic Island of Príncipe (Western Central Africa)

Abstract

We describe a population of pipistrelle-like bats from Príncipe Island (Gulf of Guinea, Western Central Africa) as a new species based on the molecular and morphological characteristics of six specimens collected more than 30 years ago. The description of this new species was not possible until the traditionally entangled systematics of the whole pipistrelle group was clarified in recent years with the inclusion of molecular techniques and adequate species sampling. In this new taxonomic framework, the new species was clearly included within the dark-winged group of the recently described genus Pseudoromicia. The pipistrelles from Príncipe Island present a moderately inflated skull in lateral view with inner upper incisors that are moderately bicuspids and a baculum distinctly long with expanded tips. Besides these morphological characters, the new bat species is distinguished by its dwarfism, being the smallest species recognized within the genus. The ecology and conservation status of this endemic island species are unknown and field studies are urgently needed to evaluate the situation and conservation threats to this new species in its natural habitat.

Karyotype Comparison of Five African Vespertilionini Species with Comments on Phylogenetic Relationships and Proposal of a New Subtribe

“…Currently, the genus Pseudoromicia comprises ten species, of which seven have been described since 2013 (for overview see Grunwald et al ., 2023; Juste et al ., 2023). However, chromosomal data are known from only three Pseudoromicia species so far (Table 4).…”

“…Later, the subgenus Neoromicia was raised to generic rank (Volleth et al, 2001;Kearney et al, 2002). Since morphological criteria for distinguishing species are rare and difficult to assess, the description of new taxa is now largely based on molecular genetic characters, as for instance sequence differences in the cytochrome b gene (Monadjem et al, 2021a(Monadjem et al, , 2021bGrunwald et al, 2023;Juste et al, 2023).…”

Unveiling the Potential Distribution of the Highly Threatened Madeira Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus maderensis): Do Different Evolutionary Significant Units Exist?

“…The decline of non-pteropodid bats on islands has received far less attention. These species are often endemic (e.g., [40]) or confined to one or a few islands (e.g., [41]), and their populations are typically small [23]. Similar to insular flying foxes, these bats too likely play a critical role in maintaining the balance of island ecosystems, especially by feeding on insect pests and other invertebrates.…”

“…Significant events like the disappearance of the Christmas Island pipistrelle have captured the attention of researchers worldwide, leading to a focus on insular bats [20,40,[48][49][50][51]. This attention has spurred numerous studies on the genetic diversity of pipistrelle complexes in the Mediterranean and Macaronesia, particularly among widespread pipistrelle species like Pipistrellus pipistrellus and Pipistrellus kuhlii [48,[52][53][54][55][56].…”