The bats of the Congo and of Rwanda and Burundi revisited (Mammalia: Chiroptera)

Abstract

Abstract. In 1966, Robert William Hayman, Xavier Misonne and Walter Verheyen published their listing of the Congolese, Rwandan and Burundian bat specimens in the collections in the museums of Tervuren, Brussels, Geneva, London and New York. In the fifty years that have passed since, some major changes have been introduced in the taxonomy of the Chiroptera: new species have been discovered, species have been split off, species have been moved to other genera, and additional material has been collected. We re-evaluated the data presented by Hayman et al., and supplemented this with specimen records found in the literature and in online catalogs. This resulted in 136 species, represented by 20 231 specimens (compared to 113 species and 8567 specimens originally). When available, we also recorded additional information such as locality, sex and age, collector, collection date and preservation type of the voucher specimen. The distribution maps of the Congolese taxa are revised to represent the current taxonomy, and are presented in perspective against the taxon's Species Distribution Model to assess species distribution on the African continent. Additionally, an updated key to the various taxa is presented.

Longitudinal Survey of Coronavirus Circulation and Diversity in Insectivorous Bat Colonies in Zimbabwe

“…Moreover, it is possible that this virus was acquired by this bat through contact with a Triaenops bat species from another site. Nonetheless, only one Triaenops bat species has been recorded in this region, Triaenops afer, which seems to be marginally present in the Eastern region of Zimbabwe [47], thus suggesting that another bat species could also be a carrier of this CoV strain in Zimbabwe. Within the Decacovirus sub-genus, we observed two different subclades corresponding to the two sites with the majority of Rhinolophus bat species as carriers of this virus.…”

Paramyxo- and Coronaviruses in Rwandan Bats

“…Bats were placed in individual cotton bags before processing. Bats were morphologically identified [38] and data including sex, reproductive status, forearm length and weight were also recorded. Samples collected from bats included fecal and oral swabs, wing biopsies in 70% ethanol and blood (serum) for use in viral surveillance studies.…”

Lagos Bat Virus, an Under-Reported Rabies-Related Lyssavirus

“…The first and only detection of LBV in Micropterus pusillus (current taxonomic status: Epomophorus pusillus [23]) occurred in 1974 from Bozo, Central African Republic. The virus was detected in the brain, heart and spleen [24].…”

“…Therefore, brain material is the most reliable sample for virus detection, and positive detection is associated with clinical signs. Bats are considered the primary hosts for lyssaviruses [5,6], with 13 extant families and an estimated 58 genera and 339 species reported in Africa [23,35], representing more than 20% of global bat diversity. Very few studies on lyssavirus surveillance for nucleic acid detection in Africa (Table S1) have been published.…”