In news– Scientists have recently discovered a new species of bamboo-dwelling bat in Ri Bhoi district of Meghalaya.
About the new species-
- It was found near the forested patch of Nongkhyllem Wildlife Sanctuary and named Glischropus meghalayanus.
- The present discovery is the first report of a thick-thumbed bat not only from India but also from South Asia.
- Thick-thumbed bats of the genus Glischropus are currently composed of four recognised species from Southeast Asia.
- The newly discovered species is small in size and has a dark brown colour with sulphur yellow belly.
- The discovery extends the known distribution range of the genus westward into South Asia by (approximately) 1,000 km.
- Morphological examination of these specimens and comparison with all known species in this genus revealed marked differences in colouration, dental characters and bacular traits.
- From the same forested patches outside Nongkhyllem Wildlife Sanctuary, they have found another species of disk-footed bat Eudiscopus denticulus which was a new record in India.
- Bamboo-dwelling bats are a particular kind of bats living in the internodes of bamboos with specialised morphological characters that help them to adopt to the life inside a bamboo.
- With this new discovery, the total number of bat species known from India stands at 131.
- Meghalaya harbours the highest bat diversity in the country with 67 species, which is about 51% of total bat species in the country.
- The unique caves in the northeastern State provided roosting opportunities for a large number of bats.
- The most common cave-dwelling bats species being Horseshoe bat and Leaf-nosed bats.
Source: The Hindu
