Bats of Southern and Central Africa

M Corrie Schoeman, Fenton (Woody) Cotterill, Peter John Taylor, Ara Monadjem

Description

This revised edition of the 2010 publication supplements the original account of 116 bat species with eight newly described species and updates the information based on the latest research.

This newly revised edition of Bats of Southern and Central Africa builds on the solid foundation of the first edition and supplements the original account of bat species then known to be found in Southern and Central Africa with an additional eight newly described species, bringing the total to 124.
The chapters on evolution, biogeography, ecology and echolocation have been updated, citing dozens of recently published papers. The book covers the latest systematic and taxonomic studies, ensuring that the names and relationships of bats in this new edition reflect current scientific knowledge.
The species accounts provide descriptions, measurements and diagnostic characters as well as detailed information about the distribution, habitat, roosting habits, foraging ecology and reproduction of each species. The updated species distribution maps are based on 6 100 recorded localities.

A special feature of the 2010 publication was the mode of identification of families, genera and species by way of character matrices rather than the more generally used dichotomous keys. Since then these matrices have been tested in the field and, where necessary, slightly altered for this edition. New photographs fill in gaps and updated sonograms aid with bat identification in acoustic surveys.
The bibliography, which now contains more than 700 entries, will be an invaluable aid to students and scientists wishing to consult original research.

Foreword to the First Edition

Foreword to the Second Edition

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Geographical scope

Classification and taxonomy

Conservation status

Museum Collections
and Pioneering Researchers

Researcher gallery

The value of specimens

Chiroptera collections

Databases and author’s contributions

Bat Biology

Overview

Migration

Torpor and hibernation

Reproduction

Predation

Foraging ecology and associated ecological services

Roosting habits

Foliage-roosting bats

Hollow-roosting bats

Crevice-roosting bats

Specialised roost sites

Biogeography

Geology

Ancient basement rocks

Sedimentary rocks

Rift valleys

Geomorphology

Escarpments

Drainage systems

Climates past and present

Vegetation

Grassland

Savanna

Forest

Echolocation

Echolocation systems

Types of bat echolocation pulses

Ecology of bat echolocation and flight

Recording echolocation calls

Spectrum analysis

Bat detectors

Spectrograms and echolocation

Species Accounts

Suborder Pteropodiformes

Pteropodidae

Hipposideridae

Rhinonycteridae

Rhinolophidae

Megadermatidae

Suborder Vespertilioniformes

Emballonuridae

Nycteridae

Molossidae

Miniopteridae

Cistugidae

Vespertilionidae

Glossary

List of Specimens

References

Sujets

• Zoologie
• Science
• 454 Life Sciences
• Mammal
• Taxonomy
• Zoology
• Biology
• Sciences et techniques
• Mammals
• Life Sciences

Informations

• Publié par: WITS University Press
• Date de parution: 01 octobre 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781776145843
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 15 Mo

Extrait

Bats
OF SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL AFRICA
A BIOGEOGRAPHIC AND TAXONOMIC SYNTHESIS 2ND EDITION
First published in South Africa by:
Wits Universty Press
1 Jan Smuts Avenue
Johannesburg 2001
www.witspress.co.za
Copyright A. Monadjem, P. J. Taylor, F. P. D. Cotterill and M. C. Schoeman 2020
Published edition Wits University Press 2020
Distribution maps A. Monadjem
Echolocation diagrams M. C. Schoeman
Drawings Christeen Grant
Cover image Piotr Naskrecki: Glauconycteris variegatus drinking water
First published 2010
Second edition 2020
http://dx.doi.org.10.18772/22020085829
978-1-77614-582-9 (Hardback)
978-1-77614-583-6 (WebPDF)
978-1-77614-584-3 (EPUB)
978-1-77614-585-0 (Mobi)
Skull photographs were taken by P. J. Taylor unless indicated otherwise. Copyright for these remains with the institution in which the specimens are housed. For a complete list of museum acronyms, see List of Specimens.
Copyright of all other photographs as listed in the captions.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher, except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act, Act 98 of 1978.
Project manager: Tina M ssmer
Copyeditor: Tina M ssmer
Proofreader: Lee Smith
Typeset in 9 point Berkeley
Contents
FOREWORD TO THE FIRST EDITION
FOREWORD TO THE SECOND EDITION
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
INTRODUCTION
Geographical scope
Classification and taxonomy
Conservation Status
MUSEUM COLLECTIONS AND PIONEERING RESEARCHERS
Researcher gallery
The value of specimens
Chiroptera collections
Databases and authors contributions
BAT BIOLOGY
Overview
Migration
Torpor and hibernation
Reproduction
Predation
Foraging ecology and associated ecological services
Roosting habits
Foliage-roosting bats
Hollow-roosting bats
Crevice-roosting bats
Specialised roost sites
BIOGEOGRAPHY
Geology
Ancient basement rocks
Sedimentary rocks
Rift valleys
Geomorphology
Escarpments
Drainage systems
Climates past and present
Vegetation
Grassland
Savanna
Forest
ECHOLOCATION
Echolocation systems
Types of bat echolocation pulses
Ecology of bat echolocation and flight
Recording echolocation calls
Spectrum analysis
Bat detectors
Spectrograms and echolocation
SPECIES ACCOUNTS
Suborder Pteropodiformes
P teropodidae
Pteropodidae
Hipposideridae
Rhinonycteridae
Rhinolophidae
Megadermatidae
Suborder Vespertilioniformes
Emballonuridae
Nycteridae
Molossidae
Miniopteridae
Cistugidae
Vespertilionidae
GLOSSARY
LIST OF SPECIMENS
REFERENCES
Index
FOREWORD TO THE FIRST EDITION
Field and laboratory research on bats over the past decades has revealed numerous aspects about these nocturnal and generally secretive animals that include some rather extraordinary details. This new information, combined with public education, helps to dispel some of the incorrect notions about bats found within different cultural folklores and cinema myths. Ongoing research and new works on regional bat faunas further advance knowledge on these fascinating creatures and their conservation. A few of the many possible examples are presented here.
In certain portions of the world where fruit bats have been locally extirpated – generally associated with human hunting pressures – a reduction can be measured in the ability of forests to redevelop naturally after some form of disturbance, such as cyclones or forest clearing. These animals play a major role in the dissemination of forest tree seeds and habitat regeneration and restoration. Detailed analyses of the faeces of insectivorous bats have revealed that some species consume a large number of mosquitoes and flies, the most important vectors in the transmission of different diseases that afflict humans, such as malaria and dengue. Certain bats can consume up to 500 insects per night and, hence, a colony of 1,000 individuals devours 500,000 insects per night or approaching 200 million per year! In 2006, over 247 million people across the world were afflicted with malaria – a significant proportion on the African continent. The contribution bats make to reduce the number of insects that transmit diseases should not be underestimated, and aid in increasing the number of day roost sites, often a limiting factor in population size, through devices such as artificial bat boxes should be encouraged. Finally, research in the past few years has found that bats play an even greater role in ecosystem functioning than previously realised, reducing levels of herbivorous insects in both temperate and tropical areas, including agricultural settings. Hence, in short, bats are unsung heroes for the different ecological services they provide to our planet and humanity. Declining bat populations may compromise these benefits, and improved information on aspects of their distribution and natural history is critical for advancing their conservation.
Bats of Southern and Central Africa: A Biogeographic and Taxonomic Synthesis contains an extraordinary wealth of information on these animals. It is a synthesis of over a century of research in the southern portion of the continent. The authors, some of the foremost scientists in the study of African bats, have done an exceptional job in making this information available to natural historians, bat enthusiasts and scientists alike. There is vitality and precision to the text that clearly reflects their intimate knowledge of these animals in the field and their detailed studies of specimens in museums around the world. One aspect I found to be exceptional is that the research interests of the different authors are complementary, ranging from animal-specific and inventory field studies, classical and molecular systematics, to biogeography, echolocation, and conservation, further enhancing the contents and importance of this book. The introductory sections provide the needed background on geology and biotic systems in southern Africa to place aspects of bat distribution, ecology, and conservation into context, and the subsequent detailed species accounts provide considerable precise information.
The authors have found several commendable ways of bridging the needs of bat enthusiasts and scientists in the presentation of information. For example, I consider the utilisation of character matrices for identifying bats in the hand as an improvement on the classically used and often complicated system of dichotomous keys. In most cases, external characters are included in these matrices, allowing most species to be identified in the hand. Significantly, the authors are clear about the importance of voucher specimens for advancing knowledge. The range maps provide updated and precise information on the distribution of the different species, and at the same time details on modelling habitat preferences are also given without complicating the presentation. The spectrograms of echolocation calls are an extraordinary addition, which will help to advance studies and knowledge of bat vocalisations.
This is an important book for the region, as well as the world scientific literature, and will certainly be a critical reference for years to come. Knowledge and disseminated information on bats is a critical step in advancing conservation of these animals. The authors, with many decades of combined efforts in unravelling information and details on southern African bats, have produced a very useful book to meet this end and they should be praised for this effort.

Steven M. Goodman
Senior Field Biologist, Field Museum of Natural History (USA) and Conseil scientifique , Association Vahatra (Madagascar)
2010
FOREWORD TO THE SECOND EDITION
In 2010, Ara Monadjem, Peter Taylor, Woody Cotterill and Corrie Schoeman completed the book Bats of Southern and Central Africa , published by Wits University Press. This was a large-scale synthesis of what was known at that time of the chiropteran fauna from the northern boundary of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the southern limit of Tanzania to the southern tip of the continent. The book was a milestone on the bats of the region, bringing together information from field studies, museum specimens held in institutions around the world, and unpublished data from a range of researchers and naturalists. The manuscript went to press in mid-2010 and the book was released in September 2010. Given subsequent field, museum, and laboratory research by the authors and numerous other biologists on African bats, new information was gathered and, as is the nature with this type of synthesis, portions of the 2010 book were out of date – a clear sign of scientific progress.
As an indication of their passion and devotion to advancing science and information available on the bats of southern Africa, the authors have produced a revised edition. The four authors have a combined total of 120 years of fieldwork on African bats. Their knowledge is clearly reflected in this simply superb revised edition. On the basis of new data and taxonomic revisions, 125 species of 11 families are covered in the new version, compared to 116 species and 9 families in the 2010 edition. There are numerous improvements, including expanded and improved identification keys (matrices), additional vocalisation spectrograms, dozens of new images of skulls, photographs of live animals of species not previously illustrated, and up-to-date species distribution range maps.
The regional, national, and international scientific communities interested in Chiroptera are indebted to the authors for their efforts to advance information on the bats of the southern portion of Africa. This new synthesis is a critical step forward in understanding the biology and natural history of bats, important for guiding new field and laboratory stu