Until recently, the taxon Murina cyclotis was considered to be a widespread species, albeit one that exhibited considerable individual, sexual and geographical variation. Subsequently however, it was recognised that this taxon was in fact a complex of species. As such, in 2012, two larger forms were recognised as separate and distinct species, namely: M. peninsularis in the Sunda region and M. fionae in Laos and Vietnam. In the current paper, a new cryptic species of the cyclotis-complex is described from peninsular Thailand based on a combination of external, craniodental and genetic differences. In addition, the population previously referred to M. cyclotis from the Nicobar Islands is described as a new subspecies of this new species. Despite this work and the research of others, the taxonomy of M. cyclotis still requires further study. The description of M. peninsularis is emended and the extensive variation in its morphological characters is addressed. The diagnostic characters of each taxon, as well as the additional data on ecology, zoogeography, distribution, echolocation and genetics, where available, are summarised and discussed.
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1 December 2013
A Review of the Murina cyclotis Complex (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) with Descriptions of a New Species and Subspecies
Pipat SoisooK,
Sunate Karapan,
Chutamas Satasook,
Vu Dinh Thong,
Faisal Ali Anwarali Khan,
Ibnu Maryanto,
Gabor Csorba,
Neil Furey,
Bandana Aul,
Paul J. J. Bates
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Acta Chiropterologica
Vol. 15 • No. 2
December 2013
Vol. 15 • No. 2
December 2013
cryptic species
DNA barcode
Southeast Asia
taxonomy
Thailand
tube-nosed bat
zoogeography
