Parahypsugo happoldorum, Hutterer & Decher & Monadjem & Astrin, 2019

Hutterer, Rainer, Decher, Jan, Monadjem, Ara & Astrin, Jonas, 2019, A new genus and species of vesper bat from West Africa, with notes on Hypsugo, Neoromicia, and Pipistrellus (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae), Acta Chiropterologica 21 (1), pp. 1-22 : 9-15

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.3161/15081109ACC2019.21.1.001
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3808653
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03DA8793-FF99-F201-52CA-B2AF0102DC52
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Parahypsugo happoldorum
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Parahypsugo happoldorum View in CoL sp. nov.

Happolds’ pipistrelle

Neoromicia View in CoL sp. 1: Monadjem et al., 2013: 194, 196, 199, 200, 205.

Hypsugo View in CoL sp.: Decher et al., 2016: 266; Monadjem et al., 2016: 369.

Holotype

ZFMK-MAM-2009.0029 , field number JD 700, collected by Jan Decher, Blaise Kadjo and Juliane Schaer on 12 December 2008. Adult male preserved in 70% ethanol, skull extracted. Frozen tissue and DNA preserved (ZFMK-TIS-4547, -4548, and -25937; ZFMK-DNA-0100417629); COI and Cyt-b sequences deposited in GenBank (accessions KT598198 View Materials and MK188525 View Materials ).

Type locality

Guinea, Préfécture Macenta , Simandou Mountains, Western Spur Valley, 08°33‘26.44”N, 08°55‘ 16.50”W, ca. 737 m a.s.l., in net placed across a fastflowing creek in a ravine in submontane forest GoogleMaps .

Paratype

ZFMK-MAM-2008.0295, ♀, with two embryos preserved ( Guinea, Préfécture Macenta, Foko Confluence, 8 March 2008) (ZFMK-TIS-25935; ZFMK-DNA-0100417627).

Referred specimens

ZFMK-MAM-2008.0296 ( ZFMK-TIS-4549 , -25936 ; ZFMK-DNA-0100417628 ), ♀ ( Guinea, 2.3 km E Tourela , 14 March 2008) ; ZFMK-MAM- 2009.0032 (ZFMK-TIS-4550, -4551, -5938; ZFMK- DNA-0100417630), ♀ ( Guinea, gallery forest on the Canga-Moribadou Road , 18 December 2008) ; DM 13225 ( Liberia, Mount Nimba, submontane forest, 26 December 2011) ; reported as Neoromicia sp. 1 by Monadjem et al. (2013) who suggested that it may refer to an undescribed new species; COI sequence GenBank accession: JX508832 View Materials . All preserved in alcohol and skulls extracted .

Diagnosis

Largest species of Parahypsugo ( Tables 4 and 5), as defined above. Total length 92–97 mm, tail length 28–37 mm, forearm 34.6–36.5 mm, ear length 9–12 mm, body mass 7.3–9.5 g ( Table 4). Free tail tip 1.2 to 1.9 mm long ( Table 1; longer in Hypsugo , shorter in Pipistrellus ). Thumb long ( Fig. 8 View FIG ). Length of penis 6.4 mm, baculum 4.4 mm, thumb 7.2 mm, tragus 4.0 mm ( Table 2). Greatest length of skull 14.96 mm, length of C–M 3 15.20 mm ( Table 5).

Etymology

We are pleased to dedicate this new bat to Meredith and David Happold (Canberra, Australia) ( Fig. 9 View FIG ) in recognition of their studies on African bats, and particularly of their monumental work for the Mammals of Africa volume IV on hedgehogs, shrews, and bats ( Happold and Happold, 2013). As a vernacular name we propose ‘Happolds’ Pipistrelle’.

Description and comparison

Parahypsugo happoldorum gen. nov., sp. nov. is the largest species currently recognized in the genus, with a total length of 90–97 mm. The tail length (28–37 mm), however, is longer in P. eisentrauti (36–40 mm), while forearm (34.6–36.5 mm) and body mass (7.3–9.5 g) are larger in P. happoldorum than in the other three species ( Table 4). The short free tail tip measures 1.2–1.9 mm, and is shorter than in most Hypsugo species (1.5–5.5 mm — Table 1).

Specimens from Guinea and the Nimba specimen are unicolored and medium brown on the dorsal and ventral surfaces. Dorsal hairs are 5 mm long on back and 3 mm at venter. Thumb, pad and lip are paler ( Figs. 8 View FIG and 10 View FIG ).

Parahypsugo happoldorum has a broad and simply built rhinarium ( Fig. 2 View FIG ), and the face bears two round glandular areas surrounded by longer hairs which are missing in P. bellieri ( Fig. 10 View FIG ). Ear length is 10 mm in the holotype (9–12 mm, n = 4), and its tip is rounded; the inner ear conch bears 3 folds. The tragus ( Fig. 8 View FIG ) of the holotype is 4.0 mm long ( Table 2) and represents 40% of the ear length. The thumb of the holotype is 7.2 mm long ( Table 2 and Fig. 8 View FIG ), the longest in the genus. The forearm of the holotype is 35.8 mm long in P. happoldorum , slightly smaller but overlapping in P. eisentrauti , but significantly shorter in P. bellieri and P. crassulus ( Table 4). The penis of the holotype specimen is 6.4 mm long and covered by short whitish hairs ( Fig. 3 View FIG left); the proximal part is bent and not visible from the outside. A digital x-ray of its baculum measures 4.0 mm which is straight with a larger structure on its basal part and a slightly curved cross-section ( Fig. 3 View FIG middle). The bacula of P. eisentrauti and P. bellieri are much shorter ( Table 2), while the baculum of P. crassulus ( Heller et al., 1994; Bates et al., 2013) is only slightly shorter.

The cranium of P. happoldorum is illustrated in Figs. 4 View FIG and 11 View FIG . The species is distinguished from other species ( Fig. 12 View FIG ) by larger cranial and dental measurements, particularly in the greatest skull

the eye. Photographs by J. Decher

length and the upper and lower molar rows ( Table 5). The dorsal profile is relatively flat (slightly more rounded in P. eisentrauti and P. bellieri ). The large skull in P. happoldorum is mainly due to a different anterior design of the skull ( Fig. 12 View FIG ). The rostrum is smooth and shows no traces of pits (as in Hypsugo sensu stricto — Table 6). The zygomatic arches are wide and extend posteriorly ( Figs. 4 View FIG and 11 View FIG ).

The I 1 has a second cusp, which is shorter than the first ( P. happoldorum ) or almost equal in length ( P. eisentrauti , P. bellieri ). The second upper incisor is small, about half the length of the first, and bears traces of a second cusp ( Fig. 6 View FIG ). In Hypsugo , Neoromicia and Pipistrellus , the I 2 almost never bears traces of a second cusp ( Fig. 6 View FIG ). Furthermore, P 1 is absent in the few P. happoldorum specimens that have been examined to date, but is present in all other species of the genus ( Fig. 7 View FIG ). The upper molars are widest in P. happoldorum , and this is also true for P 2.

Discussion

Based on our molecular analyses, Parahypsugo happoldorum is split into two clusters ( Fig. 1 View FIG ; p -distances of up to 6.7% in COI and up to 5.6% in Cyt-b) but we are unable to recognize reliable morphological characters, and we therefore refrain from describing a further new species. However, cryptic species may occur within this new species which is a topic for future studies.

Specimen ZFMK-MAM-2009.0032, the only specimen caught in gallery forest on the more arid eastern side of the Simandou Ridge, is lighter on the belly, but the other specimens are brown. Cranially, the four species are quite similar. Differences are mainly due to the length of the rostrum ( Fig. 9 View FIG ).

Other species in the genus

Currently we recognize three further species in the new genus, based on genetics ( Fig. 1 View FIG ) and morphology ( Figs. 7 View FIG and 9 View FIG ). However, we expect that further new species will be described in the future, particularly from the central and eastern parts of its range (see below).