Miniopterus medius, Thomas & Wroughton, 1909

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Miniopteridae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 674-709 : 694

4.

Intermediate Long-fingered Bat

Miniopterus medius

French: Minioptére intermédiaire / German: MittelgroRe Langflligelfledermaus / Spanish: Miniéptero mediano

Other common names: Intermediate Bent-winged Bat, Medium Bent-winged Bat

Taxonomy. Miniopterus medius Thomas & Wroughton, 1909 ,

“Kalipoetjang, Tji-Tandoei R[iver].,” Java, Indonesia .

Miniopterus medius is not very clearly defined. It was suggested that it was close to M. fuscus . Miniopterus medius is somehow a mixture of all species intermediate in size between australis species complex and. Ee schreibersii complex; however, genetic information available on M. medius indicates that the situation might be as confusing as it is for other forms of Miniopterus . For example, mitochondrial sequences from Laos and Peninsular Malaysia suggest that they represent two different cryptic species. Besides, two available mitochondrial sequences from New Guinea are very different from each other, and one groups with M. tristisand the other closer to M. australis . Monotypic.

Distribution. Thailand, Laos, Peninsular Malaysia, Anamba Is, Borneo, Java, E New Guinea, Bismarck Archipelago, and Buka I.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 42-60 mm, tail 42-6-59 mm, ear 8-6-14-7 mm, hindfoot 8-11 mm, forearm 40-48-2 mm; weight 6-12-1 g. Bicolored dorsal fur of the Intermediate Long-fingered Bat appears gray-brown or medium red-brown externally, with hidden pale gray-brown base. Venter is more clearly bicolored, with hairs being medium gray-brown at bases and mix of red and pale brown frosted tips. A reddish morph might be found due to ammonia effect on pelage as described for large maternity colonies. Fur of the Intermediate Long-fingered Bat is generally paler than on other species of Miniopterus . Ears are short, and tragus is short, blunt, and curved slightly forward. Wing membranes are dark blackish brown.

Habitat. Usually limestone landscapes surrounded by farms, including paddy fields, and different types of forests (e.g. mixed deciduous and deciduous dipterocarp forests, bamboo forests, and montane forests) from sea level up to elevations of ¢. 2600 m ( Papua New Guinea). The Intermediate Long-fingered Bat forages over rivers and streams in forests.

Food and Feeding. The Intermediate Long-fingered Bat is expected to eat mainly soft insects captured in flight as do other long-fingered bats.

Breeding. Females Intermediate Long-fingered Bats from Papua New Guinea, including nulliparous, showed no reproductive activity in March. Two adult females were in early pregnancy in January, but four females caught at the same time and locality were reproductively inactive.

Activity patterns. The Intermediate Long-fingered Bat is nocturnal. It is cave dwelling and also roost in similar places such as tunnels as daytime roosts. It occasionally uses rock crevices as shelters. A torpid individual was observed roosting in an open sandstone crevice,so it is very likely that some individuals use torpor in high-elevation and cold areas to save energy. Echolocation calls have downward FM signals. Mean characteristics in Thailand are start frequency 107-5 kHz, final frequency 68-8 kHz, peak frequency 61-2 kHz, duration 1-7 milliseconds, and interval 50-4 milliseconds.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. In Thailand, a mixed colony of c.10,000 bats was dominated by Intermediate Long-fingered Bats but included species of Hipposideros and Rhinolophus. The Intermediate Long-fingered Bat can be locally abundant in highlands of New Guinea but also in lowlands of New Britain and New Ireland islands. On New Britain,it occurs together with Little Long-fingered Bats ( M. australis ) in a mixed colony of ¢.10,000 individuals in a tunnel.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List.

Bibliography. Bonaccorso (1998), Bonaccorso & Reardon (2008e), Bumrungsri et al. (2006), Corbet & Hill (1992), Francis (2008a), Francis et al. (2010), Furman, Oztunc¢ & Coraman (2010), Hughes et al. (2011), Payne et al. (2007), Phillipps & Phillipps (2016), Soisook et al. (2008), Sramek et al. (2013), Thomas & Wroughton (1909).

Figures

1. Asian Long-fingered Bat (Miniopterus fuliginosus), 2. Large Long-fingered Bat (Miniopterus magnater), 3. Small Long-fingered Bat (Miniopterus pusillus), 4. Intermediate Long-fingered Bat (Miniopterus meduius), 5. Ryukyu Long-fingered Bat (Miniopterus fuscus), 6. Eschscholtz’s Long-fingered Bat (Miniopterus eschscholtzii), 7. Philippine Long-fingered Bat (Miniopterus paululus), 8. Great Long-fingered Bat (Miniopterus tristis), 9. Shortridge’s Long-fingered Bat (Miniopterus shortridgei), 10. Javanese Long-fingered Bat (Miniopterus blepotis), 11. Little Long-fingered Bat (Miniopterus australis), 12. Small Melanesian Long-fingered Bat (Miniopterus macrocneme), 13. Loyalty Long-fingered Bat (Miniopterus robustior), 14. Australian Long-fingered Bat (Miniopterus orianae), 15. Pallid Long-fingered Bat (Miniopterus pallidus), 16. Schreibers’s Long-fingered Bat (Miniopterus schreibersu), 17. Neghrohion Long-fingered Bat (Miniopterus maghrebensis)

Distribution. Thailand , Laos , Peninsular Malaysia , Anamba Is, Borneo, Java, E New Guinea , Bismarck Archipelago , and Buka I.