Intermediate Long-fingered Bat (Miniopterus medius)
Description:
HB: 50-56; T: 45-49; FA: 41-44; HF: 8-10; E: 11-12;W: 8-11gm
Very similar to M. schreibersi but with a shorter forearm. There are 2 colour phases, with upperparts dark reddish brown or black, with or without irregular patches of dark rusty read. The skull closely resembles that of M. schreibersi but is narrower in palate and braincase.
Range Description:
This species ranges from Southern Thailand and the
Malay Peninsula, to Java, with scattered localities on the islands of Borneo and
New Guinea (Papua New Guinea only), as far east as Buka Island, Papua New
Guinea. It is perhaps also present in the Solomon Islands. On Borneo, there are
three records from Sabah (Tepadong caves, Batu pute and Kinabatangan Wildlife
Sanctuary; Lackman-Ancrenaz and Ancrenaz 1997), and at least two records from
Kalimantan - Betung Kerihun National Park (Soedjito 1999) and from Gunung Niut
Nature Reserve, West Kalimantan (Simons 1987). On Java, it has been recorded
from the Cibodas Botanical Gardens, Mount Gede Pangrango National Park. It has
been recorded from sea level to 2,600 m. However, these data are unclear, given
identification problems (T. Reardon pers. comm.).
Countries: Native:
Indonesia (Jawa, Kalimantan, Sulawesi); Malaysia; Thailand
Population.
It is locally abundant in the highlands of the western
half of Papua New Guinea, and in lowland areas with caves on the islands of New
Britain and New Ireland (Bonaccorso 1998) However, these data are unclear, given
identification problems (T. Reardon pers. comm.).
Population Trend: Unknown
Habitat and Ecology:
This species roosts in limestone caves, tunnels, and rock
crevices. It is frequently found as tightly packed groups in clusters of mixed
bat species. Bonaccorso (1998) mentions a mixed colony of 10,000 bats,
containing this species, on the island of New Britain. It is an aerial
insectivore that forages in lowland tropical dipterocarp forest. One of the five
adult females captured at the Ulatawa Plantation in January 1997 was in early
term pregnancy (Bonaccorso 1998). However, these data are unclear, given
identification problems (T. Reardon pers. comm.).
Systems: Terrestrial
Major Threat(s):
There appear to be no major threats to this species. Limestone
extraction and human disturbance of roosting caves may adversely affect the
species in some areas.
Conservation Actions:
This species has been recorded from a number of protected areas. The urgent priority for this species is to resolve Miniopterus taxonomy and identification in order to understand the distribution, abundance, habitat requirements, ecology, and threats to it.