Pipistrellus collinus Thomas 1920

43.

Greater Papuan Pipistrelle

Pipistrellus collinus

French: Pipistrelle des montagnes / German: GroRRe Papua-Zwergfledermaus / Spanish: Pipistrela grande de Papua

Other common names: Mountain Pipistrelle

Taxonomy. Pipistrellus papuanus collinus Thomas, 1920,

“Bihagi, head of Mambare River, British Papua [= Papua New Guineal.”

Pipistrellus collinus and all other Papuan and Australian Pipistrellus species have been included under ' P tenuis but are considered distinct species here based on morphology. Monotypic.

Distribution. Central Cordillera of New Guinea and Goodenough I.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 34-8-53 mm,tail 30-45-2 mm, ear 7-5-13 mm, hindfoot 6-5—-10 mm, forearm 34-38-5 mm; weight 4-3-8-5 g. The Greater Papuan Pipistrelle is the largest Pipistrellus in New Guinea. It is apparently sexually dimorphic according to T. F. Flannery in 1995, with males being more drab brown and females more reddish or gold-tinged. Pelage is long. Dorsum varies from drab medium brown to reddish; venter is considerably lighter and buffy. Face, ears, and membranes are medium brown, and uropatagium has sparse buffy brown hairs along venation. Ears are subtriangular, with broadly rounded tips and convex anterior edges; tragus is elongated, with curved tip. Uropatagium stretches nearly to end of tail (only extreme tip is free), and postcalcarial lobe is elongated. Baculum is long with pronounced ventral notch, has narrow shaft, and is flattened dorsally and bifurcated at tip (making up 10% of length). Skull is large and similar to that of the New Guinea Pipistrelle (P. angulatus) in overall shape and tooth morphology butis larger in all other characteristics; sagittal crest is absent; lambdoidal crest is moderately developed laterally but absent at apex of skull; I? is high, and I’ is higher than second cusp of I*; I? is bicuspid, and I” is unicuspid; P* is one-third the height of P*; and lower molars are nyctalodont.

Habitat. Tropical hill forests, mid-montane forests, and rural gardens at 700-2900 m.

Food and Feeding. The Greater Papuan Pipistrelle is insectivorous.

Breeding. Two lactating Greater Papuan Pipistrelles were collected in June and nonreproductive females in March.

Activity patterns. Greater Papuan Pipistrelles are nocturnal. It has been reported roosting in hollow trees (Pandanus, Pandanaceae). Search-call shape is FM/QCEF, with characteristic frequency of 40 kHz; upsweep of call is between 10 kHz and 30 kHz.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Most recorded roosts of Greater Papuan Pipistrelles consist of a single individual (solitary males), and one roost had an adult male and eleven adult females, suggesting harem-like social and reproductive systems.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Very little is currently known about ecology of the Greater Papuan Pipistrelle. It is reportedly locally common. It does seem to face any major threats, and much of its habitat is intact.

Bibliography. Bonaccorso (1998), Flannery (1995b), Hill & Harrison (1987), Hutson, Schlitter, Csorba & Bonaccorso (2008), Kitchener et al. (1986), Robson et al. (2012).