Aselliscus stoliczkanus

19.

Stoliczka’s Trident Bat

Aselliscus stoliczkanus

French: Phyllorhine de Stoliczka / German: Stoliczka-Dreizackblattnase / Spanish: Aseliseo de Stoliczka

Other common names: Stoliczka's Asian Trident Bat

Taxonomy. Asellia stoliczkana Dobson, 1871,

Penang Island, Malaysia.

It is suspected that this could be a species complex: further genetic and morphological research is needed. Taxa trifidus and wheeleri are here treated as synonyms. Monotypic.

Distribution. From NE Myanmar and S China S to S Thailand, C Laos, and C Vietnam; also on Penang and Tioman Is.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 40-50 mm, tail 33-44 mm, ear 10—13 mm, hindfoot 9—10 mm, forearm 39-45-6 mm; weight 6-9 g. As in its sister species, Temminck’s Trident Bat (A. tricuspidatus), Stoliczka’s Trident Bat has a tridentate noseleaf margin in posterior leaf. Intermediate point of trident is separated from lateral ones by large grooves. Stoliczka’s Trident Bat has slightly shorter forearm and tail than Temminck’s Trident Bat. Pelage is reddish brown on dorsum and grayish or white-gray in ventral part.Juveniles can be darker than adults. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 30 and FN = 56.

Habitat. Stoliczka’s Trident Bat occurs at low densities in limestone areas, often roosting in smaller caves than other bat species, with high levels of humidity to maintain water balance. It has been reported not only in primary forest, but also in agricultural lands and other human-degraded habitats.

Food and Feeding. Stoliczka’s Trident Bat forages both in cluttered microhabitats and strongly disturbed areas. Its diet is based predominantly on insects, especially lepidopterans, hemipterans, beetles, and odonates, varying depending on the seasonal availability of prey. Its flight is slow, allowing a high capacity of maneuver, especially when hunting in closed environments. Due to its small size, predation by other bat species might occur.

Breeding. Reproductive females have been captured in May-June in Laos and Vietnam.

Activity patterns. During winter, Stoliczka’s Trident Bat hibernates in longer caves, which provide more stable microclimates with relatively low temperatures. Echolocation call frequency is c.120-125 kHz.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Stoliczka’s Trident Bats have been observed roosting in groups of 10—20 individuals, and sometimes separated from each other by few centimeters. They can share roosts with other bat species in larger caves as compared with single-species caves.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Population size and trends of Stoliczka’s Trident Bat are still unknown, but population is probably not greatly fragmented and it is not declining markedly. Despite its generally low densities, this species can be locally common; it is present in several protected areas. There are no major threats for this species, but habitat destruction due to limestone mining and disturbance of roosts by tourism are increasingly affecting these animals.

Bibliography. Bates, Bumrungsri, Francis, Csorba & Furey (2008), Bogdanowicz & Owen (1998), Li Gang et al. (2007), Tu Vuong Tan, Csorba et al. (2015), Zhang Zongxiao et al. (2016).