Pipistrellus javanicus

36.

Javan Pipistrelle

Pipistrellus javanicus

French: Pipistrelle de Java / German: Java-Zwergfledermaus / Spanish: Pipistrela de Java

Other common names: Java Pipistrelle

Taxonomy. Scotophilus javanicus J. E. Gray, 1838,

Java, Indonesia.

Pipustrellus javanicus has included P. abramus as a subspecies, but they are now regarded as distinct species based on morphology. Piprstrellus javanicus was previously known as P. tralatitius, which is regarded as a nomen dubium (dubious name). Populations in the Philippines might represent two or more cryptic species, indicated by clear separation between large and small variants across the islands. There might be a number of species currently recognized under P. javanicus throughoutits distribution. Subspecies camortae, babu, and peguensis have been considered distinct species, but they are considered subspecies of P.javanicus here based on morphology. Specimens previously attributed to P. javanicus from Afghanistan are now considered to have been misidentified P. coromandra. Five subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

P.j.javanicusJ.E.Gray,1838—PeninsularMalaysia,Singapore,Sumatra,Bangka,Borneo,Java,Sulawesi,Flores,Timor,andKarakelong;possiblyalsototheAruIs.

P.j.babuThomas,1915—NPakistan(KhyberPakhtunkhwaandPunjab),NIndia(HimachalPradesh,Uttarakhand,MadhyaPradesh,Maharashtra,Sikkim,WestBengal,Assam,Meghalaya,Nagaland,andManipur),extremeSWCinna(Tibet[=Xizang]),Nepal,Bhutan,andBangladesh.

P.j.camortaeG.S.Miller,1902—AndamanandNicobarIs.

P.j.meyeniWaterhouse,1845—Philippines(Luzon,Mindoro,Sibuyan,Negros,Panay,Camiguin,Mindanao,Palawan,andReinardIs).

P. j. peguensis Sinha, 1969 — Myanmar, SC China (Yunnan), Thailand, Laos, Vietnam (including Cat Ba and Cu Lao Cham Is), and Cambodia.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 40-55 mm, tail 26-40 mm, ear 5-15 mm, hindfoot 3-10 mm, forearm 29-3-37 mm; weight 4-1-8 g. Dorsal pelage of the Javan Pipistrelle ranges from chestnut to dark brown, with pale brown hairs frosted throughout (might be sexually dimorphic with males dark or medium brown and females chestnut); ventral pelage is more buffy brown or paler brown than dorsum, with black bases to hairs. Muzzle is broad and appears swollen; head is flat, with no noticeable forehead. Ears, face, and membranes are brown. Ears are short and subtriangular, with broadly rounded tips; tragus is only slightly curved, with rounded tip, gradually narrowing along terminal one-half. Uropatagium extends from calcar to nearly tail tip; only extreme tip is free. Penis is moderately long (more than 6 mm). Baculum (5-1-5-8 mm long) 1s bilobated at base, with thin shaft and bifurcated tip. Skull is relatively large; braincase is more domed than in the Indian Pipistrelle (P. coromandra); zygomatic arches are thin and lack processes; I?is bicuspid, and I’ is unicuspid and subequal in height to second cusp of 1%; C! usually has secondary cusp; P? is subequal in crown area to I® and is variably nearly within tooth row or extruded inward; and lower molars are nyctalodont. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 38 and FN = 48 (Mount Isarog, Philippines) or 2n = 34 and FN = 46 (Malaysia).

Habitat. Primary and secondary forests including mossy and montane forests, agricultural areas, plantations, and urban areas from sea level up to elevations of ¢. 2380 m.

Food and Feeding. Javan Pipistrelles are insectivorous. Stomach samples in the Philippines contained limbs and wings of digested insects and unidentified yellow flesh.

Breeding. Litter size is 1-2 young. There might be three breeding seasons each year.

Activity patterns. The Javan Pipistrelle is nocturnal. It has been recorded roosting in tree ferns, fallen logs, and caves and on buildings. Search-call shape is FM/QCF. In Laguna Province, Luzon Island, northern Philippines, mean call frequencies were 43.7 kHz (large form) and 41-9 kHz (small form).

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Colonies contain 5-6 individuals. In Valencia City, Mindanao Island, southern Philippines, Javan Pipistrelles roosted with the Yellow-faced Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus virgo) and the Diadem Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros diadema).

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Javan Pipistrelle is widespread and common throughoutits distribution. It might be locally threatened by habitat destruction, butit seems to be relatively tolerant of human disturbance and is commonly recorded in plantations and urban areas.

Bibliography. Bates & Harrison (1997), Bates et al. (2005), Benda & Gaisler (2015), Chan et al. (2009), Corbet & Hill (1992), Das (1990, 2003), Flannery (1995a), Francis (2008a), Francis, Rosell-Ambal, Tabaranza, Heaney et al. (2008), Furey, Mackie & Racey (2011), Furey, Phauk et al. (2012), Heaney, Balete, Dolar et al. (1998), Heaney, Balete & Rickart (2016), Heaney, Balete, Rickart, Utzurrum & Gonzales (1999), Hill & Harrison (1987), Kruskop (2013a), Saha et al. (2017b), Sinha (1990), Smith & Xie Yan (2008), Srinivasulu & Srinivasulu (2005, 2012), Srinivasulu et al. (2017).