Rhinolophus mehelyi scythotauricus subsp. nov. (Rhinolophidae, Chiroptera) from the Lower Pleistocene of the Taurida Cave in Crimea.

A new extinct subspecies of the Mehely's horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus mehelyi scythotauricus subsp. nov., is described on the base of an incomplete skull from the Lower Pleistocene deposits of the Taurida cave in the central Crimea. It is the largest member of the R. euryale group. In terms of the evolutionary level, it is intermediate between Plio-Pleistocene R. mehelyi birzebbugensis Storch, 1974 and recent members of the species, but its large size and relatively narrow upper molars may indicate belonging to a separate phylogenetic lineage within R. mehelyi Matschie, 1901. R. mehelyi scythotauricus subsp. nov. is the first fossil record of the species in the Crimea; it is also one of the northernmost finds of R. mehelyi.

Early Pleistocene Horseshoe Bat Rhinolophus macrorhinus cimmerius subsp. nov. (Rhinolophidae, Chiroptera) from the Taurida Cave in Crimea.

Numerous remains (incomplete skull, cranial and mandibular fragments, and isolated teeth) of a large horseshoe bat of the Rhinolophus ferrumequinum group are described from the Lower Pleistocene depo-sits of the Taurida cave in the central Crimea. They are assigned to Rhinolophus macrorhinus cimmerius subsp. nov. In dental characters the new subspecies is less specialized than R. m. anomalidens Topál, 1979 from the Late Villafranchian of Central Europe, which implies the origin of the former from an earlier form morphologically close to R. m. macrorhinus Topál, 1963. The perfect preservation of the cranial structures made it possible to observe the remnants of the palatal ridges and the morphology of the nasal turbinals of R. macro-rhinus cimmerius subsp. nov.

Comparative staining of Rhinolophus spp. white blood cells in blood smears.

Background and Aim: A drawback of studies on bat blood smears in the field is the lack of time for fixation because blood sampling using a non-lethal method often provides less time for fixation in smear preparations due to the small volume of blood collected. Usually, there is insufficient blood for another smear preparation, so it is necessary to use blood smears as rationally as possible, especially for rare bats. Many stains are used for staining peripheral blood smears, and they have advantages and disadvantages. This study aimed to examine commonly used stains for blood smears to select the best stain for staining peripheral blood smears in bats. Materials and Methods: In this study, 48 blood smears of Rhinolophus spp. bats were examined using several blood staining methods. Four methods that showed the best results were used in further experiments: Romanowsky-Giemsa, Pappenheim, hematoxylin-eosin, and eosin methylene blue. Results: Comparative analysis of different methods for staining bat blood smears revealed that the most convenient method for analyzing blood cells is Pappenheim method. Conclusion: Staining blood smears using Pappenheim method yield the least number of unsuccessful blood smear stains and are quite effective for the morphological analysis of blood cells.

Maxilloturbinal Aids in Nasophonation in Horseshoe Bats (Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae).

Horseshoe bats (Family Rhinolophidae) show an impressive array of morphological traits associated with use of high duty cycle echolocation calls that they emit via their nostrils (nasophonation). Delicate maxilloturbinal bones inside the nasal fossa of horseshoe bats have a unique elongated strand-like shape unknown in other mammals. Maxilloturbinal strands also vary considerably in length and cross-sectional shape. In other mammals, maxilloturbinals help direct respired air and prevent respiratory heat and water loss. We investigated whether strand-shaped maxilloturbinals in horseshoe bats perform a similar function to those of other mammals, or whether they were shaped for a role in nasophonation. Using histology, we studied the mucosa of the nasal fossa in Rhinolophus lepidus, which we compared with Hipposideros lankadiva (Hipposideridae) and Megaderma lyra (Megadermatidae). Using micro-CT scans of 30 horseshoe bat species, we quantified maxilloturbinal surface area and skull shape within a phylogenetic context. Histological results showed horseshoe bat maxilloturbinals are covered in a thin, poorly vascularized, sparsely ciliated mucosa poorly suited for preventing respiratory heat and water loss. Maxilloturbinal surface area was correlated with basicranial width, but exceptionally long and dorsoventrally flat maxilloturbinals did not show enhanced surface area for heat and moisture exchange. Skull shape variation appears to be driven by structures linked to nasophonation, including maxilloturbinals. Resting echolocation call frequency better predicted skull shape than did skull size, and was specifically correlated with dimensions of the rostral inflations, palate, and maxilloturbinals. These traits appear to form a morphological complex, indicating a nasophonatory role for the strand-shaped rhinolophid maxilloturbinals. Anat Rec, 2018. © 2018 American Association for Anatomy.

Nycteria and Polychromophilus parasite infections of bats in Central Gabon.

Haemosporida are arthropod-borne blood parasites that infect a wide range of vertebrate hosts, including numerous species of bats. Here, we present data of haemosporidian infections in different bat species that were surveyed in Ngounié province, Gabon. We detected Nycteria parasites in Rhinolophus bats and Polychromophilus in Miniopterus minor, a rare and poorly known bat species. Strikingly, no Hepatocystis parasites, which are abundant in epauletted fruit bats elsewhere in Africa, were detected. Our findings suggest that Hepatocystis infections in bats display diverse regional patterns of distribution and transmission dynamics, that cannot be predicted from host abundance. Nycteria parasites are widely distributed in several African rhinolophid species and Polychromophilus parasites of diverse Miniopterus species worldwide belong to the same parasite species.

The complete mitochondrial genome of Rhinolophus yunnanensis (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae).

The mitochondrial genome of Rhinolophus yunnanensis (Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae) is a circular molecule of 16,865 bp in length with a base composition of 31.2% A, 24.3% T, 29.6% C, 14.9% G. In the control region of R. yunnanensis, the sequence of 5'-CAACGTATACACG-3' repeats 18 times. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that R. yunnanensis is a sister clade to ((Rhinolophus sinicus sinicus + R. sinicus sinicus) + (R. macrotis + (R. pumilus + R. monoceros))).

Unique Turbinal Morphology in Horseshoe Bats (Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae).

The mammalian nasal fossa contains a set of delicate and often structurally complex bones called turbinals. Turbinals and associated mucosae function in regulating respiratory heat and water loss, increasing surface area for olfactory tissue, and directing airflow within the nasal fossa. We used high-resolution micro-CT scanning to investigate a unique maxilloturbinal morphology in 37 species from the bat family Rhinolophidae, which we compared with those of families Hipposideridae, Megadermatidae, and Pteropodidae. Rhinolophids exhibit numerous structural modifications along the nasopharyngeal tract associated with emission of high duty cycle echolocation calls via the nostrils. In rhinolophids, we found that the maxilloturbinals and a portion of ethmoturbinal I form a pair of strand-like bony structures on each side of the nasal chamber. These structures project anteriorly from the transverse lamina and complete a hairpin turn to project posteriorly down the nasopharyngeal duct, and vary in length among species. The strand-like maxilloturbinals in Rhinolophidae were not observed in our outgroups and represent a synapomorphy for this family, and are unique in form among mammals. Within Rhinolophidae, maxilloturbinal size and cross-sectional shape were correlated with phylogeny. We hypothesize that strand-shaped maxilloturbinals may function to reduce respiratory heat and water loss without greatly impacting echolocation call transmission since they provide increased mucosal surface area for heat and moisture exchange but occupy minimal space. Alternatively, they may play a role in transmission of echolocation calls since they are located directly along the path sound travels between the larynx and nostrils during call emission. Anat Rec, 300:309-325, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Island bat diets: does it matter more who you are or where you live?

Differences in body size, echolocation call frequency and location may result in diet partitioning among bat species. Comparisons between island populations are one way to evaluate these competing hypotheses. We conducted a species-level diet analysis of three Rhinolophus and one Hipposideros species on the Philippine islands of Cebu, Bohol and Siquijor. We identified 655 prey (MOTUs) in the guano from 77 individual bats. There was a high degree of overlap among species' diets despite differences in body size and call frequency. For example, the diet of the 3 g-Hipposideros pygmaeus (mean CF = 102 kHz) exhibited a diet overlap higher than expected by chance with all three Rhinolophus species, even the 13 g-Rhinolophus inops (mean CF = 54 kHz). We observed more convergence in diet between Rhinolophus species and H. pygmaeus than between Rhinolophus species themselves, which may be explained by the broad diet of H. pygmaeus. There was less dietary overlap between Rhinolophus virgo from two islands than between R. virgo and congeners from Cebu. These data suggest that location causes convergence in diet, but specific species characteristics may drive niche specialization. The complex interplay between location and the perceptual ability of each species leads to a situation where simple explanations, for example body size, do not translate into predictable prey partitioning. In particular, our observations raise interesting questions about the foraging strategy and adaptability of the tiny H. pygmaeus.

Does nasal echolocation influence the modularity of the mammal skull?

In vertebrates, changes in cranial modularity can evolve rapidly in response to selection. However, mammals have apparently maintained their pattern of cranial integration throughout their evolutionary history and across tremendous morphological and ecological diversity. Here, we use phylogenetic, geometric morphometric and comparative analyses to test the hypothesis that the modularity of the mammalian skull has been remodelled in rhinolophid bats due to the novel and critical function of the nasal cavity in echolocation. We predicted that nasal echolocation has resulted in the evolution of a third cranial module, the 'nasal dome', in addition to the braincase and rostrum modules, which are conserved across mammals. We also test for similarities in the evolution of skull shape in relation to habitat across rhinolophids. We find that, despite broad variation in the shape of the nasal dome, the integration of the rhinolophid skull is highly consistent with conserved patterns of modularity found in other mammals. Across their broad geographical distribution, cranial shape in rhinolophids follows two major divisions that could reflect adaptations to dietary and environmental differences in African versus South Asian distributions. Our results highlight the potential of a relatively simple modular template to generate broad morphological and functional variation in mammals.

Karyology of eight species of bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) from Hainan Island, China.

Karyotypes and chromosomal data are presented for eight bat species representing two families (Rhinolophidae and Vespertilionidae) from Hainan Island, China. The species investigated were Rhinolophus lepidus (2n = 62, FN = 60), R. pusillus (2n = 62, FN = 60), R. affinis (2n = 62, FN = 60), R. sinicus (2n = 36, FN = 60), Myotis horsfieldi (2n = 44, FN = 52), Pipistrellus abramus (2n = 26, FN = 44), Miniopterus australis (2n = 46, FN = 50) and M. schreibersii (2n = 46, FN = 50). The karyotype of Rhinolophus lepidus is reported for the first time.