''Paratriaenops pauliani'' is a species of
bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most bi ...
in the family
Hipposideridae
The Hipposideridae are a family of bats commonly known as the Old World leaf-nosed bats. While it has often been seen as a subfamily, Hipposiderinae, of the family Rhinolophidae, it is now more generally classified as its own family.Simmons, 20 ...
. It is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
to
Aldabra Atoll
Aldabra is the world's second-largest coral atoll, lying south-east of the continent of Africa. It is part of the Aldabra Group of islands in the Indian Ocean that are part of the Outer Islands of the Seychelles, with a distance of 1,120 k ...
of the western
Seychelles
Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (french: link=no, République des Seychelles; Creole: ''La Repiblik Sesel''), is an archipelagic state consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, V ...
, where it was found on Picard Island. It was formerly considered to be part of the species ''
Triaenops furculus'',
known from
Madagascar
Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...
, and was initially assigned as a new species within the genus ''
Triaenops
''Triaenops'' is a genus of bat in the family Hipposideridae. It is classified in the tribe Triaenopini, along with the closely related genus '' Paratriaenops'' and perhaps the poorly known '' Cloeotis''. The species of ''Paratriaenops'', which ...
''.
Later it as well as ''T. furculus'' were placed in the separate genus ''
Paratriaenops
''Paratriaenops'' is a genus in the bat family Hipposideridae. It is classified in the tribe Triaenopini, along with the closely related genus ''Triaenops'' and perhaps the poorly known '' Cloeotis''. The species of ''Paratriaenops'' were placed ...
''.
A related species, ''
Paratriaenops auritus
Grandidier's trident bat (''Paratriaenops auritus'') is a species of bat in the family Hipposideridae endemic to Madagascar. It was formerly assigned to the genus ''Triaenops'', but is now placed in the separate genus ''Paratriaenops''.
Taxonomy ...
'', also of Madagascar, was similarly reassigned.
While its conservation status has not been formally assessed, given its small range and presumed small population, it is thought to be precarious, possibly
critically endangered.
Reports of ''P. pauliani'' from
Cosmoledo Atoll
Cosmoledo Atoll is an atoll of the Aldabra Group and belongs to the Outer Islands of the Seychelles, and is located southwest of the capital, Victoria, on Mahé Island.
History
The name ''Cosmoledo'' is said to honor a Portuguese navigator who ...
east of Aldabra are believed to be erroneous descriptions of individuals actually collected on Picard Island.
See also
*
List of bats of Madagascar
Bats are one of the major components of the indigenous mammalian fauna of Madagascar, in addition to tenrecs, lemurs, euplerid carnivores, and nesomyine rodents. Forty-six bat species have so far been recorded on Madagascar, of which thirty-six o ...
References
Mammals described in 2008
Paratriaenops
Bats of Africa
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