Grandidier's Trident Bat

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

Guillaume Grandidier first described the species in 1912, as ''Triaenops aurita'', on the basis of a single poorly preserved specimen collected at Diégo-Suarez (now Antsiranana) in northernmost Madagascar. In his 1939 list of African mammals, Glover Morrill Allen placed the species as a synonym of ''Triaenops furcula'' (now ''Paratriaenops furcula'') of western Madagascar,Allen, 1939, p. 82 and in his 1948 review of the genus ''Triaenops'', Jean Dorst concurred, as did John Edwards Hill, who reviewed the genus in 1982.Ranivo and Goodman, 2006, p. 964 In their 1995 study of Madagascar bats, however, R.L. Peterson and colleagues reinstated it as a species. They also changed the specific name to ''auritus'', presumably for gender agreement with the generic name ''Triaenops''.Simmons, 2005, p. 378

Julie Ranivo and Steven Goodman revised Madagascar ''Triaenops'' in 2006 and clarified the distinction between ''T. auritus'' of northern Madagascar and the closely related ''T. furculus'' of western Madagascar, which have nonoverlapping ranges. Their paper reported the first new material of the species since its original description.Ranivo and Goodman, 2006, p. 965 They described a third species of this group in 2008—''Triaenops pauliani'' (now ''Paratriaenops pauliani'') from Aldabra in the nearby Seychelles. In 2007 and 2008, Amy Russell and colleagues investigated the relationships among ''Triaenops'' species using DNA sequence data; they confirmed the relationship between ''T. auritus'' and ''T. furculus'' and their status as distinct species. In view of the significant differences between the ''T. furculus'' group and other species of ''Triaenops'', Petr Benda and Peter Villa removed the former in 2009 to a separate genus, ''Paratriaenops''.Benda and Villa, 2009, p. 34 ''Triaenops'' still includes the Malagasy species ''Triaenops menamena'' (formerly ''Triaenops rufus''), which is widespread in western Madagascar and overlaps with ''P. auritus'' and ''P. furcula'' in range, and ''Triaenops goodmani'', an extinct species described in 2007Samonds, 2007, p. 46 that may also be related to ''Paratriaenops''.

Description

''Paratriaenops auritus'' is a large-eared, short-tailed bat.Garbutt, 2007, p. 72 The fur is reddish gold and is darker above than below.Goodman and Ranivo, 2008, p. 688 Both males and females are significantly larger than individuals of ''P. furcula''. On its face are the three lancets at the back of the noseleaf that are characteristic of ''Triaenops'' and ''Paratriaenops''. As in ''P. furcula'', the three lancets are straight and about equal in length; in ''Triaenops'', the middle lancet is longer and the outer two are curved.Goodman and Ranivo, 2008, p. 686; Benda and Vallo, 2009, p. 33

Distribution and ecology

''P. auritus'' has a small range in far northern Madagascar, perhaps south to the Andrafiamena Mountains. It is relatively abundant in its range and occurs in dry forests. It roosts in caves, and the largest colony contains an estimated 2000 bats.

Conservation status

The IUCN Red List lists ''P. auritus'' (as ''Triaenops auritus'') as " Vulnerable" because of its small, fragmented, and declining range. Agricultural activities in particular are causing habitat destruction and fragmentation, and disturbance of its cave roosts may pose another threat. However, it occurs in three protected areas— Réserve Spéciale d'Ankarana, Réserve Spéciale d'Analamerana, and a forest at Daraina. The IUCN recommends that conservation efforts be focused on monitoring and protecting the known cave roosts.

References

*Benda, P. and Vallo, P. 2009
Taxonomic revision of the genus ''Triaenops'' (Chiroptera: Hipposideridae) with description of a new species from southern Arabia and definitions of a new genus and tribe
Folia Zoologica 58 (Monograph 1):1–45.
*Garbutt, N. 2007
Mammals of Madagascar: A Complete Guide
London: A & C Black, 304 pp. 
*Goodman, S.M. and Ranivo, J. 2008
A new species of ''Triaenops'' (Mammalia, Chiroptera, Hipposideridae) from Aldabra Atoll, Picard Island (Seychelles)
Zoosystema 30(3):681–693.
*Goodman, S.M. and Ranivo, J. 2009
The geographical origin of the type specimens of ''Triaenops rufus'' and ''T. humbloti'' (Chiroptera: Hipposideridae) reputed to be from Madagascar and the description of a replacement species name
(subscription required). Mammalia 73:47–55.
*Ranivo, J. and Goodman S.M. 2006
Révision taxinomique des ''Triaenops'' malgaches (Mammalia, Chiroptera, Hipposideridae)
Zoosystema 28(4):963–985.
*Russell, A.L., Ranivo, J., Palkovacs, E.P., Goodman, S.M. and Yoder, A.D. 2007
Working at the interface of phylogenetics and population genetics: a biogeographical analysis of ''Triaenops'' spp. (Chiroptera: Hipposideridae)
Molecular Ecology 16:839–851.
*Russell, A.L., Goodman, S.M. and Cox, M.P. 2008
Coalescent analyses support multiple mainland-to-island dispersals in the evolution of Malagasy ''Triaenops'' bats (Chiroptera: Hipposideridae)
Journal of Biogeography 35:995–1003.
*Samonds, K.E. 2007
Late Pleistocene bat fossils from Anjohibe Cave, northwestern Madagascar
Acta Chiropterologica 9(1):39–65.
*

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1833289

Mammals of Madagascar
Mammals described in 1912
Paratriaenops
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot