''Pipistrellus raceyi'', also known as Racey's pipistrelle, is a
bat
Bats are flying mammals of the order Chiroptera (). 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 birds, flying with their very long spread-out ...
from
Madagascar
Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...
, in the genus ''
Pipistrellus
''Pipistrellus'' is a genus of bats in the family Vespertilionidae and subfamily Vespertilioninae. The name of the genus is derived from the Italian word , meaning "bat" (from Latin "bird of evening, bat").
The size of the genus has been co ...
''. Although unidentified species of ''Pipistrellus'' had been previously reported from Madagascar since the 1990s, ''P. raceyi'' was not formally named until 2006. It is apparently most closely related to the Asian species ''
P. endoi'', ''
P. paterculus'', and ''
P. abramus'', and its ancestors probably reached Madagascar from Asia. ''P. raceyi'' has been recorded at four sites, two in the eastern and two in the western lowlands. In the east, it is found in open areas and has been found roosting in a building; in the west it occurs in dry forest. Because of uncertainties about its ecology, it is listed as "
Data Deficient
A data deficient (DD) species is one which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as offering insufficient information for a proper assessment of conservation status to be made. This does not necessaril ...
" on the
IUCN Red List
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological ...
.
With a forearm length of 28.0 to 31.2 mm (1.10 to 1.23 in), ''Pipistrellus raceyi'' is small to medium-sized for a species of ''Pipistrellus''. The body is reddish above and yellow-brown below. The wings are dark and the feet are small. Males have a long penis and
baculum
The baculum (: bacula), also known as the penis bone, penile bone, ''os penis'', ''os genitale'', or ''os priapi'', is a bone in the penis of many placental mammals. It is not present in humans, but is present in the penises of some primates, ...
(penis bone), which is somewhat similar to those of ''P. endoi'', ''P. abramus'' and ''P. paterculus''. In the skull, the
rostrum
Rostrum may refer to:
* Any kind of a platform for a speaker:
**dais
**pulpit
** podium
* Rostrum (anatomy), a beak, or anatomical structure resembling a beak, as in the mouthparts of many sucking insects
* Rostrum (ship), a form of bow on naval ...
(front part) is less flat than in related species and the
supraorbital ridge
The brow ridge, or supraorbital ridge known as superciliary arch in medicine, is a bony ridge located above the eye sockets of all primates and some other animals. In humans, the Eyebrow, eyebrows are located on their lower margin.
Structure
The ...
s (above the eyes) are prominent. The fourth upper
premolar
The premolars, also called premolar Tooth (human), teeth, or bicuspids, are transitional teeth located between the Canine tooth, canine and Molar (tooth), molar teeth. In humans, there are two premolars per dental terminology#Quadrant, quadrant in ...
does not touch the upper
canine and the second lower premolar is well-developed.
Taxonomy
Since they were first recorded in 1905, when Thomas and Schwann described the species ''Vespertilio matroka'' (currently ''
Neoromicia matroka''), the
classification
Classification is the activity of assigning objects to some pre-existing classes or categories. This is distinct from the task of establishing the classes themselves (for example through cluster analysis). Examples include diagnostic tests, identif ...
and status of small
vespertilionid bats ("pipistrelles") from Madagascar have remained unclear. Although several species were recorded, they remained little known. A species of the genus ''
Pipistrellus
''Pipistrellus'' is a genus of bats in the family Vespertilionidae and subfamily Vespertilioninae. The name of the genus is derived from the Italian word , meaning "bat" (from Latin "bird of evening, bat").
The size of the genus has been co ...
'' with affinities to
Oriental
The Orient is a term referring to the East in relation to Europe, traditionally comprising anything belonging to the Eastern world. It is the antonym of the term ''Occident'', which refers to the Western world.
In English, it is largely a meto ...
(southeastern Asian) species was first recorded in 1995, and several later authors recorded one or more unidentified ''Pipistrellus'' species.
[
In 2006, Paul Bates and colleagues reported on a collection of 44 Malagasy "pipistrelles" received by the Harrison Institute, which included several species new to Madagascar, as well as a single species new to science.][Bates et al., 2006, pp. 299–300] This species, a member of ''Pipistrellus'', was described as ''Pipistrellus raceyi''.[Bates et al., 2006, p. 301] In a 2007 article, Steven Goodman mentioned it as part of a flurry of new bat species from Madagascar; the number of species increased from 27 in 1995 to 37 in 2007. The specific name, ''raceyi'', honors bat researcher Paul Racey and the describers suggested the common name
In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often con ...
"Racey's pipistrelle bat". ''P. raceyi'' closely resembles the Asian species '' P. endoi'', '' P. paterculus'', and '' P. abramus'', and Bates and colleagues hypothesized that it may be related to these species. If this is true, the ancestors of ''P. raceyi'' presumably reached Madagascar from Asia, not from Africa like most of the island's bat fauna. ''P. raceyi'' shares this distinction with a few other Malagasy bats: the large fruit bat '' Pteropus rufus'' and both species of the small insectivorous bat ''Emballonura
''Emballonura'' (meaning: Erect tail) is a genus of sac-winged bats in the family Emballonuridae. It contains these species:
* Small Asian sheath-tailed bat (''E. alecto'')
* Beccari's sheath-tailed bat (''E. beccarii'')
* Large-eared sheath-tai ...
'' recorded on Madagascar.
Description
''Pipistrellus raceyi'' is a small to medium-sized pipistrelle.[Bates et al., 2006, p. 302] It is long-furred and the body is reddish above, with the head a trifle darker, and yellowish-brown below. The gland
A gland is a Cell (biology), cell or an Organ (biology), organ in an animal's body that produces and secretes different substances that the organism needs, either into the bloodstream or into a body cavity or outer surface. A gland may also funct ...
ular swellings on the muzzle, next to the nose, are hairless. The dark, short, round ears bear three to five ridges. The crescent-shaped tragus (a projection on the inner side of the outer ear) is about half as long as the ear and contains a slight constriction on the back side of its base. The wings are dark. The third through fifth metacarpal
In human anatomy, the metacarpal bones or metacarpus, also known as the "palm bones", are the appendicular bones that form the intermediate part of the hand between the phalanges (fingers) and the carpal bones ( wrist bones), which articulate ...
s (hand bones) are about equally long, but the first phalange (finger bone) on the third finger is short.[ ''P. endoi'' has a longer first phalange on the third metacarpal.][Bates et al., 2006, p. 309] ''P. raceyi'' has short tibia
The tibia (; : tibiae or tibias), also known as the shinbone or shankbone, is the larger, stronger, and anterior (frontal) of the two Leg bones, bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates (the other being the fibula, behind and to the outsi ...
e (lower leg bones) and small feet and the tail is shorter than the head and body.[ Forearm length is 28.0 to 31.2 mm (1.10 to 1.23 in), tail length is 22.9 to 30.3 mm (0.90 to 1.19 in), hindfoot length is 5.3 to 7.5 mm (0.21 to 0.30 in), and ear length is 7.5 to 10.6 mm (0.30 to 0.42 in) in 13 measured specimens. Females average slightly larger than males.][
Males have a long, straight penis with a notch between the shaft and the narrow, egg-shaped ]glans penis
In male human anatomy, the glans penis or penile glans, commonly referred to as the glans, (; from Latin ''glans'' meaning "acorn") is the bulbous structure at the Anatomical terms of location#Proximal and distal, distal end of the human penis ...
. Near the top, the penis is haired, but the base is almost naked. In the baculum
The baculum (: bacula), also known as the penis bone, penile bone, ''os penis'', ''os genitale'', or ''os priapi'', is a bone in the penis of many placental mammals. It is not present in humans, but is present in the penises of some primates, ...
(penis bone), the shaft is long and narrow and slightly curved.[Bates et al., 2006, p. 304] The length of the penis and baculum distinguish ''P. raceyi'' from all comparably sized African and Malagasy vespertilionids.[ ''P. endoi'', ''P. paterculus'', and ''P. abramus'' have more similar bacula, but that of ''P. abramus'' is more curved, the shaft and the tip are more robust in ''P. paterculus'', and the proximal (near) end is more robust in ''P. endoi''. In males, penis length is 9.6 to 11.8 mm (0.38 to 0.46 in) and baculum length is 8.8 to 10.0 mm (0.35 to 0.39 in).][Bates et al., 2006, table 1]
In the skull, there is a well-defined lowered area in the middle of the rostrum (front part), which nearly touches the back margin of the large, V-shaped nasal aperture (opening for the nose). Next to the aperture are two elevated areas, above the incisor
Incisors (from Latin ''incidere'', "to cut") are the front teeth present in most mammals. They are located in the premaxilla above and on the mandible below. Humans have a total of eight (two on each side, top and bottom). Opossums have 18, wher ...
s. The zygomatic arch
In anatomy, the zygomatic arch (colloquially known as the cheek bone), is a part of the skull formed by the zygomatic process of temporal bone, zygomatic process of the temporal bone (a bone extending forward from the side of the skull, over the ...
es (cheekbones) are slender. The supraorbital ridge
The brow ridge, or supraorbital ridge known as superciliary arch in medicine, is a bony ridge located above the eye sockets of all primates and some other animals. In humans, the Eyebrow, eyebrows are located on their lower margin.
Structure
The ...
s (located above the eyes) are well-developed.[ ''P. abramus'', ''P. endoi'', and ''P. paterculus'' have a flatter rostrum and less prominent supraorbital ridges. The ]braincase
In human anatomy, the neurocranium, also known as the braincase, brainpan, brain-pan, or brainbox, is the upper and back part of the skull, which forms a protective case around the brain. In the human skull, the neurocranium includes the calv ...
is of average size and bears a poorly developed sagittal crest
A sagittal crest is a ridge of bone running lengthwise along the midline of the top of the skull (at the sagittal suture) of many mammalian and reptilian skulls, among others. The presence of this ridge of bone indicates that there are excepti ...
on its roof. The supraoccipital, the backmost part of the skull, is convex. The sides of the concave palate
The palate () is the roof of the mouth in humans and other mammals. It separates the oral cavity from the nasal cavity.
A similar structure is found in crocodilians, but in most other tetrapods, the oral and nasal cavities are not truly sep ...
are about parallel.[
The ]dental formula
Dentition pertains to the development of teeth and their arrangement in the mouth. In particular, it is the characteristic arrangement, kind, and number of teeth in a given species at a given age. That is, the number, type, and morpho-physiology ...
is (two incisor
Incisors (from Latin ''incidere'', "to cut") are the front teeth present in most mammals. They are located in the premaxilla above and on the mandible below. Humans have a total of eight (two on each side, top and bottom). Opossums have 18, wher ...
s, one canine, two premolar
The premolars, also called premolar Tooth (human), teeth, or bicuspids, are transitional teeth located between the Canine tooth, canine and Molar (tooth), molar teeth. In humans, there are two premolars per dental terminology#Quadrant, quadrant in ...
s, and three molars
The molars or molar teeth are large, flat tooth, teeth at the back of the mouth. They are more developed in mammal, mammals. They are used primarily to comminution, grind food during mastication, chewing. The name ''molar'' derives from Latin, '' ...
in the upper jaw, and three incisors, one canine, two premolars, and three molars in the lower jaw). Because the ancestors of ''P. raceyi'' lost the first upper incisor and first and third upper and lower premolars, the upper incisors are designated I2 and I3 and the premolars are designated P2 and P4 (uppers) and p2 and p4 (lowers). I2 has a well-developed second cusp in addition to the main cusp and I3 about reaches the height of the second cusp of I2.[ The stout upper canine bears a single cusp. P2 is prominent and is displaced slightly towards the inner side of the toothrow. P4 does not contact the canine. The first and second upper molar (M1 and M2) are about equally large, but M3 is smaller. Each of the lower incisors bears three cusps and the third (i3) may touch the lower canine (c1). The latter tooth has a second cusp, which reaches higher than i3. The p2 touches the back of c1 and attains between 59-100% the crown area of p4. The first two lower molars (m1 and m2) have the back group of cusps ( talonid) larger than the front one ( trigonid), and m3 is again smaller.][Bates et al., 2006, p. 305]
Distribution, ecology, and behavior
''Pipistrellus raceyi'' is known from four places on Madagascar, all below 80 m (260 ft) altitude, of which two are on the west and two on the east side of the island.[ Among the eastern collection sites, Kianjavato is a rural town surrounded by farmland and secondary forests, where ''P. raceyi'' were collected while leaving a hollow in the concrete wall of a house and in a mistnet over a river, and Tampolo is in a heavily disturbed agriculturally used area. Both western localities, Kirindy and ]Mikea
The Mikea are a group of Malagasy-speaking horticulturalists and foragers who are often described as the lowland hunter-gatherers of Madagascar. They inhabit the Mikea Forest, a patch of mixed spiny forest and dry deciduous forest along th ...
, are in dry forest. In Kirindy, the pipistrelle '' Hypsugo anchietae'' has also been recorded. The true distribution of ''P. raceyi'' is probably larger than that currently known.[ Nothing is known about the diet, but vespertilionid bats generally eat insects.][Emmons and Feer, 1997, p. 93]
There is very limited data on reproduction. Young are probably born near the start of the rainy season
The rainy season is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs.
Rainy Season may also refer to:
* ''Rainy Season'' (short story), a 1989 short horror story by Stephen King
* "Rainy Season", a 2018 song by Monni
* '' ...
, in November–December, when food is plentiful. Six bats were caught at the roost site in Kianjavato, of which only one was a male; this led Bates and colleagues to suggest that the species may be polygynous
Polygyny () is a form of polygamy entailing the marriage of a man to several women. The term polygyny is from Neoclassical Greek πολυγυνία (); .
Incidence
Polygyny is more widespread in Africa than in any other continent. Some scholar ...
, with groups consisting of a male and multiple females.[Bates et al., 2006, p. 311]
Conservation status
The IUCN Red List
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological ...
has assessed ''Pipistrellus raceyi'' as "Data Deficient
A data deficient (DD) species is one which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as offering insufficient information for a proper assessment of conservation status to be made. This does not necessaril ...
" because of insufficient knowledge about its abundance and habitat requirements. All four known sites are near forest, but that may be a sampling artifact. Although deforestation
Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal and destruction of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. Ab ...
may pose a threat, each of the collection sites has some sort of forest protection
Forest protection is a branch of forestry which is concerned with the preservation or improvement of a forest and prevention and control of damage to forest by natural or man made causes like forest fires, plant pests, and adverse climatic con ...
measures in place.
References
Literature cited
* Bates, P.J.J., Ratrimomanarivo, F.H., Harrison, D.L. and Goodman, S.M. 2006
A description of a new species of ''Pipistrellus'' (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) from Madagascar with a review of related Vespertilioninae from the island
(subscription required). ''Acta Chiropterologica'' 8(2):299–324.
* Emmons, L.H. and Feer, F. 1997
''Neotropical Rainforest Mammals: A Field Guide''
2nd ed. The University of Chicago Press, 307 pp.
* Goodman, S.M. 2007
An island of discoveries: Madagascar reveals a swarm of new bat species
. ''Bats'' 25(2):12–14.
* Hill, J.E. and Harrison, D.L. 1987
The baculum in the Vespertilioninae (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) with a systematic review, a synopsis of ''Pipistrellus'' and ''Eptesicus'', and the descriptions of a new genus and subgenus
''Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Zoology Series'' 52(7):225–305.
*
{{Featured article
Pipistrellus
Mammals described in 2006
Bats of Africa
Mammals of Madagascar