Abstract
The forest habitats of Sulawesi and its attendant islands support diverse bat communities with numerous regionally endemic species. However, these communities remain poorly described, with very little data being published
from the region in recent years. In this study we provide a detailed description of the Chiroptera of Buton Island, Sulawesi’s largest satellite island located off the southeast coast of the mainland. Harp traps and mist nets were
deployed over two eight-week research seasons between June and August in 2013 and 2014. Survey effort totalled 1,044 mist net hours and approximately 3,148 hours of harp trapping, supplemented with further opportunistic
records. We sampled 178 individual bats in the course of this survey work, and identified a total of 23 species, including four species endemic to the Wallacean biodiversity hotspot and three species considered by the IUCN
to be near-threatened. We present morphometric measurements for most species presented in our inventory. Our records for one species (Cynopterus c.f. titthaecheilus) in likelihood represent a major spatial range extension, this
species not having been previously reported from the Sulawesi region. Our records for an additional 12 species represent minor spatial range extension within the Sulawesi Island group. Non-parametric richness estimators and
species accumulation curves predict that further species may be present on Buton: any future survey work should expand the range of habitats surveyed and utilise more specialist equipment to provide the best chance of increasing
the known species inventory of the Island.
from the region in recent years. In this study we provide a detailed description of the Chiroptera of Buton Island, Sulawesi’s largest satellite island located off the southeast coast of the mainland. Harp traps and mist nets were
deployed over two eight-week research seasons between June and August in 2013 and 2014. Survey effort totalled 1,044 mist net hours and approximately 3,148 hours of harp trapping, supplemented with further opportunistic
records. We sampled 178 individual bats in the course of this survey work, and identified a total of 23 species, including four species endemic to the Wallacean biodiversity hotspot and three species considered by the IUCN
to be near-threatened. We present morphometric measurements for most species presented in our inventory. Our records for one species (Cynopterus c.f. titthaecheilus) in likelihood represent a major spatial range extension, this
species not having been previously reported from the Sulawesi region. Our records for an additional 12 species represent minor spatial range extension within the Sulawesi Island group. Non-parametric richness estimators and
species accumulation curves predict that further species may be present on Buton: any future survey work should expand the range of habitats surveyed and utilise more specialist equipment to provide the best chance of increasing
the known species inventory of the Island.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 373-385 |
| Journal | Raffles Bulletin of Zoology |
| Volume | 65 |
| Publication status | Published online - 4 Aug 2017 |