Rediscovery of Glauconycteris superba Hayman, 1939 (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) after 40 years at Mbiye Island, Democratic Republic of the Congo

  • Guy-Crispin Gembu Tungaluna
  • Victor Van Cakenberghe
  • Prescott Musaba Akawa
  • Benjamin Dudu Akaibe
  • Erik Verheyen
  • Frits De Vree
  • Jakob Fahr
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2013.42
Keywords: bats, morphometrics, taxonomy, distribution, conservation

Abstract

We report the rediscovery of the Pied Butterfly Bat, Glauconycteris superba Hayman, 1939, 40 years after this species was last recorded. The new specimen from Mbiye Island, Democratic Republic of the Congo, is compared with the type specimens of G. s. superba and G. superba sheila Hayman, 1947 and a specimen from Matonguiné, Ivory Coast. The variation in the striking colouration of the pelage as well as in morphometric data is considered to be individual rather than geographic variation and we tentatively regard G. s. sheila as a synonym of the nominate form. Despite the wide distribution of this species in the tropical forest zone of West and Central Africa, only four specimens from four localities are known to date, which might indicate very specific habitat preferences. Contemporary land cover information around historic collection sites shows degraded landscapes. Given the highly uncertain area of occupancy of this species, we suggest changing the status of G. superba in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species from “Least Concern” to “Data Deficient”.

Author Biographies

Guy-Crispin Gembu Tungaluna
LEGERA, Faculté des Sciences, Université de Kisangani
Victor Van Cakenberghe
Department of Biology, Universiteit Antwerpen, Functional Morphology Group
Prescott Musaba Akawa
LEGERA, Faculté des Sciences, Université de Kisangani
Benjamin Dudu Akaibe
LEGERA, Faculté des Sciences, Université de Kisangani
Erik Verheyen

Department of Biology, Evolutionary Ecology Group, Universiteit Antwerpen

Vertebrate Department, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels

Frits De Vree
Department of Biology, Universiteit Antwerpen, Functional Morphology Group
Jakob Fahr
Division of Evolutionary Biology, Zoological Institute, TU Braunschweig

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Published
2013-04-10
How to Cite
Gembu Tungaluna, G.-C., Van Cakenberghe, V., Musaba Akawa, P., Dudu Akaibe, B., Verheyen, E., De Vree, F., & Fahr, J. (2013). Rediscovery of Glauconycteris superba Hayman, 1939 (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) after 40 years at Mbiye Island, Democratic Republic of the Congo. European Journal of Taxonomy, (42). https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2013.42
Issue
No. 42 (2013): Rediscovery of Glauconycteris superba Hayman, 1939 (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) after 40 years at Mbiye Island, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Section
Zoology
Copyright (c) 2013 Guy-Crispin Gembu Tungaluna, Victor Van Cakenberghe, Prescott Musaba Akawa, Benjamin Dudu Akaibe, Erik Verheyen, Frits De Vree, Jakob Fahr

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