| Hardwicke's woolly bat | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Family: | Vespertilionidae |
| Genus: | Kerivoula |
| Species: | K. hardwickii |
| Binomial name | |
| Kerivoula hardwickii (Horsfield, 1824) | |
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Hardwicke's woolly bat (Kerivoula hardwickii) is a species of vesper bat in the family Vespertilionidae.
It is found in Bangladesh, [2] China, India (Assam, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and West Bengal), Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan (Punjab), Philippines, Sri Lanka (Central Province), Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam. Its upper elevation limits are 2,500 meters and 100 meters above sea level. The current population of these bats is stable. [3]
In Southeast China this mammal is found to be quite common in the forest, but the number found, the population sizes, and ecological trends are unknown in South Asia. The only known information for the bat in this area is that it can be found in the warmer valleys of northeast Indonesia and in rice pad fields in Sri Lanka. They are also reported to be seen roosting in caves and buildings in the forests in these regions. This bat is mostly found in the tropical and subtropical regions in China, but has also been reported in forests and farming fields in these regions. They can also be found foraging in residential areas and roosting on rooftops. This bat can be found in a variety of forests in these regions including, primary, dry, hill forests, and lowland, montane, and ridgetop forests in all of these regions. They have also been seen roosting in rattan vine leaf in Indonesia and even a bamboo thicket in the Philippines. [4]
The bat has also been found to inhabit the forest understory of these regions and roosts in hollow trees or dead clusters of leaves. As typical with understory bats, this species is slow flying and highly maneuverable. [5]
This bat is listed as least concern. This is because of the suspected large population that has a wide geographic distribution. The bat can also sustain habitat modifications and is well known in protected areas, which makes it less likely to for its population to decline. The bat's population has been assessed by the IUCN in 1996 and 2008 and has remained at low risk/least concern. [3]
The fur on the dorsal, or backside, of the bat is typically a smoky brown color while the ventral portion is a lighter greyish-brown color. A forearm length for this bat is typically 31–36 millimeters (1.2–1.4 in), and the ears are approximately 11–15 millimeters (0.43–0.59 in). This species also has a more prominent size difference in the size of its premolars than other Kerivoula species, such as the painted bat [6] Wing membrane is blackish-brown but translucent. The fur is very soft and of moderate length.
This small bat has been found roosting above the digestive fluid in the pitchers of the carnivorous plant Nepenthes hemsleyana [7] (previously known as Nepenthes baramensis and informally as Nepenthes rafflesiana var. elongata), [8] which grows in the peat swamps and heath forests of Borneo. [9] [10] [11] This relationship appears to be mutualistic, with the plant providing shelter for the bats and in return receiving additional nitrogen input in the form of faeces. It has been estimated that the plant derives 34% of its total foliar nitrogen from the bats' droppings. [9]
Pitcher plants are several different carnivorous plants that have modified leaves known as pitfall traps—a prey-trapping mechanism featuring a deep cavity filled with digestive liquid. The traps of what are considered to be "true" pitcher plants are formed by specialized leaves. The plants attract and drown the prey with nectar.
Nepenthes is a genus of carnivorous plants, also known as tropical pitcher plants, or monkey cups, in the monotypic family Nepenthaceae. The genus includes about 170 species, and numerous natural and many cultivated hybrids. They are mostly liana-forming plants of the Old World tropics, ranging from South China, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines; westward to Madagascar and the Seychelles (one); southward to Australia (four) and New Caledonia (one); and northward to India (one) and Sri Lanka (one). The greatest diversity occurs on Borneo, Sumatra, and the Philippines, with many endemic species. Many are plants of hot, humid, lowland areas, but the majority are tropical montane plants, receiving warm days but cool to cold, humid nights year round. A few are considered tropical alpine, with cool days and nights near freezing. The name "monkey cups" refers to the fact that monkeys were once thought to drink rainwater from the pitchers.
Nepenthes rafflesiana, or Raffles' pitcher-plant, is a species of tropical pitcher plant. It has a very wide distribution covering Borneo, Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia, and Singapore. Nepenthes rafflesiana is extremely variable, with numerous forms and varieties described. In Borneo alone, there are at least three distinct varieties. The giant form of this species produces enormous pitchers rivalling those of N. rajah in size.
Nepenthes bicalcarata, also known as the fanged pitcher-plant, is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to northwestern Borneo, Indonesia. It is a myrmecophyte noted for its mutualistic association with a species of ant, Camponotus schmitzi. As an ant-fed plant it lacks many of the features that characterise the carnivorous syndrome in Nepenthes, including viscoelastic and highly acidic pitcher fluid, the waxy zone of the pitcher interior, and possibly even functional digestive enzymes.
Nepenthes truncata is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to the Philippines. It is known from the islands of Dinagat, Leyte, and Mindanao. The species grows at an elevation of 0–1500 m above sea level. Nepenthes truncata is characterised by its heart-shaped (truncate) leaves and very large pitchers, which can reach up to 40 cm in height.
Dr. Charles M. Clarke is an ecologist and botanist specialising in the carnivorous plant genus Nepenthes, for which he is regarded as a world authority. Clarke has an honours degree in Botany from Monash University in Melbourne, and a Ph.D. in Ecosystem management at the University of New England, in Armidale, New South Wales.
Nepenthes ephippiata, or the saddle-leaved pitcher-plant, is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Borneo. It occurs in the Hose Mountains of central Sarawak, as well as Mount Raya and Bukit Lesung in Kalimantan. It grows in montane forest from 1,000 to 1,900 meters elevation.
Nepenthes macrophylla, the large-leaved pitcher-plant, is a tropical pitcher plant known only from a very restrictive elevation on Mount Trusmadi in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.
Nepenthes faizaliana is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to the limestone cliffs of Gunung Mulu National Park in Sarawak, Borneo. It is thought to be most closely related to N. boschiana.
Nepenthes copelandii is a species of pitcher plant native to the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. Originally known from Mount Apo near Davao City and Mount Pasian near Bislig, it has since been discovered on a number of peaks throughout Mindanao. It may also be present on the nearby island of Camiguin. The species has a wide altitudinal distribution of 1100–2400 m above sea level. Nepenthes copelandii has no known natural hybrids. No forms or varieties have been described.
Nepenthes danseri is a species of tropical pitcher plant. It is known only from the northern coast of Waigeo Island; plants from Halmahera, the largest of the Maluku Islands, are now recognised as belonging to a separate species, N. halmahera.
Nepenthes argentii is a highland Nepenthes pitcher plant native to Mount Guiting-Guiting on Sibuyan Island in the Philippines. It is possibly the smallest species in the genus and does not appear to have a climbing stage.
Ch'ien C. Lee is a photographer and botanist specialising in the carnivorous plant genus Nepenthes. Lee has described several new Nepenthes species, including N. baramensis, N. chaniana, N. gantungensis, N. glandulifera, N. jamban, N. lingulata, N. palawanensis, N. pitopangii, N. platychila, and N. harauensis. Lee also described the natural hybrid N. × bauensis.
Nepenthes rhombicaulis is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Sumatra. The specific epithet rhombicaulis is formed from the Latin words rhombicus, meaning "rhomboid", and caulis, "stem". It refers to the cross-sectional shape of the stem internodes.
"The Nepenthaceae of the Netherlands Indies" is a seminal monograph by B. H. Danser on the tropical pitcher plants of the Dutch East Indies and surrounding regions. It was originally published in the Bulletin du Jardin Botanique de Buitenzorg in 1928, and reprinted by Natural History Publications (Borneo) in 2006.
Nepenthes of Borneo is a monograph by Charles Clarke on the tropical pitcher plants of Borneo. It was first published in 1997 by Natural History Publications (Borneo), and reprinted in 2006. Clarke describes it as "primarily an ecological monograph".
Nepenthes hemsleyana is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Borneo, where it grows in peat swamp forest and heath forest below 200 m above sea level.
