Socotran pipistrelle

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Socotran pipistrelle
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiroptera
Family: Vespertilionidae
Genus: Hypsugo
Species:
H. lanzai
Binomial name
Hypsugo lanzai
Benda, Al-Jumaily, Reiter, & Nasher, 2011
Distribution of Hypsugo lanzai.png
Socotran pipistrelle range

The Socotran pipistrelle or Lanza's pipistrelle (Hypsugo lanzai) is an endangered species of vesper bat in the family Vespertilionidae. It is endemic to Socotra Island in Yemen, and is the only mammal thought to be endemic to the island. [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Taxonomy

Previously thought to represent an insular population of the desert pipistrelle (H. ariel), a 2011 study found it to be morphologically distinct from other Hypsugo species, and described it as a distinct species. It is named after Italian biologist Benedetto Lanza. [5] It is recognized as a distinct species by the IUCN Red List, American Society of Mammalogists, and ITIS. [1] [2] [6]

Distribution and habitat

It is found only on Socotra, where it is found throughout at all altitudes. It inhabits sparse, dry xeric shrubland habitat. [1]

Description

It is the largest member of the arabicus-group of Hypsugo (also including H. ariel and the Arabian pipistrelle, H. arabicus). Its braincase is higher compared to the other species in the group. It is also much darker in coloration than other members of the group. [5]

Status

This species has a restricted range, being found only on a single island. It is thought to be threatened by climate change, primarily due to more frequent major tropical cyclones (with the 2015 and 2019 cyclone seasons being thought to have been especially damaging), as well as increasing aridification of its habitat. It is also thought to be threatened by increasing unplanned development in the area, which may have further knock-on effects on the already-stressed ecosystem. [1]

Related Research Articles

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Socotra or Soqotra is an island of the Republic of Yemen in the Indian Ocean, under the de facto control of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council, a secessionist participant in Yemen’s ongoing civil war. Lying between the Guardafui Channel and the Arabian Sea and near major shipping routes, Socotra is the largest of the four islands in the Socotra archipelago. Since 2013, the archipelago constituted the Socotra Governorate.

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The desert pipistrelle is a species of vesper bat in the genus Hypsugo. It is found in Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Yemen. Some of the Arabian populations were previously regarded as a separate species, Hypsugo bodenheimeri, but the proposed differences between the two do not hold. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, rocky areas, and hot deserts.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big-eared pipistrelle</span> Species of bat

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Socotra Island xeric shrublands</span>

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The wildlife of Yemen is substantial and varied. Yemen is a large country in the southern half of the Arabian Peninsula with several geographic regions, each with a diversity of plants and animals adapted to their own particular habitats. As well as high mountains and deserts, there is a coastal plain and long coastline. The country has links with Europe and Asia, and the continent of Africa is close at hand. The flora and fauna have influences from all these regions and the country also serves as a staging post for migratory birds.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Waldien, D.L. (2020). "Hypsugo lanzai". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020: e.T85202881A85202890. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T85202881A85202890.en . Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  2. 1 2 "Explore the Database". www.mammaldiversity.org. Retrieved 2022-02-03.
  3. "Endemic Fauna - SOCOTRA.CZ". www.socotra.cz. Retrieved 2022-02-03.
  4. "Yemen Endemic Mammals Checklist". lntreasures.com. Retrieved 2022-02-03.
  5. 1 2 Benda, Petr; Al-Jumaily, Masaa M.; Reiter, Antonìn; Nasher, Abdul Karim (2010-09-24). "Noteworthy records of bats from Yemen with description of a new species from Socotra". Hystrix, the Italian Journal of Mammalogy. 22 (1). doi:10.4404/hystrix-22.1-4473. ISSN   0394-1914.
  6. "ITIS - Report: Hypsugo lanzai". www.itis.gov. Retrieved 2022-02-03.