| Hardwicke's woolly bat | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| 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, and the ears are approximately 11–15 millimeters. 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]
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 ampullaria is a very distinctive and widespread species of tropical pitcher plant, present in Borneo, the Maluku Islands, New Guinea, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra, and Thailand.
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. Non-climbing plants from the Hose Mountains appear to have less decurrent leaf attachment than specimens from Central Kalimantan, however the characteristic saddle after which the species is named is fully developed in climbing plants. Nepenthes ephippiata is closely related to N. lowii.
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 hispida is a tropical pitcher plant species native to Borneo. It grows at elevations of 100 to 800 m in kerangas forest. It is known with certainty only from Lambir Hills National Park and surrounding areas.
Nepenthes vogelii is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Borneo. It is thought to be most closely related to N. fusca.
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.
"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 attenboroughii, or Attenborough's pitcher plant, is a montane species of carnivorous pitcher plant of the genus Nepenthes. It is named after the celebrated broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough, who is a keen enthusiast of the genus. The species is characterised by its large and distinctive bell-shaped lower and upper pitchers and narrow, upright lid. The type specimen of N. attenboroughii was collected on the summit of Mount Victoria, an ultramafic mountain in central Palawan, the Philippines.
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.
