The Japanese long-eared bat (Plecotus sacrimontis) is a species of vesper bat endemic to Japan, where it is found in Hokkaido, Honshu and Shikoku. It has distinctive, long ears, hence its Japanese name, the 'rabbit bat'. Formerly included as a subspecies of the European bat Plecotus auritus, genetic studies now indicate Plecotus sacrimontis is a separate species.[2]
| Japanese Long-eared Bat | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Family: | Vespertilionidae |
| Genus: | Plecotus |
| Species: | P. sacrimontis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Plecotus sacrimontis G. M. Allen, 1908
| |
| Synonyms | |
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Taxonomy and etymology
editIt was described as a new species in 1908 by American zoologist Glover Morrill Allen. The holotype had been collected in December 1906 by Alan Owston on Mount Fuji. Allen received the specimen from Thomas Barbour. Allen noted that it resembled the brown long-eared bat, Plecotus auritus.[3] Its species name "sacrimontis" is from Latin sacer meaning "sacred" and mons meaning "mountain."[4]
In 1929, Nikolay Alekseyevich Bobrinski published that he considered P. sacrimontis as a synonym of P. auritus. In 1938, Allen himself expressed doubts about P. sacrimontis as a species, saying "Bobrinski...is very likely right in believing the name a synonym of P. auritus."[5] In 1942, George Henry Hamilton Tate published that he considered P. sacrimontis as a subspecies of P. auritus, with a trinomen of P. auritus sacrimontis.[6] This was largely maintained until 2006, when Spitzenberger et al. revised the genus Plecotus. They found that P. sacrimontis had a high genetic distance from other Plecotus species, and thus determined that it should be considered a full species rather than a subspecies of P. auritus.[7]
Description
editIt has woolly fur and a "mask" of darker fur on its face.[7]
Range and habitat
editIts range includes several islands of Japan, including Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Rebun, and Rishiri. It is also found on the Kuril Islands, specifically Iturup and Kunashir.[1] It has been documented at a range of elevations from 700–1,700 m (2,300–5,600 ft) above sea level.[1]
Conservation
editAs of 2019, it is evaluated as a least-concern species by the IUCN.[1]
References
edit
- ^ a b c d Fukui, D.; Sano, A. (2019). "Plecotus sacrimontis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T136664A21988235. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T136664A21988235.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ Ohdachi, Satoshi D. I; Ishibashi, Yasuyuki; Iwasa, Masahiro A.; Saitoh, Takashi (2009): The Wild Mammals of Japan, Shoukadoh, Kyoto, ISBN 978-4-87974-626-9 C0645
- ^ Allen, G. M. (1908). "Notes on Chiroptera". Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College. 52: 50–51.
- ^ Lamboj, A.; Pichler, C. (2012). "On the validity of Pelvicachromis sacrimontis Paulo, 1977 (Perciformes, Cichlidae), with designation of a neotype, and redescription of the species". Zootaxa. 3436 (1): 61–68. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3436.1.5.
- ^ Allen, Glover M. (1938). "The mammals of China and Mongolia". pt.1. American Museum of Natural History: 258–260. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.12195.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ Tate, G. H. H. (1942). Review of the vespertilionine bats, with special attention to genera and species of the Archbold collections. American Museum of Natural History. p. 231. hdl:2246/1783.
- ^ a b Spitzenberger, Friederike; Strelkov, Petr P.; Winkler, Hans; Haring, Elisabeth (2006). "A preliminary revision of the genus Plecotus (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae) based on genetic and morphological results". Zoologica Scripta. 35 (3): 187–230. doi:10.1111/j.1463-6409.2006.00224.x. S2CID 86065200.