Matskási István (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 86. (Budapest 1994)

Csorba, G. ; Topál, Gy.: First record and taxonomic status of Megaderma lyra from Vietnam (Mammalia, Chiroptera)

ANNALES HISTORICO-NATURALES MUSEI NATIONALIS HUNGARICI Tomus 86. Budapest, 1994 p. 125-132 First record and taxonomic status of Megaderma lyra from Vietnam (Mammalia, Chiroptera)* by G. CSORBA & Gy. TOPÁL, Budapest CSORBA, G. & TOPÁL, Gy. (1994): First record and taxonomic status of Megaderma lyra from Vietnam (Mammalia. Chiroptera). - Annls hist.-nat. Mus. natn. hung. 1994, 86: 125-132. Abstract - The description and morphometric characteristics of the recently discovered Vietnamese population of Megaderma lyra sinensis, in comparison with the Indian subspecies M. lyra lyra is given. With 8 figures and 2 tables. INTRODUCTION The family of false vampires (Megadermatidae) consists of 5 species, two of which occur in the Oriental Region (CORBET & HILL 1991, KOOPMAN 1993). The larger oriental species, Megaderma lyra GEOFFROY, 1810, differs from Megaderma spasmo by its longer forearm, short and broad tragus, deep prenasal notch and smaller postorbital process. Because of these differences M. lyra has been placed in a separate subgenus, Lyroderma (LEKAGUL & MCNEELY 1977). According to ANDERSEN & WROUGHTON (1907), the species (under the generic name Eucheira) can be divided into two subspecies, E. lyra lyra and E. lyra caurina, both of which are found in and near the Indian Peninsula, and the specimens derived from South China (characterized by larger skull and narrower prenasal notch) belong to a different species, E. sinensis. Since the differences are very slight between E. lyra lyra and E. lyra caurina, we agree with BROSSÉT (1962) and SlNHA (1970, 1977) who recognised only the nominate subspecies M. lyra lyra in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. E. sinensis is generally accepted as a subspecies of M. lyra (ELLERMANN & MORRISON-SCOTT 1951) and distributed in South China, Burma, Thailand and Malaysia. The area of M. lyra was figured by LEKAGUL & MCNEELY (1977), but with some inaccuracy, since the species is living in Pakistan (ROBERTS 1977), in Afghanistan (GAISLER 1970) and until very recently there was no record of M. lyra from Vietnam. MATERIALS AND METHODS During the intensive zoological investigations by the Hungarian Natural History Museum in Vietnam, the first two specimens of Megaderma lyra were obtained from local children. The roosting bats were caught by hand at daytime in the Hang Neo (Anchor Cave), 4 km E of Duom (Bac Thai Province), in 26 May, 1987. For description of the collecting trip see MATSKÁSI, OLÁH & TOPÁL (1989). The cave is situated at ground level of a beautiful limestone rock at the elevation of 110 m a.s.l., surrounded by agricultural fields. Six years later one of us (G. CSORBA) also visited the very same cave, and collected bats on two occasions (28 November and 1 December, 1993) by mist-net, at the two entrances of the cave. The five specimens of M. lyra were netted together with Rhinolophus pusillus and Rhinolophus marslialli. The estimated number of the whole population of M. lyra was about 30-40 specimens, and the sex ratio of the captured animals was 4 : 1 for the males (five other bats of this species were released). All the samples of the subspecies Megaderma lyra lyra are derived from India, collected by GY. TOPÁL. External and cranial measurements of 31 specimens of Megaderma lyra were used for this study. All the materials are deposited in the Hungarian Natural History Museum. List of the study material with serial numbers and collecting localities are as follows (f - female, m = male): Hungarian zoological studies in Vietnam No. 19.