Miniopterus pusillus
Small Long-fingered Bat; Lesser Bent-winged Bat
Morphological description Life history Distribution Habitat Roost sites and roosting patterns Emergence and flight pattern Foraging behaviour Echolocation calls Status and protection
Photo: Chung-tong Shek
Morphological Description
· Dark brown, paler below.
·Forearm length 39 - 43 mm (Shek 2006).
· Each wing has a highly developed second phalanx of the third finger.
· Body mass 7-10g.
· Smaller than M. fuliginosus.
Life history
· Little known.
Distribution
India, Nepal, Burma to Sumatra and Timor, Philippines, Moluccas (Simmons 2005). In China recorded from Hong Kong, Guangdong, Hainan and Yunnan (Smith & Xie 2008). Over 500 bats found at Lin Ma Hang abandoned mines in Hong Kong (Shek 2006).
Habitat
· Little known.
Roost sites and roosting behaviour
· Found in caves.
Emergence and flight pattern
· Narrow wings and a high wing loading and aspect ratio mean that this species flies rapidly and is not very manoeuvrable.
Foraging behaviour
· Little known.
Echolocation calls
. Not known.
Status and protection
· There is no estimation of population size for China.
· China RL - A2bc; B2ab (i,ii,iii). Globally Least Concern, population trend not known.
· Caves should be protected as their habitats.