Otomops wroughtoni

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	MAMMALIA	CHIROPTERA	MOLOSSIDAE

Scientific Name:

Otomops wroughtoni

Species Authority:

(Thomas, 1913)

Common Name/s:

English

–

Wroughton's Free-tailed Bat, Wroughton's Giant Mastiff Bat

Synonym/s:

Nyctinomus wroughtoni Thomas, 1913

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Data Deficient ver 3.1

Year Published:

2008

Assessor/s:

Francis, C., Bates, P. & Molur, S.

Reviewer/s:

Hutson, A.M., Racey, P.A. (Chiroptera Red List Authority) & Cox, N. (Global Mammal Assessment Team)

Contributor/s:

Justification:
This species is listed as Data Deficient due to little knowledge of taxonomy, population size, distribution, ecology and threats. Until very recently this species was only known from one locality in India. In the last three years it has been recorded from a site in northern India and a site in Cambodia suggesting a much larger range than previously thought.

History:

2000	–	Critically Endangered
1996	–	Critically Endangered (Baillie and Groombridge 1996)
1996	–	Critically Endangered
1994	–	Vulnerable (Groombridge 1994)

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	This species is known from only three disjunct sites in India and Cambodia. In India, the species has been recorded from the type locality of Barapede Cave near Talewadi, Belagavi district, in Karnataka (Bates and Harrison 1997), and more recently from Phrang Karuh Cave, near Nongtrai village, Shella confederacy, Meghalaya (Thabah and Bates 2002). In Cambodia, it is known only from a recent collection in Chhep District, Preah Vihear Province (Walston and Bates 2001). It has been recorded from an elevation of 140 to 800 m (Bates and Harrison 1997).
Countries:	Native: Cambodia; India
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	Ramakrishna et al. (2003) describe the colony in Barapede cave as numbering approximately 70+ individuals. They also state that females have been recorded carrying one foetus/young. Thabah and Bates (2002) report one specimen captured outside the Phrang Karuh cave in Meghalaya, India. Walston and Bates (2001) report a single bat captured in Cambodia. The population in Barapede Cave seems to fluctuate between 40 and 100 as reported by different workers, while the population numbers and trends in the two new locations are unknown.
Population Trend:	Unknown

Population:

Ramakrishna et al. (2003) describe the colony in Barapede cave as numbering approximately 70+ individuals. They also state that females have been recorded carrying one foetus/young. Thabah and Bates (2002) report one specimen captured outside the Phrang Karuh cave in Meghalaya, India. Walston and Bates (2001) report a single bat captured in Cambodia. The population in Barapede Cave seems to fluctuate between 40 and 100 as reported by different workers, while the population numbers and trends in the two new locations are unknown.

Population Trend:

Unknown

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	The Barapede cave is located on a plateau above a moist deciduous forested valley at 800 m with high humidity inside (Alfred et al. 2006). The bats were found to live in small groups of 2 to 15 individuals both sexes in crevices throughout the cave (Bates and Harrison 1997, Alfred et al. 2006). The cave where a specimen was captured in north-east India is likewise situated on the edge of a plateau at 170 m in a tropical semi-evergreen forest and near cultivated areas (Thabah and Bates 2002). Walston and Bates (2001) report a single bat captured in lowland degraded mixed deciduous forest (nearby one of the few semi-evergreen patches in the area) at 140 m in Cambodia.
Systems:	Terrestrial

Habitat and Ecology:

The Barapede cave is located on a plateau above a moist deciduous forested valley at 800 m with high humidity inside (Alfred et al. 2006). The bats were found to live in small groups of 2 to 15 individuals both sexes in crevices throughout the cave (Bates and Harrison 1997, Alfred et al. 2006). The cave where a specimen was captured in north-east India is likewise situated on the edge of a plateau at 170 m in a tropical semi-evergreen forest and near cultivated areas (Thabah and Bates 2002). Walston and Bates (2001) report a single bat captured in lowland degraded mixed deciduous forest (nearby one of the few semi-evergreen patches in the area) at 140 m in Cambodia.

Systems:

Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	The species is threatened from tourism, human interference and collections for scientific purposes (Molur et al. 2002). The habitat close to the Barapede cave is threatened from submergence due to a proposed dam and from ongoing mining activities (Molur et al. 2002). The spread of alien plants species Prosopis sp. at the cave mouth is a visible hindrance to bat activities (M.S. Pradhan pers. comm. February 2003). Threats to the species at the two recently discovered new localities are not known.

Major Threat(s):

The species is threatened from tourism, human interference and collections for scientific purposes (Molur et al. 2002). The habitat close to the Barapede cave is threatened from submergence due to a proposed dam and from ongoing mining activities (Molur et al. 2002). The spread of alien plants species Prosopis sp. at the cave mouth is a visible hindrance to bat activities (M.S. Pradhan pers. comm. February 2003). Threats to the species at the two recently discovered new localities are not known.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	The two known cave localities within India are not in protected areas (S. Molur pers. comm. 2008). The species is included in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act amended 2006 (S. Molur pers. comm. 2008). This species has been proposed to receive the highest level of protection under Cambodian wildlife law (Walston and Bates 2001). Further survey work to determine population numbers and range is required for this species. Also genetic evaluation of all known populations of this species and other Otomops would lead to a better understanding of their taxonomy and distribution.

Conservation Actions:

The two known cave localities within India are not in protected areas (S. Molur pers. comm. 2008). The species is included in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act amended 2006 (S. Molur pers. comm. 2008). This species has been proposed to receive the highest level of protection under Cambodian wildlife law (Walston and Bates 2001). Further survey work to determine population numbers and range is required for this species. Also genetic evaluation of all known populations of this species and other Otomops would lead to a better understanding of their taxonomy and distribution.

Citation:	Francis, C., Bates, P. & Molur, S. 2008. Otomops wroughtoni. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 23 May 2013.
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