6 new species of bats. One was named after a biologist who tragically died
This news had to wait until Halloween evening. Scientists announced the discovery of 6 new species of bats.
The fearsome bats are strongly associated with Halloween, which is celebrated almost all over the world. As it turns out, 6 more species have just been discovered in the Philippines, which will join the 79 previously confirmed in this country.
Philippines. 6 new species of bats discovered
The six new species are Murina alvarezi, Murina baletei, Murina hilonghilong, Murina luzonensis, Murina mindorensis and Murina philippinensis. They all weigh from 4 to 14 g and are classified as insectivorous tubenose fish, easily recognized by the skin tubes on their nostrils.
Murina alvarezi was named in memory of James Alvarez. He was a young bat biologist from the University of the Philippines in Los Banos who died suddenly during field research in 2018. In turn, Murina baletei takes its name from the late Danilo “Danny” Balete. He is a respected Filipino scientist dealing with biodiversity.
Not easy to study hidden bats
Retired curator of mammals at the Field Museum, Dr. Lawrence Heaney, emphasized that the process of discovering new species was long and slow. Specimens for research had been collected since 1988, and their teeth, skull shape, fur color and other features were analyzed. Genetic analyzes were also performed.
The co-author of the success, Dr. Jodi Sedlock, pointed out the difficulty in studying tubenose fish, which lead a secretive lifestyle and are not easy to find and catch.
Scientists from the USA and Canada working at the Field Museum in Chicago, Lawrence University in Wisconsin and the Royal Ontario Museum were responsible for the research. They reported their discovery in the scientific journal “Zootaxa”.
