PSU discovers new species of bat “Hipposideros kingstonae”
Dr. Pipat Soisook, researcher at the Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Natural History Museum, and Ms. Putita Wongwaiyut, graduate student at the PSU Faculty of Science, along with the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation and bat researchers from seven institutions around the world, discovered and identified a new species of bat in the family Hipposideridae. The new species was discovered in the area of Hala Bala Forest and Toh Daeng Swamp Forest in Narathiwat. The full name of “Hipposideros kingstonae” was chosen in honor of Dr. Tigga Kingston, founder of the Southeast Asian Bat Conservation Research Unit (SEABCRU), and leader of the Global Union of Bat Diversity Networks (GBatNet). The Thai common name of the new species is ค้างคาวหน้ายักษ์เล็กสีเขม่า (smoky-colored giant-faced bat), by its physical features.