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.
The new species have been found in only two areas in Thailand and one in Malaysia's Malay Peninsula, and two in the Malaysian state of Sabah on Borneo. The distribution of this species is expected to increase in the future as more reference specimens are studied.
In addition, this study also marks the first finding of “Hipposideros einnaythu” in Thailand, a species previously found only in Myanmar.