2022 Volume 62 Issue 2 Pages 239-245
To date, Endo’s pipistrelle (Pipistrellus endoi) had not been recorded, in Kyushu District. To confirm the bat fauna, particularly whether P. endoi occurred, we performed a capture survey using mist nets in Yamaemura, Kumamoto Prefecture, in August 2021. Two bats were captured, one of which was identified as Myotis macrodactylus. The other bat which could not be identified was used as a specimen, which was considered to be either P. abramus or P. endoi. Measurements showed that the tragus of the specimen was wider than that of P. abramus. The upper first incisor was significantly longer than the upper second incisor. The upper second premolar of the specimen was larger than that of P. abramus, and the lower canine was smaller than that of P. abramus. The skull measurements of the specimen were the same as those of P. endoi in Honshu. The shape of the baculum of the specimen was similar to that of P. endoi in Honshu, and the length of the baculum was 9 mm, which was shorter than that of P. abramus. On the basis of these results, the specimen was identified as P. endoi. The results of principal component analysis for the 15 skull measurements of both species, including the present specimen, also indicated that the specimen was within the range of P. endoi, and skull shapes differed between the two species. Furthermore, phylogenetic analyses based on mitochondrial CO1 sequences showed that the specimen belonged to a different genetic lineage than P. abramus.
