''Paratriaenops pauliani'' is a species of

bat Bats are flying mammals of the order Chiroptera (). With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most birds, flying with their very long spread-out ...

in the family

Hipposideridae The Hipposideridae are a family (biology), family of bats commonly known as the Old World leaf-nosed bats. While it has often been seen as a subfamily, Hipposiderinae, of the family Rhinolophidae, it is now more generally classified as its own fa ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

Aldabra Atoll Aldabra, the world's second-largest coral atoll (the largest is Kiritimati), is located east of the continent of Africa. It is part of the Aldabra Group of islands in the Indian Ocean that are part of the Outer Islands of the Seychelles, with a ...

of the western

Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (; Seychellois Creole: ), is an island country and archipelagic state consisting of 155 islands (as per the Constitution) in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, Victoria, ...

, where it was found on Picard Island. It was formerly considered to be part of the species '' Triaenops furculus'', known from

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

, and was initially assigned as a new species within the genus ''

Triaenops ''Triaenops'' is a genus of bat in the family Rhinonycteridae. It is classified in the tribe Triaenopini, along with the closely related genus ''Paratriaenops'' and perhaps the poorly known ''Cloeotis''. The species of ''Paratriaenops'', which oc ...

''. Later it as well as ''T. furculus'' were placed in the separate genus ''

Paratriaenops ''Paratriaenops'' is a genus in the bat family Hipposideridae. It is classified in the tribe Triaenopini, along with the closely related genus ''Triaenops'' and perhaps the poorly known '' Cloeotis''. The species of ''Paratriaenops'' were placed ...

''. A related species, ''

Paratriaenops auritus Grandidier's trident bat (''Paratriaenops auritus'') is a species of bat in the family Hipposideridae endemic to Madagascar. It was formerly assigned to the genus ''Triaenops'', but is now placed in the separate genus ''Paratriaenops''. Taxonomy ...

'', also of Madagascar, was similarly reassigned. While its conservation status has not been formally assessed, given its small range and presumed small population, it is thought to be precarious, possibly

critically endangered An IUCN Red List critically endangered (CR or sometimes CE) species is one that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. As of December 2023, of t ...

. Reports of ''P. pauliani'' from

Cosmoledo Atoll Cosmoledo Atoll is an atoll of the Aldabra Group and belongs to the Outer Islands of the Seychelles, and is located southwest of the capital, Victoria, on Mahé Island. History The name ''Cosmoledo'' honours António (or Antão) Gonçalves Cos ...

east of Aldabra are believed to be erroneous descriptions of individuals actually collected on Picard Island.

References

Mammals described in 2008 Paratriaenops Bats of Africa {{Bat-stub

See also

References