Kerivoula papillosa
Common name: The Papillose Woolly Bat
The current distribution of Kerivoula papillosa looks quite patchy, but this species is hard to catch without harp traps so it may be more common than we think.
Note the long fluffy fur and the funnel-shaped ears with the long pointed tragus, all characteristics of the Kerivoula
Physical Description
Fur: Like all of the Kerivoula, or woolly bats, Kerivoula papillosa has long fluffy fur which is a light brown to fawn color on the upper parts, and slightly paler on the underparts.
Ear: The ears are large and funnel-shaped, another characteristic of the Kerivoula, and the tragus, inside the ear, is very long and pointed. Unlike the closely-related Phoniscus there is no notch at the base of the tragus.
Nose: The nose is simple, and the skin on the muzzle a brownish pink.
Tail: The tail is very long and the tail membrane large. The bat uses this tail membrane partly to help it brake during flight, but it also acts as a sort of scoop that helps the bat to catch insects. After successfully catching an insect, the bat will duck its head down and grab it from the tail membrane scoop with its mouth.
Wings: The wings are brown, and broad and rounded, so this species is very manoeuvrable in the forest despite its relatively large size.
Size: This is the largest Kerivoula that we catch in the reserve. The average forearm is about 41 mm, and the average weight just under 9 g.
Ecology
Found in primary forests of all altitudes. From radio-tracking studies at Krau Wildlife Reserve, we know that this species commonly roosts in hollows or in standing live trees. The trees themselves are usually quite small in diameter (4-15 cm at breast height) and usually less than 20 m height. The bats enter the hollow through quite small entrances, although the hollow inside can be quite long. Both males and females were found roosting solitarily and in mixed-sex groups of two to seven individuals, and it is quite common for individual bats to switch roosts every few days.
Radio-tracking has also been used to follow the bats when they forage at night. They stay relatively close to the roost –doing most of their foraging for insects within 100-300 m of the roost and resting at night roosts for part of the night.
A small radio-transmitter is attached to the back of the back (top right), and the signal followed to a roost. Kerivoula papillosa often roosts in the hollows of relatively small trees. Once the roost tree has been found, an assistant will climb the tree (left) to locate the entrance (bottom right) and confirm that the bat is in the roost.
Where they can be found
North East India, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and Borneo.
