Importance of Mangroves for Bat Research and Conservation: A Case Study from Vietnam with Notes on Echolocation of <i>Myotis hasselti</i>
Vu Dinh Thong,
Annette Denzinger,
Vu Long,
Nguyen Van Sang,
Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen,
Nguyen Hoang Thien,
Nguyen Khanh Luong,
Le Quang Tuan,
Nguyen Manh Ha,
Nguyen Thanh Luong,
Hans-Ulrich Schnitzler
Affiliations
Vu Dinh Thong
Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet Road, Cau Giay District, Hanoi 11307, Vietnam
Annette Denzinger
Animal Physiology, Institute for Neurobiology, Faculty of Science, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany
Vu Long
Center for Biodiversity Conservation and Endangered Species (CBES), Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations, 541 Nguyen Duy Trinh Street, Binh Trung Dong Ward, Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City 70042, Vietnam
Nguyen Van Sang
Faculty of Biological Sciences, VNU University of Sciences, Vietnam National University, 334 Nguyen Trai Road, Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi 11416, Vietnam
Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen
Faculty of Biological Sciences, VNU University of Sciences, Vietnam National University, 334 Nguyen Trai Road, Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi 11416, Vietnam
Nguyen Hoang Thien
Center for Biodiversity Conservation and Endangered Species (CBES), Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations, 541 Nguyen Duy Trinh Street, Binh Trung Dong Ward, Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City 70042, Vietnam
Nguyen Khanh Luong
Center for Biodiversity Conservation and Endangered Species (CBES), Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations, 541 Nguyen Duy Trinh Street, Binh Trung Dong Ward, Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City 70042, Vietnam
Le Quang Tuan
Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet Road, Cau Giay District, Hanoi 11307, Vietnam
Nguyen Manh Ha
Department of Biology, Vinh Phuc High School for Gifted Students, Dinh Trung Ward, Vinh Yen City 15111, Vietnam
Nguyen Thanh Luong
Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet Road, Cau Giay District, Hanoi 11307, Vietnam
Hans-Ulrich Schnitzler
Animal Physiology, Institute for Neurobiology, Faculty of Science, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany
Mangrove ecosystems play important ecological roles, including the mitigation of global climate change and biodiversity conservation. However, they have received little attention from scientists for the research and conservation of bats and general biodiversity. In Vietnam, bat species inhabiting mangroves have been relatively unstudied, while this ecosystem is located along the country’s coastal zones and has declined dramatically due to the development of agriculture, wind energy and other threats. To initially fill this gap, five bat surveys were conducted between September 2019 and November 2021 within Ha Long Bay and Ben Tre province, which contain representative mangrove areas of northern and southern regions of Vietnam, respectively. Bats were captured using mist nets, mobile nets and hand nets. Their echolocation calls were recorded and analyzed using the PCTape system and Selena software, respectively. Five species were captured and recorded: Cynopterus brachyotis, Macroglossus minimus, Myotis hasselti, Myotis pilosus and Taphozous melanopogon. They are all new to both Ha Long Bay and Ben Tre province. Four species (C. brachyotis, M. minimus, M. hasselti and M. pilosus) have been rarely documented from other ecosystems in Vietnam but have commonly been recorded and captured in mangrove areas. Of these species, M. pilosus is a globally “Vulnerable” species. While searching for prey, Myotis hasselti emitted high energy echolocation calls sweeping from about 96 to about 24 kHz with a signal duration of about 5 ms. This species sometimes uses social calls of a horseshoe-shaped structure, which last about 15 ms and are emitted about 26 ms in front of a search call. Results from our surveys indicated the importance and potential of mangroves for bat research and conservation.
