New bat species Harpiola isodon discovered in Mizoram
Guwahati: A new species of golden-haired tube-nosed bat, Harpiola isodon, has been discovered at two locations in Mizoram, pushing the total number of bat species in India to 136.
According to a study published Wednesday in the zoological journal Zootaxa, the discovery is based on morphometric and genetic analyses of a recently captured specimen from Mizoram, extending the bat’s known eastward range by over 1,000 km.
The Harpiola isodon, distinguished by its striking golden-tipped fur and unique tube-like nostrils, has a forearm length of 32–36 mm. The specimen was collected in March this year from Hmuifang village in Aizawl district by bat researcher Uttam Saikia of the Shillong branch of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), as part of a systematic assessment of Mizoram’s bat population.
Saikia collaborated with international experts — Gabor Csorba from the Hungarian Natural History Museum, Manuel Ruedi from the Natural History Museum of Geneva, and Rohit Chakravarty of the Nature Conservation Foundation — to conduct a detailed comparative study of the specimen. DNA analysis, along with comparisons to museum specimens abroad, confirmed the bat’s identity as Harpiola isodon.
The researchers also studied an older specimen from Sairep village in Lunglei district, preserved in the ZSI’s Kolkata collection, and confirmed it belonged to the same species.
First discovered in Taiwan in 2006, the golden-haired tube-nosed bat has since been reported in select areas of southern China and Vietnam. The species, typically found in mountain forests, is likely present in suitable habitats across Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and Myanmar. Its discovery in northeastern India extends its known westward range by more than 1,000 km.
“This finding highlights the rich biodiversity of northeastern India and emphasizes the need for further research in this ecologically significant region, which encompasses two global biodiversity hotspots,” said Dhriti Banerjee, Director of the Zoological Survey of India.