Rare woolly bat discovered in Meghalaya, first Indian record of Kerivoula titania

In a significant discovery underscoring the rich and largely unexplored biodiversity of Northeast India, researchers have recorded Titania’s woolly bat (Kerivoula titania) in Meghalaya, marking the first confirmed record of the species in India.

The finding, from the Khasi Hills of Meghalaya, extends the known geographical range of this elusive bat westward by nearly 500 kilometres and raises India’s bat diversity to 137 species. The discovery has been documented in a recent study published in the scientific journal Animal Taxonomy and Ecology.

The research was carried out by a team comprising Uttam Saikia, Manuel Ruedi, Rohit Chakravarty, Jennifer Lyngdoh, Rajib Goswami and Gábor Csorba. According to the study, a lone male specimen was captured during a field survey conducted in December 2024 in a community-owned forest near Thankharang village in the East Khasi Hills district, at an elevation of around 870 metres above sea level.

The bat was caught at approximately 7.30 pm using a two-bank harp trap placed across a narrow forest trail under dense canopy cover. To improve capture efficiency, the team used a specialised bat lure that replayed pre-recorded ultrasonic echolocation calls. The researchers said the specimen was handled in accordance with internationally accepted mammalogical and ethical research protocols.

Detailed examinations involving external morphology, craniodental measurements, echolocation call analysis, wing structure assessment and mitochondrial DNA sequencing confirmed the identity of the bat as Kerivoula titania. The study also reported the first-ever description of the species’ baculum, or penile bone, providing a key anatomical reference for future taxonomic and evolutionary studies.

For comparative analysis, co-author Gábor Csorba examined the holotype along with 18 other specimens from Vietnam and Cambodia, further strengthening the identification. The study noted that Kerivoula titania was previously believed to be restricted to parts of Southeast Asia, including Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and China’s Yunnan province. Earlier records from Taiwan and Hainan were later found to be misidentifications of the closely related Kerivoula furva.

Phylogenetic analysis based on two mitochondrial genes placed Kerivoula titania in a distinct evolutionary clade, separate from the hardwickii species complex, a finding that was corroborated by the inclusion of the newly discovered Indian specimen.

Researchers say the discovery highlights the importance of continued biodiversity surveys in Northeast India, particularly in community-managed forests, which continue to yield species previously unknown from the country.