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BOKAKHAT: Under the leadership of Dr. Uttam Saikia, a scientist at the Zoological Survey of India (Shillong centre), a team of researchers has, for the first time in the country, discovered the Golden-haired Tube-nosed Bat from Mizoram. This discovery, published in the journal Zootaxa, extends the known distribution range of the species to India, increasing its range by more than 1,000 km.
The Golden-haired Tube-nosed Bat (Harpiocephalus harpia) belongs to the family Vespertilionidae (evening bats). It is a small and rare species, distinguished by its unique tubular-shaped nostrils and golden-yellow fur, making it both unusual and visually striking compared to many other bat species.
Previously, the Golden-haired Tube-nosed Bat was recorded only in parts of Southeast Asia and China. In India, only its close relative, the Harpiocephalus griseus, had been reported, with its distribution restricted to the Western Himalayas. Dr. Uttam Saikia captured this unusual bat in the forests of Murlen, Aizawl district, Mizoram. The specimen underwent morphometric and DNA studies, and comparative analyses were conducted with samples from Taiwan and China in collaboration with international scientists. Re-examining earlier Mizoram records further confirmed that the bat found in Mizoram was indeed the Golden-haired Tube-nosed Bat.
Dr. Saikia received support in identification from Gábor Csorba (Hungarian Natural History Museum), Manuel Ruedi (Natural History Museum, Geneva), and Rohit Chakravarty (Nature Conservation Foundation). The team also examined an old bat specimen preserved in the Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, which had originally been collected from Chairep village in Lunglei district, Mizoram, and confirmed that it too belonged to this species.
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