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TINSUKIA: A study by researchers from the Zoological Survey of India in Shillong, along with scientists from other Indian institutes and the Hungarian Natural History Museum, has found two bat species, Glischropus bucephalus and Myotis indochinensis, in India for the first time.
The discoveries, based on specimens collected from the northeastern state of Mizoram, significantly extend the known distribution of both species from Southeast Asia into South Asia and highlight the rich but understudied biodiversity of the region.
The study was published in the journal Animal Taxonomy and Ecology. The findings come from detailed field surveys led by ZSI scientist Dr Uttam Saikia, which took place in Mizoram from 2023 to 2025 as part of ongoing efforts to study the bat species in North Eastern India.
Until now, Glischropus bucephalus, commonly known as Indo-Chinese thick-thumbed bat, was known only from parts of Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Myanmar. The present record from Chhiahtlang in Serchhip district of Mizoram extends its known range approximately 670 kilometres westward from its previously known westernmost locality in Myanmar.
Similarly, Myotis indochinensis, commonly called the Indo-Chinese mouse-eared bat, was previously known from Vietnam, Laos, and southern China. The discovery from Reiek in Mizoram extends its distribution by nearly 1,300 kilometres westward, representing a major expansion of its known geographic range.
According to Dr Uttam Saikia, the lead researcher of the study, the discoveries demonstrate how much remains unknown about the mammalian diversity of the region. "Northeast India lies at the junction of the Indian and Southeast Asian biogeographic realms. Continued exploration in this region is revealing species and distribution patterns that were previously overlooked, leading to the need for more intensive biodiversity surveys," he said. With these current additions, the country's known bat diversity expands to at least 138 species.
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