The Diversity and Status of Bats in Quarry Cave, Poblacion, Kitaotao Bukidnon, Philippines

Bats are mammals under Order Chiroptera, Greek for “hand wing”. They are fur-bodied flying mammals whose ears are very important for food hunting and survival. They are believed to be the source of SARS-Cov-2 Virus which caused the Global Pandemic faced today. The present study investigated the species of bats in Quarry Cave, its external features, diversity and conservation status. A purposive sampling design was used by setting-up nets. The external features of each species were noted and morphometric data were recorded. Captured bats were identified, classified and describe using the Ingle and Heaney (1992) taxonomic guide. Shannon diversity index was used to compute the diversity of bats in the study area. The IUCN 4 version 3.1 (2015) was used to for the updated conservation status of the bats observed. As a result, there were two (2) species of bats coming from two (2) families captured in the study area: Miniopterus schreibersii and Hipposideros diadema from Vespertilionidae and Rhinolophidae, respectively. The two (2) species of bats captured exhibits easy to distinguish features especially the morphology of the nose and the body size. The diversity of bats species in the area is noted to be less diverse. Miniopterus schreibersii has a conservation status of vulnerable while Hipposideros diadema is a bat species with less concern conservation status. Moreover, the results of the present study imply a more rigid studies and investigations on bats species in the area to further contribute to the existing biodiversity data on flora and fauna in Mindanao.

Keywords: Bat Biodiversity, Conservation, cave-dwelling bats, fur-bodied mammals