Maputo — A species of bat, previously unknown to science, has been discovered in Mozambique's Gorongosa National Park, in the central province of Sofala.
A study published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnaean Society describes three new species of bats from southern Africa. One, with the scientific name Rhinolophus Gorongosae, is believed to occur only in Gorongosa National Park, and possibly on nearby Mount Mecula.
It is a horseshoe bat, but found to be genetically and morphologically distinct from neighbouring horseshoe bat populations. Weighing just five grams it is the smallest horseshoe bat known in Africa.
The other two new species are also found in Mozambique. Rhinolophus Rhodesiae has been confirmed to be a distinct species found in northern Mozambique and elsewhere in southern Africa.
The third species, Rhinolophus lobatus, is not exactly new. It was once believed to be identical to the west African bat R. Landeri, but further research has revealed that it is a separate species unique to Mozambique and South Africa. It now replaces R. Landeri on the species list for Mozambique.
One of the co-authors of the study, Jen Guyton, who is a Princeton =READ MORE
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