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Abstract:
We report on the results of a bat survey of the Pic de Fon, Simandou Range, southeastern Guinea. This bat survey was part of a larger Rapid Assessment Program (RAP) study conducted by Conservation International in an area currently explored for iron-ore mining by an international company. We document a speciose bat assemblage characterised by forest species, including bats such as Epomops buettikoferi, Rhinolophus guineensis and Hipposideros jonesi that are endemic to Upper Guinea or West Africa. The sympatric occurence of three species of Kerivoula is noteworthy, with K. phalaena representing the first record for Guinea. Moreover, three individuals of Welwitsch's mouse-eared bat, Myotis welwitschii, were captured during the survey. This is the first record for West Africa and represents a range extension of minimally 3400 km to the northwest from the nearest known localities. We review the distribution of this species in Africa and conclude that the species shows a paramontane distribution pattern (sensu Koopman, 1983). We also report M. welwitschii for the first time from Burundi. Our results of the RAP survey as well as the occurrence of bat species that are endemic to the Upper Guinea Highlands highlight the outstanding regional importance of the montane habitats of West Africa in general, and of the Simandou Range in particular for the conservation of bats in Africa.
