TAKE A PEEK: Nalamalla dusky round-leaf bat.

HYDERABAD: Bat biologists from the twin cities have discovered new sub-species of bats in the dense forests of Nalamalla.

The discovery by the husband-and-wife team of C. Srinivasulu and Bhargavi Srinivasulu from the Osmania University Zoology Department had been featured in a report published in Zoos' Print Journal, a journal on zoo and wildlife networks of South Asia, in May 2005. The bat is named `Nalamalla dusky round-leaf bat' with a scientific name of `Hipposideros ater Nallamalensis.' Researchers managed to catch two specimens of the sub-species that are going to be a permanent feature in the Zoology Department.

Extensive survey

The Nalamalla hills stretching across five districts is renowned for its rich biodiversity with 74 species of mammals and a whopping 302 species of birds. The researchers who conducted extensive survey of the diverse ecosystems prevalent in the Nalamalla forests for over six years point out that they have compared the new specimen with other species of bats in South-East Asian countries, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

"Skull measurements and appearance of these bats had neither been defined in the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) records nor recorded in the earlier surveys in India and South-East Asian countries and elsewhere," says Dr. Srinivasulu.

Saving bio-diversity

The researchers also found evidence of survival of another rare species of bats in the Nalamalla that were not seen in the forests since 1890. "Cantors leaf-nosed bat was last seen when ZSI researchers conducted a survey in the caves of Nalamalla. We have managed to find two specimens of the mammal," says Dr. Bhargavi, adding that the fauna of the Nalamalla forests is so diverse that there is every possibility of finding new sub-species among reptiles, too, if research is taken up.

Leaf-nosed bats are in the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) red list. Researchers point out that discovery of this species will go a long way in protecting mammals and also bio-diversity in the Nalamalla forests. "There is every possibility that several other species of reptiles and bird species which hitherto have been considered to be extinct are thriving in this eco-system.

It is of paramount importance for us to protect this diverse eco-system," surmises the research duo.

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