MicroCT imaging reveals morphometric baculum differences for discriminating the cryptic species Pipistrellus pipistrellus and P. pygmaeus ...

• Main Authors: Herdina, Anna Nele, Hulva, Pavel, Horáček, Ivan, Benda, Petr, Mayer, Christine, Hilgers, Helge, Metscher, Brian D.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Zenodo 2014
• Subjects: Biodiversity; Mammalia; Chiroptera; Chordata; Animalia; bats; bat; Pipistrellus pipistrellus
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13457178; https://zenodo.org/doi/10.5281/zenodo.13457178

(Uploaded by Plazi for the Bat Literature Project) With the recent and continuing discovery of further cryptic bat species, it is essential to find morphological species discriminating characters. Pipistrellus pipistrellus (common pipistrelle) and Pipistrellus pygmaeus (soprano pipistrelle) have been recognized as separate species since 1997, but no reliable morphological species discriminating trait has yet been found. The most commonly used morphological species discrimination traits are 'wing vein' pattern and shape and color of the penis, but these have not been validated on sets of genetically identified specimens. The baculum (os penis) has long been used successfully in species discrimination in bats and other mammals. In this study, we tested the reliability of the established traits and demonstrated how to reliably separate the common pipistrelle and the soprano pipistrelle by simple baculum measurements. The bacula of museum specimens of these two species and of Pipistrellus hanaki were imaged with ...