title: Geographical variation in echolocation call and body size of the Okinawan least horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus pumilus (Mammalia: Rhinolophidae), on Okinawa-jima Island, Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan.
abstract: The Okinawan least horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus pumilus, is a cave-dwelling species endemic to the central and southern Ryukyus, Japan. We analyzed variation in the constant frequency (CF) of the echolocation call and in forearm length (FAL) of this species on Okinawa-jima Island on the basis of data for 479 individuals from 11 caves scattered over the island. CF values in samples from six caves, all located in the southwestern half of Okinawa-jima, were significantly higher than those in samples from five caves in the northeastern half of the island. Also, FAL was significantly greater in the latter group than in the former group, although the ranges of variation in this character substantially overlapped between the two groups. These results suggest substantial differentiation between R. pumilus populations on Okinawa-jima. The implications of our findings for the conservation of this endangered bat species are briefly discussed.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Evolution and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of the Ryukyus, Nishihara, Okinawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Hajime
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yoshino
authors.forename: Sumiko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Matsumura
authors.forename: Kazumitsu
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kinjo
authors.forename: Hisao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tamura
authors.forename: Hidetoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ota
authors.forename: Masako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Izawa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D049628:Body Size / Q000502:physiology; D002685:Chiroptera / Q000502:physiology*; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D003710:Demography; D004455:Echolocation; D007564:Japan; D013018:Sound Spectrography; D013045:Species Specificity; D014828:Vocalization, Animal / Q000502:physiology*