Description
Book SynopsisThis revised edition of
Bats of Southern and Central Africa builds on the solid foundation of the first edition and supplements the original account of bat species then known to be found in Southern and Central Africa with an additional eight newly described species, bringing the total to 124.
The chapters on evolution, biogeography, ecology and echolocation have been updated, citing dozens of recently published papers. The book covers the latest systematic and taxonomic studies, ensuring that the names and relationships of bats in this new edition reflect current scientific knowledge.
The species accounts provide descriptions, measurements and diagnostic characters as well as detailed information about the distribution, habitat, roosting habits, foraging ecology and reproduction of each species. The updated species distribution maps are based on 6 100 recorded localities.
A special feature of the 2010 publication was the mode of identification of families, genera and species by way of character matrices rather than the more generally used dichotomous keys. Since then these matrices have been tested in the field and, where necessary, slightly altered for this edition. New photographs fill in gaps and updated sonograms aid with bat identification in acoustic surveys.
The bibliography, which now contains more than 700 entries, will be an invaluable aid to students and scientists wishing to consult original research.
Trade ReviewIn this extensive revision of their ground-breaking book, the authors display their commanding expertise on southern African bats. The volume serves as an authoritative and engaging summary of generations of research, and offers naturalists everywhere a highly readable account of some of Africa’s most diverse and fascinating mammals. — B. D. Patterson, MacArthur Curator of Mammals, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, USA The second edition of Bats of Southern and Central Africa is a one-stop shop for understanding the biology and natural history of bats. It is a must-read primer for bat biologists, students, naturalists, enthusiasts, and those of us considering conservation of these fascinating and ecologically important, but highly misunderstood mammals. — Paul W. Webala, Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Maasai Mara University, Narok, Kenya A masterpiece for bat researchers and conservationists who wish to learn about African bat species. This second edition exceeds all expectations, and will be an essential refer ence, superseding the widely used first edition. — Adrià López-Baucells, Natural Sciences Museum of Granollers, Spain
Table of Contents
- Foreword to the First Edition
- Foreword to the Second Edition
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Geographical scope
- Classification and taxonomy
- Conservation status
- Museum Collectionsand Pioneering Researchers
- Researcher gallery
- The value of specimens
- Chiroptera collections
- Databases and author’s contributions
- Bat Biology
- Overview
- Migration
- Torpor and hibernation
- Reproduction
- Predation
- Foraging ecology and associated ecological services
- Roosting habits
- Foliage-roosting bats
- Hollow-roosting bats
- Crevice-roosting bats
- Specialised roost sites
- Biogeography
- Geology
- Ancient basement rocks
- Sedimentary rocks
- Rift valleys
- Geomorphology
- Escarpments
- Drainage systems
- Climates past and present
- Vegetation
- Grassland
- Savanna
- Forest
- Echolocation
- Echolocation systems
- Types of bat echolocation pulses
- Ecology of bat echolocation and flight
- Recording echolocation calls
- Spectrum analysis
- Bat detectors
- Spectrograms and echolocation
- Species Accounts
- Suborder Pteropodiformes
- Pteropodidae
- Hipposideridae
- Rhinonycteridae
- Rhinolophidae
- Megadermatidae
- Suborder Vespertilioniformes
- Emballonuridae
- Nycteridae
- Molossidae
- Miniopteridae
- Cistugidae
- Vespertilionidae
- Glossary
- List of Specimens
- References
