Taxonomic revision of African pipistrelle-like bats with a new species from the West Congolean rainforest

Abstract

The taxonomic conundrum of pipistrelle-like or pipistrelloid bats remains one of the unsolved challenges posed by African Chiroptera. Historically, their cryptic morphology has led to a frequently confused classification and cast doubt on taxonomic arrangements at both genus and species levels. While molecular analyses and extensive reviews of specimens housed in collections worldwide have clarified many systematic relationships among pipistrelloid bats, some species still require validation, leaving gaps in our overall understanding of the systematics of the group. The Congo rainforest, one of Africa's least explored regions, remains underrepresented in systematic studies of pipistrelloid bats. In this study, we combine the use of two mitochondrial genes and cranial morphometric analyses to provide an updated perspective on African pipistrelloid bats, focusing on new material from Equatorial Guinea sampled over multiple years. We confirm the placement of Af. musciculus and Af. crassulus within the genus Afropipistrellus. The former was previously included in Hypsugo, while the latter lacked generic confirmation. Additionally, we describe a new species of Pipistrellus from Bioko Island, Central Africa, uncovered during systematic bat surveys in the region. Further surveys in the Congo rainforest are needed to unveil African bat diversity and its phylogenetic relationships fully.