Abstract
Extensive surveys were carried out from October 2001–September 2004 to assess the eco-status of chiropterans in and around the districts of Jodhpur (26°17′59N, 73°02′02E), Jaisalmer (26°54′47N, 70°54′52E) and Bikaner (28°01′22N, 73° 19′ 13E) in the Great Indian Desert (Thar Desert), India. The population dynamics and distributions of bats were examined at selected sites, revealing that the tremendous increase in human population, urbanization and construction of new buildings as well as the renovation of old heritage buildings have adversely affected chiropteran biodiversity in the region. Of the 11 micro- and one megachiropteran bat species recorded in Jodhpur in the early 1960s to 1980s, only eight species (seven micro- and one megachiropteran) have been found during the present study period, and dramatic changes have occurred at the roosting sites. Of the three microchiropteran species (Rhinopoma microphyllum kinneari, Rhinopoma hardwickii and Taphozous perforatus) recorded in Jaisalmer during the early 1960s, T. perforatus has vanished and has been replaced by Taphozous nudiventris at various sites. In Bikaner, four microchiropteran bat species were found at a number of roosting sites, whereas no megachiropteran has yet been documented. Of these, two species, namely Rhinopoma microphyllum kinneari and Pipistrellus tenuis, are here reported for the first time for this region, whereas the other two, namely Rhinopoma hardwickii and Rhinolophus lepidus, had been recorded already in the early 1960s.
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Purohit, A., Vyas, K.B. (2009). Eco-Status of Chiropteran Fauna in and Around Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Bikaner in the Great Indian Desert. In: Sivaperuman, C., Baqri, Q.H., Ramaswamy, G., Naseema, M. (eds) Faunal Ecology and Conservation of the Great Indian Desert. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-87409-6_12
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