Two Southeast Asian Bat Species Recorded in India

Integrated field and laboratory analyses reveal major westward range extensions that raise conservation and survey priorities for Northeast India.

Overview

A Zoological Survey of India–led team working in Mizoram collected specimens and acoustic data during 2023–2025 that led to the first Indian records of Glischropus bucephalus and Myotis indochinensis.
Researchers confirmed the identifications using detailed morphology, DNA analyses, and echolocation recordings to ensure the findings were robust.
The Serchhip record of Glischropus bucephalus extends its known western range by about 670 kilometres from Myanmar.
The Reiek record of Myotis indochinensis stretches its documented range nearly 1,300 kilometres west from Vietnam, Laos, and southern China and raises India’s confirmed bat diversity to at least 138 species.
Authors flag a recently published genetic sequence from Bangladesh that likely belongs to Myotis indochinensis and say reanalysis plus broader surveys are needed to map the species’ full South Asian distribution and guide conservation planning.