Mounir Soulé
The Comoros islands are one of the world’s 35 hotspots, where many species of conservation concern, such as the critically endangered Livingstone’s fruit bat (Pteropus livingstonii) and the critically endangered mongoz lemur (Eulemur mongoz), face extinction risks due to high levels of habitat loss. Anthropogenic activities contribute actively to these habitat losses, notably contributing to the loss of breeding sites through the closure of access to breeding sites, habitat deterioration (disappearance of hollow trees in forests, road traffic, degradation of farmland, etc.).
Pteropus seychellensis comorensis. ©Ibouroi Mohamed Thani, GRPFOI.
Bats are among the species of fauna most threatened by habitat loss in this archipelago because of their low fecundity, with an average lifespan of 3.5 times greater than that of non-flying placental mammals of similar size and high longevity. In these islands, we lack information regarding the ecology and biology of some bat species, making it difficult to propose conservation measures. For example, the taxonomy and phylogeny of the Comoros fruit bat (P. seychellensis comorensis) are controversial. The affiliation of the taxon to Pteropus seychellensis is highly debated because, despite some morphological similarities, the two taxa (P. s. seychellensis and P. s. comorensis) do not form sister clades. They should therefore be classified as separate taxa. In Comoros, P. s. comorensis does not benefit from any conservation strategy. This lack of consideration is due to the fact that it is considered exotic and widely distributed as far as the Seychelles Islands.
This project consists of inventorying and assessing ecological, phylogenetic, and taxonomic data of bats in Comoros. More specifically, we will assess bat morphological diversity, phylogeny, density, and distribution of each species. Assessing phylogenetic relationships and taxonomic data of the species, as well as inventorying bat diversity, distribution, and abundance, will help update the conservation status in order to propose valuable conservation strategies.
The following species will benefit from this conservation: Pteropus livingstonii (IUCN status: Critically Endangered), Rousettus obliviosus (IUCN status: Vulnerable), P. seychellensis comorensis (IUCN status: Least Concern), Mops pusillus (IUCN status: Vulnerable), Myotis anjouanensis (IUCN status: Data Deficient), Miniopterus griveaudi (IUCN status: Data Deficient). To define the conservation status of each species, we will use species distribution range, population sizes, and IUCN criteria.