The Status of Nepal's Mammals: The National Red List Series - IUCN

LEAST CONCERN
164) Barbastella leucomelas
(Cretzschmar, 1826)
Common Names
Asian Barbastelle (English); Himali Chamero (Nepali)
Synonyms
Plecotus darjelingensis (Hodgson, 1855); Barbastella
caspica (Satunin, 1908); Barbastella walteri (Bianchi,
1916); Barbastella blandfordi (Bianchi, 1917)
Species Description
Pelage long, fine, soft on the dorsal surface and
shorter on the belly. Head and back black, posterior,
back and flanks with paler tips and a glossy sheen.
Ventral surface with dark black-brown hairs. Muzzle
short, flat and wide with prominent glandular
swellings. Crescent shaped nostrils open upwards
and outwards on a flat, hairless median space
bordered laterally by two elevated crescentic ridges.
Black-brown almost-square ears with ill-defined
transverse ridges, hairy on their posterior surfaces,
except for the tips. The tragus is triangular and large,
being more than half the height of the pinna. Long
tail.
Species Ecology
Asian Barbastelle is a solitary, nocturnal species
found in Himalayan moist temperate and dry
coniferous forest areas roosting in caves, tunnels,
crevices, old buildings, mines and tree hollows.
The Asian Barbastelle is a sedentary insectivore.
Little is known about the reproductive behaviour of
this species.
Conservation status
Global: Least Concern
National: Least Concern
Rationale for assessment: This species is considered
Least Concern in view of a wide distribution and
assumed large population that is unlikely to be
declining at a rate significant enough to qualify for a
more threatened category.
Legal Status
National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 2029
(1973). This species occurs within protected areas.
National Population Size
There has been little or no information on the
population size and trend of this species in over 100
years.
National Distribution
This species occurs along the high-hills from east to
west and including all protected areas in this region.
Distribution outside Nepal
Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bhutan, China,
Egypt, Eritrea, Georgia, India, Islamic Republic of
Iran, Israel, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russian
Federation, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan Province of China,
Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan.
Main Threats
• Deforestation.
• Habitat degradation.
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