New tube-nosed species discovered in a remote forest on ‘the roof of the world’
In a forest bordering a remote town in Tibet, in an area referred to as “the roof of the world,” researchers captured seven bats that looked unlike any they had seen before.
Five of the seven specimens, caught in the forest canopy using no-harm harp traps, were members of a new species called Murina chayuensis, according to a May 28 study published in the peer-reviewed journal Zoosystematics and Evolution.
Murina chayuensis, or the Chayu tube-nosed bat, is a medium-sized species with distinct tube-shaped nostrils, a common feature among members of the Murina genus, according to the study.
The new species is described as having tan fur with reddish-brown and golden sections and a forearm length of just under an inch and a half, the study said.
Researchers said the other two of the seven bats they captured may each represent a new species, but due to a limited number of specimens, they were not included in the study.
The bats was discovered in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, a long “understudied” region, characterized by “deeply cut valleys” and diverse climates that harbor complex ecosystems, researchers said, adding that their “results highlight the overlooked diversity of bats” in the region.
So far, the Chayu tube-nosed bat has only been found in Xiachayu Town, Chayu County, Xizang, China.
Chayu County is in southeastern Tibet, an autonomous region controlled by China, and near a disputed China-India border.
The research team included Pengfei Luo, Mingle Mao, Chengrui Yan, Qingqing He, Qin Yang, Huaiqing Deng, Ning Xiao and Jiang Zhou.
This story was originally published May 28, 2025 at 12:07 PM with the headline "New tube-nosed species discovered in a remote forest on ‘the roof of the world’."
