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. 2024 Dec 2;11(1):1309.
doi: 10.1038/s41597-024-04170-7.

African bat database: curated data of occurrences, distributions and conservation metrics for sub-Saharan bats

Ara Monadjem  1   2 , Cecilia Montauban  3   4 , Paul W Webala  5 , Theresa M Laverty  6 , Eric M Bakwo-Fils  7 , Laura Torrent  8   9 , Iroro Tanshi  10   11 , Adam Kane  12 , Abigail L Rutrough  13 , David L Waldien  14   15   16   17   18 , Peter J Taylor  19   20   21
Affiliations

African bat database: curated data of occurrences, distributions and conservation metrics for sub-Saharan bats

Ara Monadjem et al. Sci Data. .

Abstract

Accurate knowledge of species distributions is foundational for effective conservation efforts. Bats are a diverse group of mammals, with important roles in ecosystem functioning. However, our understanding of bats and their ecological importance is hindered by poorly defined ranges, mostly as a result of under-recording. This issue is exacerbated in Africa by the ongoing rapid discovery of new species, both de novo and splits of existing species, and by inaccessibility to museum specimens that are mostly hosted outside of the continent. Here we present the African bat database - a curated set of 17,285 unique locality records of all 266 species of bats from sub-Saharan Africa, vouched for by specimens and/or genetic sequencing, and aligned with current taxonomy. Based on these records, we also present Maxent-based distribution models and calculate the IUCN Red List metrics for Extent of Occurrence and Area of Occupancy. This database and online visualization tool provide an important open-source resource and is expected to significantly advance studies in ecology, and aid in bat conservation.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Rapid increase of described bat species in sub-Saharan Africa: (A) cumulative increase in the number of new species over time (solid line), and the number of new species per decade (bar plot); (B) the number of species recognized per family, categorized into those recognized before 2005, de novo species recognized since 2005, and those split from existing species since 2005, based on the Mammal Diversity Database.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Map showing the localities at which the 17,285 occurrences of 266 species in the African bat database were obtained from.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Species richness of bat species in sub-Saharan Africa based on the 209 SDMs created in this study.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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