A new species of Triaenops (Mammalia, Chiroptera, Hipposideridae) from Aldabra Atoll, Picard Island (Seychelles)

The bat genus Triaenops Dobson, 1871, of the family Hipposideridae is broadly distributed in Africa, portions of the Middle East, and islands in the western Indian Ocean. Three species of Triaenops are restricted to Madagascar (T. rufus, T. auritus and T. furculus) and the latter is also known from the western Seychelles Islands. After comparisons of specimens previously referred to T. furculus from Aldabra Atoll to recent series of this species group obtained on Madagascar, it is clear that the former represents a species new to science, which is described herein as T. pauliani n. sp. from Picard Island. Triaenops pauliani n. sp., which is within the T. furculus/auritus group, differs from other congeneric species based on external, cranial, and dental measurements and characteristics, as well as the shape of the trident noseleafs. Previous records of T. pauliani n. sp. on Cosmoledo Atoll in the western Seychelles are called into question and these specimens are presumed to be from Picard Island, Aldabra Atoll.