Bat diversity in two lowland forests of Brunei Darussalam

Abstract

The forests of Brunei Darussalam harbour rich bat assemblages. In this study we update current knowledge of the abundance and distribution of bats in Brunei by comparing bat diversity between two lowland forest sites: Temburong and Tasek Merimbun. We recorded 27 bat species with three new locality records for each of the two sites surveyed. Temburong had higher bat diversity than Merimbun, suggesting that it has more diverse habitat types. This study highlights the need for further bat surveys as full inventories of bat communities have not yet been reached and little is known about the ecology and conservation status of bat populations.