Diversity of bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) from the sop cop special use forest, son la province, Vietnam

Sop Cop is one of the largest remaining forest areas in the northwestern region of Vietnam. It contains high biodiversity values with previous records of many precious animal and plant species. However, biodiversity of Sop Cop is threatened by illegal activities of local people. In fact, bats and many other animal taxa in this area were poorly studied and rarely documented in previous publications. Between June 2014 and October 2016, the author conducted a variety of field surveys on bats in the Sop Cop Special Use Forest for understanding of their diversity and conservation status. The results indicated that the study area is a home to at least 36 bat species belonging to 20 genera, 6 families. Among them, 19 species are new to the area, 3 species are listed in the 2007 Red Data Book of Vietnam which must be considered for conservation priority in the future. 

New records and morphological assessments of long-nosed fruit bats (chiroptera: pteropodidae: Macroglossus spp.) from Vietnam

Long-nosed fruit bat is a common name of the genus Macroglossus which comprises two species: Dagger-toothed long-nosed fruit bat (M. minimus) and Greater long-nosed fruit bat (M. sobrinus). These two species were rarely recorded from Vietnam or neighboring countries. Within Vietnam, M. minimus has been recorded only from two localities in southern Vietnam while M. sobrinus was known from all northern, central and southern regions of the country. Morphological features of these species in Vietnam were poorly documented in previous publications. With results from a rapid examination of all specimens and recently captured individuals, we here confirm that M. sobrinus is distinctively larger than M. minimus in all external and craniodental measurements. Two species are also distinguishable by their nostril shapes and mandible symphyses. This paper provides new distributional records of both M. sobrinus and M. minimus from Vietnam with remarks on their ecology and habitats.

New records of bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) from Cu Lao Cham and Ly Son archipelagos, central Vietnam

Cu Lao Cham and Ly Son are two well-known archipelagos of Vietnam for their specular landscapes and varied ecosystems including forest, cave, and agriculture. However, their bat fauna has received little attention. Between July 2017 and August 2018, we conducted a series of mammal surveys with emphasis on bats of the two archipelagos. Bats were captured by mist nets and harp traps. Echolocation calls of microchiropteran species were recorded using the PCTape system then analysed by Selena software. With reference to all available literatures and specimens from the recent surveys, we obtained confirmed records of 9 bat species from Cu Lao Cham and 3 species from Ly Son. Of these, Megaderma spasma and Taphozous melanopogon are new to Cu Lao Cham while Rhinolophus macrotis is new to Ly Son. These three species were rarely recorded from other islands of Vietnam and also uncommon within Cu Lao Cham and Ly Son. These new records not only expand the known distributional range, but also provide worthwhile notes on a narrow geographical variation in morphology and echolocation of each species

Optimization of salicylic acid concentrations for increasing antioxidant enzymes and bioactive compounds of Agastache rugosa in a plant factory.

Salicylic acid (SA) plays a crucial role as a hormone in plants and belongs to the group of phenolic compounds. Our objective was to determine the optimal concentration of SA for enhancing the production of bioactive compounds in Agastache rugosa plants while maintaining optimal plant growth. The plants underwent SA soaking treatments at different concentrations (i.e., 0, 100, 200, 400, 800, and 1600 μmol mol-1) for 10 min at 7 days after they were transplanted. We observed that elevated levels of SA at 800 and 1600 μmol mol-1 induced oxidative stress, leading to a significant reduction across many plant growth variables, including leaf length, width, number, area, shoot fresh weight (FW), stem FW and length, and whole plant dry weights (DW) compared with that in the control plants. Additionally, the treatment with 1600 μmol mol-1 SA resulted in the lowest values of flower branch number, FW and DW of flowers, and DW of leaf, stem, and root. Conversely, applying 400 μmol mol-1 SA resulted in the greatest increase of chlorophyll (Chl) a and b, total Chl, total flavonoid, total carotenoid, and SPAD values. The photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance decreased with increased SA concentrations (i.e., 800 and 1600 μmol mol-1). Furthermore, the higher SA treatments (i.e., 400, 800, and 1600 μmol mol-1) enhanced the phenolic contents, and almost all SA treatments increased the antioxidant capacity. The rosmarinic acid content peaked under 200 μmol mol-1 SA treatment. However, under 400 μmol mol-1 SA, tilianin and acacetin contents reached their highest levels. These findings demonstrate that immersing the roots in 200 and 400  μmol mol-1 SA enhances the production of bioactive compounds in hydroponically cultivated A. rugosa without compromising plant growth. Overall, these findings provide valuable insights into the impact of SA on A. rugosa and its potential implications for medicinal plant cultivation and phytochemical production

Bat Diversity in Cat Ba Biosphere Reserve, Northeastern Vietnam: A Review with New Records from Mangrove Ecosystem

The Cat Ba Biosphere Reserve is internationally renowned for its spectacular karst landscape. It covers a large area with hundreds of limestone islands and various ecosystems including caves, tropical forests, and mangroves. However, previous surveys were only conducted in terrestrial ecosystems on Cat Ba Island. Therefore, bats inhabiting mangroves and the remaining islands did not receive attention from scientists up to 2014. To initially fill in the gaps, we conducted ten bat surveys between 2015 and 2020 with an emphasis on mangroves and previously unsurveyed islands. Bats were captured using mist nets and harp traps. Twenty-three species belonging to 13 genera of six families were recorded during the surveys. Of these, four species (Macroglossus minimus, Myotis hasselti, Phoniscus jagorii, Tylonycteris fulvida) are new to the reserve. Remarkably, 15 species belonging to seven genera of five families were captured in mangrove, which is the highest species diversity for bats reported from any mangrove area in mainland Southeast Asia. Based on results from the surveys and literature review, we here provide the most updated bat diversity of the reserve with confirmed records of 32 bat species belonging to 16 genera of six families. Historical records of each species in the literature were reviewed. Two species, Scotophilus heathi and Scotophilus kuhlii, are unconfirmed because of unclear evidence in previous publications. Results of this study indicated that the mangrove ecosystem is important for bats but still poorly studied in Cat Ba Biosphere Reserve and Vietnam as a whole. In addition, morphological measurements, echolocation data, distributional records, and conservation status of each species are also given in this paper for potential research and conservation campaigns in the future