Bat Fauna in the Higher Elevation of Mt. Parker, T'boli, South Cotabato

The bat fauna in the higher elevation of Mt. Parker, T'boli, South Cotabato was assessed between December 27-30, 2001 and January 5-10, 2002. Two sites were netted - (1) along the crater and (2) along ridgetops. A total of 20 mist nets were deployed 0-3 m from the ground and in subcanopy for a total of 80 netnights on each site. A total of 194 individuals were caught belonging to 2 families Family Pteropodidae with 7 species recorded and Family Vespertilionidae with only 1 species recorded. The bat species identified were Cynopterus brachyotis, Eonycteris spelaea, Haplonycteris fischeri, Harpyionycteris whiteheadi, Macroglossus minimus, Ptenochirus jagori, Ptenochirus minor and Murina cyclotis. 4 species are endemic to the Philippines namely H. fischeri, H. whiteheadi, P. jagori, and P. minor, the latter being endemic only in Mindanao. The overall Shannon-Weaver Species Diversity Index is 1.451 suggesting that species composition in the higher elevation of Mt. Parker is moderately diverse. C. brachyotis was the most abundant species captured with a relative abundance of 46.67% and the least abundant species were H. whiteheadi and M. cyclotis both with a relative abundance of 0.74%.