• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.95-99
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• 2017

The morphological characteristics of the baculum were compared among Rhinolophus ferrumequinum, Hypsugo alaschanicus, Vespertilio sinensis, and Murina hilgendorfi. Their bacula were located at the distal end but their shapes were differed among species. V. sinensis had the longest baculum (mean=7.27 mm), followed by R. ferrumequinum (mean=5.02 mm), H. alaschanicus (mean=2.60 mm) and M. hilgendorfi (mean=2.15 mm). The baculum of R. ferrumequinum was Y-shaped, with a pointed tip and that of V. sinensis was long and conical. However, the baculum of H. alaschanicus was I-shaped, with the widths of proximal and distal ends larger than that of the shaft. The baculum of M. hilgendorfi was small, and oval shaped. The shaft of the baculum of R. ferrumequinum and H. alaschanicus was linear in shape, whereas that of V. sinensis was curved towards the distal end, and that of M. hilgendorfi was bent upward. The results showed that the baculum morphology differed among these four species. These findings can be utilized as an identification key for these species, and they can be used as baseline data for studying the phyletic relationships of bats.