Bats of Pulau Tinggi, Johor, Malaysia

A series of bat surveys took place in Pulau Tinggi from July 2019 to September 2019. A total of 242 individuals representing 15 species from six families were captured from a cumulative effort of 462 trap nights. The most caught species for frugivorous bats was Cynopterus brachyotis (n = 150) while for insectivorous bats, it was Hipposideros cervinus (n = 20). Pulau Tinggi has a high density of bat species per area (1.01 sp/km2) when compared to other tourist islands on Peninsular Malaysia’s east coast [e.g., Pulau Tioman (0.13 sp/km2), Pulau Perhentian (0.5 sp/km2) and Pulau Redang (0.4 sp/km2)]. As a result, high levels of disturbance such as tourism and habitat loss may negatively affect the diversity of bat species on the island. Because of time constraints and the study did not cover the entire island, information on the diversity of bats in Pulau Tinggi is still inadequate. Long-term monitoring of bat diversity covering forest areas throughout the island needs to be conducted immediately to identify the number of species, their distribution and ecology. This information is important in formulating a strategic plan for bat conservation in Pulau Tinggi