Recently Discovered Iranian Population of Rousettus leschenaultii (Chiroptera; Petropodidae), Highlighting the Essential Need for Taxonomic Expertise in Applied Medical Sciences

Background: Bats are potential reservoir hosts for vector-bornediseases that can transmit many bacterial and viral agents tohumans. Fruit bats are considered reservoirs of many virusesand they are of major importance in the medical sciences forcontrolling and preventing vector-borne diseases. This studyaimed to compare the morphological and genetic differences oftwo fruit bat species, Rousettus aegyptiacus and R. leschenaultiiin Iran, implying anessential need for taxonomic expertise inapplied medical sciences.Methods: In this experimental study, we collected and identified26 specimens of bats belonging to two fruit bat species from thesoutheast of Iran. The morphological and genetic differenceswere characterized between recently recorded migratory fruitbat R. leschenaultii and the morphologically similar and residentR. aegyptiacus. The haplotype network was generated usingthe program POPART. The nucleotide variation and populationdifferentiation were calculated in DNAsp. Furthermore, weconsidered additional records of 15 specimens from threewidespread bat species in the north of Iran.Results: Morphological characterization of two fruit batspecies showed R. aegyptiacus is larger than R. leschenaultiiin morphometric variables except tail length (TL) for bothsexes. The demographic analyses revealed that all haplotypesof R. leschenaulti formed a single haplogroup in the species’distributional range. In contrast, haplotypes of R. aegyptiacuswere divided into five haplogroups respecting taxa/localities. Theresults represent a strong signature of population expansion forthese two species of bats.Conclusion: Population of the fruit bats throughout their rangesin the Middle East may indicate an increased risk of the spread ofviral agents over time. Therefore, precise identification of hostsand vectors in applied medical sciences is essential to conductstandard procedures