First record of <i>Murina walstoni</i> (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) outside Southeast Asia

Abstract Murina walstoni Csorba et al. 2011, was described from Cambodia, and since then has been recorded from lowland areas of Thailand, Vietnam and Laos. However, a single male individual of a tube-nosed bat caught in Tanahun District, Central Nepal on 13 April 2020, was subsequently identified as M. walstoni on the bases of external and craniodental characters, and mitochondrial gene sequencing. This is the first record of the species from South Asia and represents a significant northwest expansion of its global distribution range. Genetic analysis reveals ⁓5 % variation in the barcoding gene sequences between this individual and Southeast Asian specimens; nevertheless, the lack of morphological and mensural differences suggest they belong to the same species. Analyses of more samples and the inclusion of nuclear markers will be necessary to evaluate if this distinct lineage within M. walstoni represents a separate taxonomic unit.