New Murina (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) species and the first Murina annamitica record in China

During the examination of archived specimens, we identified morphologically distinct individuals of the genus Murina. These distinct specimens were collected in 2023-2024 from Luchun County (Huanglianshan National Nature Reserve) and in 2019 from Mengla County, Yunnan Province, China. While some of the specimens superficially resemble M. balaensis and M. eleryi, they can be unambiguously distinguished from these species and all other congeners by a suite of external and cranial characteristics. Simultaneously, phylogenetic analyses and genetic distances based on mitochondrial cytochrome b and cytochrome c oxidase I genes also indicate the uniqueness of these specimens. Based on integrative morphological and phylogenetic evidence, we herein describe these specimens as a new species, Murina huanglianensis S. Li & Mou, sp. nov. For another specimen (KIZ20190169), morphological and molecular analyses confirmed its identity as M. annamitica. Since M. annamitica has not been previously recorded in China, it is herein reported as a first country record for China, with a redescription provided.