臺灣小蹄鼻蝠（Rhinolophus monoceros）交配行為發現紀實

The first Record of the Formosan Lesser Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus monoceros) Mating Behavior in Taiwan

蝙蝠是晝伏夜出且唯一有飛行能力的哺乳類，使得研究者很難在野外觀察到牠們的行為，尤其是交配行為。臺灣小蹄鼻蝠是台灣特有種蝙蝠，屬於典型的洞穴型蝙蝠，經常成群聚集在各類的洞穴或隧道中。本文描述2012年及2013年2月間於臺灣南部屏東縣墾丁地區一處人工坑道內直接觀察到的臺灣小蹄鼻蝠交配行為，交配時間最長超過30分鐘。雄蝠在交配時，採頭下腳上以後腳爪掛勾住岩壁，用腹部緊貼雌蝠背部的姿勢進行；同時會有用雙翼環抱並以嘴部咬住雌蝠後頸部之壓迫控制行為發生。此時，雌蝠亦為頭下腳上的姿勢，但在雄蝠壓制下雙腳懸空，可以明顯觀察到雄蝠陰莖揑入雌蝠陰道之動作。相對於坑道內其他臺灣小蹄鼻蝠的個體當受到干擾即飛離的狀況，正在進行交配行為的雌雄個體似並不受到干擾，讓研究者得以就近觀察一段時間並攝影記錄。此外，我們在2013年間亦陸續在臺灣南部一些其他地區的臺灣小蹄鼻蝠群集中發現交配行為。本文為臺灣小蹄鼻蝠交配行為的第一次描述與影像資料正式發表，也是臺灣首次於野外觀察與攝影存證蝙蝠交配行為的紀錄。根據2012至2013年間4次的觀察紀錄，我們參考相關文獻，嘗試探討牠們的交配季節與婚配制度。

Bats are the only mammal that can truly fly. The habit of bats roosting in the day and active during the night lead to observation difficultly, especially when it comes to their mating behavior. The Formosan lesser horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus monoceros) is an endemic species and cave dwelling bat in Taiwan. Its impressive colony can contain hundreds or thousands of individuals roost in caves or tunnels. In the paper, we describe the mating behaviors of Rhinolophus monoceros observed at an artificial tunnel in southern Taiwan in February of 2012 and 2013. During mating, the male kept in upside down posture behind the female and pressed its abdomen closely against the back of the female. The male suppressed the female by its wings and bit its neck to control its posture while the female hung its legs in the air. The longest mating time of a pair Formosan lesser horseshoe bats in our observations was more than 30 minutes. Furthermore, we found that individuals seemed insensitive to our disturbance during mating than when not, as they usually flee upon our approach. In addition, we also observed some mating behaviors in other colonies in 2013. This paper provides the first published information on the mating behavior of Rhinolophus monoceros, and the first field observation and image evidences of mating behavior of bats in Taiwan. Based on our observation during 2012-2013 and review of relative literatures, we try to discuss the mating season and mating system of Rhinolophus monoceros.