TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Shei-Pa National Park’s Guanwu Service Station recorded its 27th bat species in 2025 after documenting the endemic necklace sprite in the area for the first time.

Station technical specialist Chen Chia-hung (陳家鴻), who has long monitored local bat populations, also captured a Hodgson’s bat in 2025 — the first record in the Guanwu area since 2006, per CNA.

Chen said the capture suggests Guanwu may be an important node on the species’ migration route. He added the finding will help assess whether Hodgson’s bat is present in the area and inform habitat evaluation and conservation planning.

Chen also recorded the Asian particolored bat in Guanwu for a second consecutive year, following a sighting in 2024. Park officials said the Asian particolored bat was once considered extinct in Taiwan but was recorded alive in the Guanwu area in 2006.

Regarding the necklace sprite, the park said it is an endemic species that lives near streams in mid-altitude mountainous areas.

Headquarters Director Lin Wen (林文) commended Chen’s efforts, saying he has built a substantial bat database for the park. Lin added that in addition to research conducted by park staff, the park will continue working with academic institutions to build biological data to better inform conservation and park management.

The park also held technical exchanges with Formosan Golden Bat’s Home in Yunlin and worked with the Bailan Tribe in Hsinchu on a bat house project.