Tham Mae Ja - CM0236
19.532496,98.845411
Location
From Chiang Mai go north on the H107 to the junction with the H1178 just past Chiang Dao. Turn left on the H1178 and follow this to the junction with the H1322, which isn't well sign posted, but is not more than15km along the H1178. Turn right on the H1322 and go14.5km to the first village the road goes through. Take the second right onto a dirt track; the first right has two roads going at 45¦ angles to the H1322, the second is more perpendicular. Follow the dirt track, which probably needs 4WD, 2.8km to a fork in the road, which has the Tham Mae Ja cave signed posted in Thai. Take the right fork and go another 150m down the hill and back up to a rock outcrop on the left side and bamboo hut on the right. The cave is about 20m up the hill and there is a faint path to the entrance.
Description
Very phreatic and interconnected with a couple skylights. The cave entrance is 4 x 3 m and there is a small stream running through part of the cave, but it can't be followed. Downstream it sinks into a small hole in the floor and upstream comes out from under a very low rock shelf. It appears as though one can go all the way around the hill from inside the cave. There are perhaps several hundred metres of surveyable passage.
Fauna
Rhinolophus affinis superans K. Andersen, 1905 (Chordata, Mammalia, Chiroptera, Rhinolophidae) (Soisook 2008) Rhinolophus coelophyllus Peters, 1867 (Chordata, Mammalia, Chiroptera, Rhinolophidae) (Soisook 2008) Rhinolophus microglobosus (Csorba & Jenkins, 1998) (Chordata, Mammalia, Chiroptera, Rhinolophidae) (Soisook et al. 2008) Rhinolophus pusillus lakkhanae Yoshiyuki, 1990 (Chordata, Mammalia, Chiroptera, Rhinolophidae) (Soisook 2008) Miniopterus magnater (Sanborn, 1931) (Chordata, Mammalia, Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae) (Soisook 2008
Documents
Bibliography 03/07/2019- Ith, Saveng; Bumrungsri, Sara; Furey, Neil M.; Bates, Paul J.J.; Wonglapsuwan, Monwadee; Khan, Faisal Ali Anwarali; Thong, Vu Dinh; Soisook, Pipat; Satasook, Chutamas; Thomas, Nikky M. (2015) "Taxonomic implications of geographical variation in Rhinolophus affinis (Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae) in mainland Southeast Asia" Zoological Studies Vol. 54 Issue 31 pp29 DOI: 10.1186/s40555-015-0109-8 ITH, SAVENG; SOISOOK, PIPAT; BUMRUNGSRI, SARA; KINGSTON, TIGGA; PUECHMAILLE, SEBASTIEN J.; STRUEBIG, MATTHEW J.; BU, SI SI HLA; THONG, VU DINH; FUREY, NEIL M.; THOMAS, NIKKY M.; BATES, J.J. (2011) "A Taxonomic Review of Rhinolophus coelophyllus Peters, 1867 and R. shameli Tate, 1943 (Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae) in Continental Southeast Asia" Acta Chiropterologica Vol. 13 No. 1 pp41-59 KINGSADA, PHOUTHONE; DOUANGBOUBPHA, BOUNSAVANE; SAVENG, ITH; FUREY, NEIL; SISOOK, PIPAT; BUMRUNGSRI, SARA; SATASOOK, CHUTAMAS; THONG, VU DINH; CSORBA, GABOR; HARRISON, DAVID; PEARCH, MALCOLM; BATES, PAUL; THOMAS, NIKKY (2011) ôA Checklist of Bats from Cambodia, Including the first record of the intermediate horseshoe bat Rhinolophus affinis (Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae), with additional information from Thailand and Vietnamö Cambodian Journal of Natural History Vol. 1 pp49-59 SOISOOK, PIPAT (2008) "A Taxonomic Review of Rhinolophus malayanus Bonhote, 1903 and Rhinolophus stheno Andersen, 1905 (Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae) in Thailand" Thesis for MSc in Ecology, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla 117pp SOISOOK, PIPAT; BUMRUNGSRI, SARA; SATASOOK, CHUTAMAS; THONG, VU DINH; BU, SI SI HLA; HARRISON, DAVID L.; BATES, PAUL J.J. (2008) "A taxonomic review of Rhinolophus stheno and R. malayanus (Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae) from continental Southeast Asia: an evaluation of echolocation call frequency in discriminating between cryptic species" Acta Chiropterologica Vol. 10 No. 2 pp221-242
Comments
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.4 | Cave CM0281 | 50 | 20 |
| 11.1 | Cave CM0275 | ||
| 11.2 | Tham Phra Nam Mae Khong [CM0276] | 524 | 38 |
| 11.3 | Nam Mae Khong (Tham) [CM0253] | 411 | 18 |
| 13.6 | Cave CHD05 - CM0009 | 15 | 8 |
| 13.8 | Tham Bae Bet [Perte de Ban Na Lao] [CM0008] | 40 | 7 |
| 14.0 | Tham Mae Pla Ao [Mai Pas Ao Resurgence Cave} [Tham Ban Oui Haen] [Mai Pla Sao] [CM0019] | 1762 | 37 |
| 14.3 | Ban Fa Suai Rockshelter - CM0238 | 15 | 0 |
| 14.3 | Cave CM0183 - CM0183 |
Call Mr. Chaiwat at 087-1746415 for help finding the several caves in this area. Avila & Washburn were told of 7, one with a 20 m pitch down to water, perhaps a stream.
Martin Ellis (03/07/2019)