Hipposideros gigas Wagner 1845

Hipposideros gigas Wagner 1845, Arch. Naturgesch., 11 (1): 148.

Type Locality: Angola, Benguela.

Vernacular Names: Giant Leaf-nosed Bat.

Synonyms: Hipposideros gambiensis K. Andersen 1906; Hipposideros niangarae J. A. Allen 1917 .

Distribution: Kenya, Tanzania, Angola, Central African Republic, Uganda, Dem. Rep. Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea (incl. Bioko), Cameroon, Nigeria and west to Senegal. The range of this taxon may be more extensive and is currently under review (J. Fahr, pers. comm.).

Conservation: IUCN 2003 – Not evaluated; not considered in IUCN / SSC Action Plan (2001).

Discussion: commersoni species group. Formerly included in commersoni, but clearly distinct based on differences in morphology and echolocation calls (J. Fahr and D. Kock, pers. comm.; D. Lunde, pers. comm.; McWilliam, 1982; Pye, 1972). Reviewed in part by Peterson et al. (1995). Some West African specimens identified as gigas may represent vittatus (J. Fahr, pers. comm.).