Rhinolophus aethiops diversus, Sanborn, 1939

Sanborn, Colin Campbell, 1939, Eight New Bats Of The Genus Rhinolophus, Zoological Series Of Field Museum Of Natural History 24 (5), pp. 37-43 : 42-43

Rhinolophus aethiops diversus subsp. nov.

Type from Bakel, Senegal, French West Africa. No. 19.7.7.2774 British Museum (Natural History). Adult female in alcohol. Collected September 27,1887. From the Lataste collection.

Characters. —Averages smaller than either a. aethiops or a. eloquens , with a narrower horseshoe and sella and a shorter lancet. The type, when dried, is darker than aethiops , being in general a faded brown. The hairs above are of uniform color to the base; below they are slightly darker at the base. The type, however, has been in alcohol for many years and the only skin is more than one hundred years old.

The type skull is like that of aethiops but much smaller. Upper premolar two is present on one side only and is so minute that it is hard to see even with a lens. Lower premolar three is present on both sides and is also very minute.

Measurements.— Type (maximum and minimum of topotypes in parentheses): Forearm 53.2 (52.8-55.6); third finger, metacarpal 40.6 (39-40.7), first phalanx 16 (16-17.7), second phalanx 30.3 (30-31.5); fourth finger, metacarpal 41.9 (41-42.7), first phalanx 9.6 (9.8-10.3), second phalanx 18.7 (17.9-18.7); first finger, metacarpal 41.9 (42-44), first phalanx 12.6 (12.5-13.2), second phalanx 13.9 (14.1-14.6). Ear 27 (27-28); tail 28.6 (28.8-32.7); tibia 22.6 (22.8-23.5). Skull of type: greatest length 23.1; condylo-basal length 19.6; palatal length 2.9; width across nasal swellings 6.1; interorbital width 2.6; zygomatic width 11.9; mastoid width 10.5; width of braincase 9.5; upper toothrow 8.8; width across canines 6.6; maxillary width 8.7; supraorbital length 6.4.

Specimens examined.— Total 7. Bakel, Senegal, 2 males (ale.), 2 females (ale.); “River Gambia,” 1, no sex. Nerokoro, near Tambikunda, Sierra Leone, 1 male (ale.), 1 female (ale.). All in British Museum.

Remarks. —All the forms of . aethiops are very much alike except a. hildebrandti , which is the largest.. diversus does not agree very well either with typical aethiops from Angola or with a. eloquens from the Sudan, being smaller and darker. The two specimens from Sierra Leone are not included in the measurements as they are both subadult and are only referred to. diversus.