Rhinolophus deckenii, Peters, 1868

Burgin, Connor, 2019, Rhinolophidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 280-332 : 293-294

26 . Decken’s Horseshoe Bat

Rhinolophus deckenii

French: Rhinolophe de Decken / German: Decken-Hufeisennase / Spanish: Herradura de Decken

Other common names: Eastern Africa Horseshoe Bat

Taxonomy. Rhinolophus deckenii Peters, 1868 ,

“ Zanzibarküste [= Zanzibar Coast, mainland opposite Zanzibar Island ],” Tanzania .

Rhinolophus deckenii is in the ferrumequinum species group. It is very similar to R silvestris , and the two species might be conspecific. It was formerly considered a subspecies of R clivosus but is now generally regarded as a distinct species. Monotypic.

Distribution. W Uganda, W & SE Kenya, W Tanzania, including Zanzibar Archipelago (Pemba, Unguja, and Mafia Is), and apparently C Mozambique (Chinizuia Forest).

Descriptive notes. Head-body c. 51-67 mm, tail 25-33 mm, ear 18-27 mm, hindfoot 11—13 mm, forearm 48—56 mm. Decken’s Horseshoe Bat is very similar to the African Forest Horseshoe Bat (AE Silvestris') but with lower nasal swellings and baculum with flattened, spatulated shaft. Dorsal pelage is medium grayish brown (hairs are grayish fawn, with medium grayish brown tips); venter is slightly paler. No orange morph is known. Males lack axillary tufts. Ears are medium short in length (39-49% of forearm length). Noseleaf has subtriangular high lancet, with straight to slighdy concave sides and bluntly pointed tip; connecting process is rounded and subequal to height ofsella; sella is naked, with either parallel or slightly concave sides and broad, rounded tip; and horseshoe is medium in width at 9-1-11- 5 mm, covers entire muzzle, and has lateral leaflets and distinct median emargination. Lower lip has three grooves: middle groove is well defined, and outer two are poorly formed. Wings and uropatagium are brown and semi-translucent. Skull is robust, with sturdy zygomatic arches (zygomatic width is much larger than mastoid width); nasal swellings are medium in relative height and have smoothly rounded lateral profile; frontal depression is moderately deep, with prominent supraorbital ridges; sagittal crest is well developed anteriorly and absent posteriorly; and interpterygoid groove is shallow but conspicuous. P2 is tiny and completely displaced labially (although occasionally half displaced) or absent; C1 and P4 are usually separated by a narrow gap; and P3 absent, allowing P2 and P4 to touch. Dental formula is 11/2, C 1/1, P 2/2, M 3/3 (x 2) = 30 or 11/2, C 1/1, P 1/2, M 3/3 (x2) = 28.

Habitat. Small forest mosaics in coastal regions but also inland dry miombo woodlands at elevations of c. 650 m. Decken’s Horseshoe Bats have been recorded in Afromontane habitats on Mt Kilimanjaro, Tanzania.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. Pregnant Decken’s Horseshoe Bats have been captured in August, October, and November.

Activity patterns. Day roosts of Decken’s Horseshoe Bats have been recorded in caverns and deep caves in coral/rock areas on Unguja Island and old man-made structures, including mud houses on Pemba Island.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Decken’s Horseshoe Bats occur in small colonies of less than 20 individuals. They have been recorded roosting with Sundevall’s Leaf-nosed Bats {Hipposideros caffer), Large-eared Slit-faced Bats { Nycteris macrotis ), and Egyptian Slit-faced Bats { N. thebaicd ).

Status and Conservation. Classified as Near Threatened on The IUCN ed List. Decken’s Horseshoe Bat is threatened by logging and agricultural expansion throughout its distribution, particularly in coastal areas.

Bibliography. ACR (2018), Csorba et al. (2003), Happold, M. (2013r), Jacobs et al. (2008c), Monadjem, Schoeman et al. (2010), O'Brien (2011), Stanley & Goodman (2011), Stanley et al. (2005),Trentin & Rovere (2011).

Figures

On following pages: 27. African Forest Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus silvestris); 28. Upland Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus hillorum); 29. Sakeji Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus sakejiensis); 30. Bokhara Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus bocharicus); 31. Greater Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum); 32. Geoffrey's Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus clivosus); 33. Greater Japanese Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus nippon); 34. Horacek's Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus horaceki); 35. Maclaud's Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus maclaudi); 36. Ziama Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus ziama); 37. Hill's Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus hilli); 38. Kahuzi Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus kahuzi); 39. Willard's Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus willardi); 40. Ruwenzori Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus ruwenzorii); 41. Chinese Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus xinanzhongguoensis); 42. Big-eared Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus macrotis); 43. Osgood's Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus osgoodi); 44. Allen's Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus episcopus); 45. Thai Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus siamensis); 46, Schnitzler's Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus schnitzten); M. King Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus rex); 48. Marshall’s Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus marshalli).

Distribution. W Uganda , W & SE Kenya , W Tanzania , including Zanzibar Archipelago (Pemba, Unguja, and Mafia Is), and apparently C Mozambique (Chinizuia Forest).