Rhinolophus subbadius, Blyth, 1844

Burgin, Connor, 2019, Family Rhinolophidae (Horseshoe Bats), Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Lynx Edicions, pp. 280-332 : 313-314

70 . Little Nepalese Horseshoe Bat

Rhinolophus subbadius

French: Rhinolophe du Népal / German: Kleine Nepal-Hufeisennase / Spanish: Herradura de Nepal

Taxonomy. Rhinolophus subbadius Blyth, 1844 ,

“ Nepal .”

Rhinolophus subbadius is included in the pusillus species group. It may be confused with. pusillus , to which it is very similar, and the distributional limits of the two are still uncertain. The relationship of this species to other Rhinolophus is unclear. Monotypic.

Distribution. C & E Nepal, Bhutan, NE India (Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya), N Bangladesh, N Myanmar, and S China (one locality in Yunnan); there have been dubious records from N & C Vietnam, but these are likely to refer to the Least Horseshoe Bat (. pusui llus).

Descriptive notes. Head—body 35—37 mm, tail 16—19 mm, ear 14- 1—18 mm, hindfoot 6- 6—8 mm, forearm 33- 3—38 mm. The Little Nepalese Horseshoe Bat is a very small species of horseshoe bat, probably the smallest in the genus. Dorsal pelage is cinnamon brown (brownish-tipped hairs with grayish-white bases) with generally slightly paler shoulders; ventral pelage is slightly paler. Ears are small or mediumsized. Noseleaf has more or less hastate lancet; connecting process extends forward, becoming slender and sharply pointed horn; sella is broader basally and constricted medially; shape and size of horseshoe are unknown. There are three mental grooves on lower lip. Skull is very small and moderately built (zygomatic breadth was larger than mastoid breadth in one individual and smaller in another); anterior median swellings are small and short; posterior swellings are more developed than anterior ones; sagittal crest is moderately developed; frontal depression is shallow; supraorbital ridges are not well defined. C1 is slender and moderately long; P 2 is small or medium-sized with distinct cusp, and is within the tooth row; P is minute or absent, being extruded from tooth row, or rarely in tooth row when present; P, and P4 are in contact. Dental formula is the usual of 32 teeth for the genus or only 30 teeth when a lower premolar is missing.

Habitat. Recorded in a bamboo clump in dense forest at an elevation of 1231 m in northern Myanmar.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN ed List. However, in South Asia, the Little Nepalese Horseshoe Bat is threatened by deforestation, generally resulting from logging operations and the conversion of land for agriculture and mining operations.

Bibliography. Bates & Harrison (1997), Bates et al. (2004), Csorba, Bates, Molur & Srinivasulu (2008c), Csorba, Ujhelyi & Thomas (2003), Francis (2008a), Molur et al. (2002), Smith & XieYan (2008).

Figures

On following pages: 52. Eastern Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus megaphyllus}; 53. Insular Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus keyensis}; 54. Yellow-faced Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus virgo}; 55. Madura Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus madurensis}; 56. Sulawesi Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus celebensis}; 57. Robinson's Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus robinsoni); 58. Indochinese Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus chasem); 59. Anamban Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus nereis}; 60. Bornean Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus borneensis); 61. Malayan Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus malayanus}; 62. Acuminate Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus acuminatus}; 63. Acuminate Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus acuminatus}; 64. Little Japanese Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus cornutus}; 65. Yaeyama Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus perditus}; 66. Mountain Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus monticolus}; 67. Shortridge's Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus shortridgei}; 68. Formosan Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus monoceros}; 69. Least Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus pusillus}; 70. Little Nepalese Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus subbadius}; 71. Convex Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus convexus}; 72. Andaman Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus cognatus}; 73. Glossy Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus refulgens}; 74. Blyth's Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus lepidus};

Distribution. C & E Nepal , Bhutan , NE India (Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya), N Bangladesh , N Myanmar , and S China (one locality in Yunnan); there have been dubious records from N & C Vietnam , but these are likely to refer to the Least Horseshoe Bat (. pusui llus).