Hipposideros nequam Andersen, 1918

Voon-Ching Lim, Rosli Ramli, Subha Bhassu & John-James Wilson, 2017, A checklist of the bats of Peninsular Malaysia and progress towards a DNA barcode reference library, PLoS ONE 12 (7), pp. 1-65 : 26

Hipposideros nequam Andersen, 1918 (?)

Hipposideros nequam Andersen, 1918: 380 , 381; Klang , Selangor, MALAYSIA (W. Davison, collector; BM(NH) 1885.8.1.369) [ 117].

Common English name: Malay Roundleaf Bat

Barcode Index Number: There are no DNA barcodes recorded under this name on BOLD.

IUCN status: Data Deficient

Remarks: If valid, the species is extremely rare [ 42, 125] with only two reports from Peninsular Malaysia: Klang (the holotype) and Krau Wildlife Reserve [ 42]. However, the record from Krau Wildlife Reserve [ 42] is questionable due to the lack of information regarding the species identification and the absence of any specimens in the DWNP collection. Moreover, Kingston et al. [ 11] did not report this species in Krau Wildlife Reserve. The fact that the holotype is damaged remains another challenge to resolve the status of H. nequam [ 14, 23]. Tate [ 122] noted that H. nequam resembles H. bicolor in forearm length but differs by having greatly reduced anterior lower premolar. Hill [ 141] also noted the similarities in cranial structure between H. nequam and H. ( bicolor ) atrox . He further commented that H. nequam has a similar but slightly different cranial structure with “more inflated rostral eminences, shorter, broader premaxillae, blade-like vomer and greatly reduced anterior lower premolar” and larger than H. bicolor [ 141]. It is likely that H. nequam is a synonym of either H. bicolor or H. atrox (CM Francis, personal communication) but based on the slight differences between the types of H. nequam and H. bicolor as reported by Hill [ 141] and the locality of the holotype, we tentatively retained the species in our checklist.

Recorded at: Pahang: Krau Wildlife Reserve [ 42](?) ; Selangor: Klang [ 117].