45.

Large Asian Leaf-nosed Bat

Hipposideros lekaguli

French: Phyllorhine de Lekagul / German: Lekagul-Rundblattnase / Spanish: Hiposidérido de Lekagul

Other common names: Large Asian Roundleaf Bat

Taxonomy. Hipposideros fefcagufö Thonglongya & Hill, 1974,

“Phu Nam Tok Tap Kwang, Kaeng Khoi, Saraburi, Thailand c. 14° 34’ N., 101° 09’ E.”

Hipposideros lekaguli is in the diadema species group. The population in the Philippines may prove to be, at least, a distinct subspecies; taxonomic revision is needed. Monotypic.

Distribution. S Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, and Philippines (Luzon and Mindoro Is).

Descriptive notes. Forearm 64-79 mm. Mainland South-east Asian populations are larger (forearm 71-79 mm) than those ofPhilippines (forearm 64-72 mm). Ears ofthe Large Asian Leaf-nosed Bat are large and broad, with a triangular tip. Noseleaf is large and complex——anterior leaf is large and almost covers muzzle; intermediate noseleaf is large and thickened, with distinct median projection; posterior leaf is trilobed and forms three large protruding pockets. Pelage on upperparts is grayish brown or grayish white; underparts are dull creamy white. Skull is robust, with rostral part inflated. Sagittal crest is poorly developed. C1 is large; P2 is small and slightly extruded from the tooth row. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 32 and FN = 60.

Habitat. Large Asian Leaf-nosed Bats forage in primary or disturbed forests and agricultural areas at low elevation, typically in gaps or over water bodies.

Food and Feeding. The Large Asian Leaf-nosed Bat is an aerial-hawking bat, feeding on insects up in the air. Diet is mosdy composed of Coleoptera.

Breeding. Females were found pregnant in March-April, giving birth and then carrying young between May and June.

Activity patterns. Large Asian Leaf-nosed Bats roost in caves. Echolocation is a CF/FM type, with a call frequency of the F segment of45—46 kHz.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Large Asian Leaf-nosed Bats roost in colonies. Colony size ranges from a few individuals up to 500 individuals. This species shares caves with Black-bearded Tomb Bats (Taphozous melanopogon), Greater Asian False-vampires ( Lyroderma lyra), Lesser Dawn Bats ( Eonycteris spelaea), Horsfield’s Leafnosed Bats { H. larvatus), and Pendlebury’s Leaf-nosed Bat (Ä pendleburyi).

Status and Conservation. Classified as Near Threatened on 7%♂ IUCN Red List. The population size of the Large Asian Leaf-nosed Bat has been decreasing during recent decades. The major threats are hunting, unregulated activities associated with tourism, limestone mining, and quarrying.

Bibliography. Balete eta/. (1995), Corbet & Hill (1992), Csorba, Bumrungsri, Francis, Bates, Gumal & Kingston (2008a), Francis (2008a), Heaney eta/. (1998), Simmons (2005).