Rhinolophus aethiops Peters, 1868

Turni, Hendrik & Kock, Dieter, 2008, Type specimens of bats (Chiroptera: Mammalia) in the collections of the Museum f r Naturkunde, Berlin, Zootaxa 1869 (1), pp. 1-82 : 30

Rhinolophus aethiops Peters, 1868

Peters, W.C.H. (1868) Mittheilung über neue Säugethiere ( Colobus , Rhinolophus , Vesperus ) und neue oder weniger bekannte Amphibien ( Hemidactylus, Herpetodryas, Spilotes, Elaphis, Lamprophis, Erythrolamprus ). Monatsberichte der Königlich Preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin, 1868: 637 [637–641].

Valid name: Rhinolophus fumigatus Rüppell, 1842

Syntypes: ZMB 3295 , body in alcohol, skull recently extracted, male . ZMB 50073 (formerly a second specimen originally with number ZMB 3295 ), body in alcohol, skull not extracted, female, adult. Both specimens from Otjimbingue, Namibia; collected by Hahn.

Comment: Csorba et al. (2003: 50) noted: “The recently removed and cleaned skull of the type [!] specimen of aethiops ( MNB [= ZMB] 3295) also shows very large cranial measurements as compared with the lectotype specimen ( SMF 4372 ) of fumigatus ...” .

ZMB 3295 shows the following skull and external characteristics: the first upper premolar is minute, fully outside the toothrow, and below the neighbouring cingula; upper toothrow length (CM³) = 8.6mm; skull total length = 23.3mm; length of forearm = 54.5mm; upper process of sella hairy in front and laterally, in profile rounded and slightly constricted in the middle (similar to Rhinolophus darlingi ); sides of lancet are more or less concave. ZMB 3295 is possibly a distinct species from Rhinolophus fumigatus , but this assumption needs further investigation.