Hipposideros turpis, Bangs, 1901

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Hipposideridae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 227-258 : 238-239

30.

Lesser Leaf-nosed Bat

Hipposideros turpis

French: Phyllorhine des Ryukyu I German: Ryukyu-Rundblattnase / Spanish: Hiposidérido de Ryukyu

Other common names: Lesser Great Leaf-nosed Bat, Lesser Roundleaf Bat

Taxonomy. Hipposideros turpis Bangs, 1901 ,

“Ishigaki Island, southern group of Liu Kiu Islands,’’ Japan.

Hipposideros turpis is in the armiger species group. This species was traditionally considered to include three subspecies, turpis , alongensis , and pendleburyi . Thong Vu Dinh and colleagues in 2012 demonstrated that all three were distinct species. Monotypic.

Distribution. Endemic to Japan, known only from Yaeyama Is (Yonaguni, Iriomote, Ishigaki, and Hateruma).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 69-88 mm, tail 42-51 mm, ear 26-5-28 mm, hindfoot 13-4— 18 mm, forearm 64—73-2 mm; weight 25—33-2 g. The Lesser Leaf-nosed Bat presents an anterior noseleaf narrowed in mid part, with three depressions on its anterior border. As in the Ha Long Leaf-nosed Bat ( H. alongensis ), it presents four pairs of supplementary lateral leaflets, second pair being most developed. Intermediate leaf is attached with inflated intemarial septum. Posterior leaf is narrower than intermediate, and presents four noticeable cells on frontal surface, separated by three vertical septa. Dorsal fur is brownish reddish, ventral fur is paler. Baculum is short and inverted-Y-shaped.

Habitat. The Lesser Leaf-nosed Bat is known to inhabit limestone caves, unused mines and even air-raid shelters in the Yaeyama Islands.

Food and Feeding. Diet of the Lesser Leaf-nosed Bat is probably based mainly on insects.

Breeding. Female Lesser Leaf-nosed Bats give birth from mid-May to midJune, depending on the temperature and climatic conditions between February and May. The mating period occurs some weeks after the birth of the previous offspring.

Activity patterns. Call frequency ranges at 77-4-83-6 kHz.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Lesser Leaf-nosed Bat is normally gregarious, forming large colonies of up to 10,000 individuals.

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Status and Conservation. Classified as Near Threatened on The IUCN Red List, when the Lesser Leaf-nosed Bat was still thought to comprise three subspecies. No assessments of their conservation status have yet been carried out since the three subspecies were reclassified as distinct species. As this species was initially listed as Near Threatened, the current status should be, at least, within the same category, although its more restricted range probably suggests a more precarious status. The main threat to the Lesser Leaf-nosed Bat might be disturbance of caves and other roosts. It has been reported that on Iriomote Island, the principal breeding colonies have been visited by people for several years; in addition, this species is also threatened by forest clearance, wood extraction and the expansion of agricultural lands. Strong declines have been reported on other islands of the archipelago. Collection of new data and further research are needed to understand the population distribution and ecology of this species.

Bibliography Abe et al. (2005), Csorba, Bates & Furey (2008a), Ohdachi et al. (2009), Thong Vu Dinh, Puechmaille, Denzinger, Bates et al. (2012).

Figures

24. Large-eared Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros megalotis), 25. Boeadi’s Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros boeadii), 26. Ha Long Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros alongensis), 27. Great Himalayan Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros armiger), 28. Griffin’s Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros griffoni), 29. Pendlebury’s Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros pendleburyi), 30. Lesser Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros turpis), 31. Grand Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros grandis), 32. Horsfield’s Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros larvatus), 33. Maduran Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros madurae), 34. Sorensen’s Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros sorenseni), 35. Sumban Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros sumbae), 36. Shield-faced Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros lylei), 37. Pratt’s Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros pratti), 38. Shield-nosed Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros scutinares), 39. Makira Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros demissus), 40. Diadem Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros diadema), 41. Fierce Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros dinops), 42. Crested Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros inexpectatus), 43. Amhem Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros inomatus), 44. Indian Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros lankadiva), 45. Large Asian Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros lekaguli), 46. Peleng Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros pelingensis)

Distribution. Endemic to Japan , known only from Yaeyama Is (Yonaguni, Iriomote, Ishigaki, and Hateruma).