Rhinolophus landeri Martin, 1838

Decher, Jan, Norris, Ryan W., Abedi-Lartey, Michael, Oppong, James, Hutterer, Rainer, Weinbrenner, Martin, Koch, Martin, Podsiadlowski, Lars & Kilpatrick, C. William, 2021, A survey of small mammals in the Volta Region of Ghana with comments on zoogeography and conservation, Zoosystema 43 (14), pp. 253-281 : 269-270

Rhinolophus landeri Martin, 1838

Rhinolophus landeri Martin, 1838: 101 .

COMMON NAME. — Lander’s Horseshoe Bat.

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Agumatsa Wildlife Sanctuary • 1♂; SMF 89670; 22.XI.1999 .

REMARK

The single specimen of R. landeri could be distinguished from R. alcyone by its smaller size (weight 7.8 g; forearm 43.2 mm). A British Museum specimen of R. landeri is labeled as originating from “Wraura” (BMNH 55.378, leg. A. H. Booth), which may be the same as Worawora (near Apesokubi). A review of the bats of Côte d’Ivoire, showed that R. landeri occurs in all savanna formations to the northern edge of the Sudan savanna and that rainforest is actually being avoided ( Fahr 1996; Fahr & Kalko 2011), contrary to Rosevear’s (1965) assessment of R. landeri as a rainforest species, which at his time included R. guineensis Eisentraut, 1960 as a subspecies. This is also supported by captures from Togo with just one specimen from the eastern edge of the Ghana-Togo Highlands at Atakpamé ( De Vree et al. 1969) and 22 specimens caught in Northern Togo at Namoundjoga ( De Vree et al. 1970). On the Accra Plains nine R. landeri were caught in forest remnants and in more open savanna ( Decher 1997a).

CONSERVATION STATUS. — R. landeri is listed as “Least Concern” by IUCN Red List. However, its uncommon occurrence in the Ghana-Togo Highlands and the fact that we found just one specimen in a forested valley make it of some conservation concern for the Volta Region.