Rhinolophus eloquens, K. Andersen, 1905

Burgin, Connor, 2019, Rhinolophidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 280-332 : 291

23 . Eloquent Horseshoe Bat

Rhinolophus eloquens

French: Rhinolophe éloquent /German: Lautfreudige Hufeisennase /Spanish: Herradura elocuente

Taxonomy. Rhinolophus hildebrandti [sic] eloquens K. Andersen, 1905 ,

“ Entebbi [= Entebbe] , Uganda .”

Rhinolophus eloquens is in the Junugatus species group and has been included as a subspecies of R hildebrandtii , although it is generally recognized as a distinct species. Rhinolophus eloquens is sister to the rest of the fumigatus group. Two subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

A e. eloquens K Andersen, 1905 - S South Sudan, NE & SE DR Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, and Tanzania (including Pemba and Unguja Is in Zanzibar Archipelago); possibly also S Ethiopia, extending as far as Malawi and Mozambique.

R e. perauritus De Beaux, 1922 — S Somalia.

Descriptive notes. Head—body c. 68-72 mm, tail 20-45 mm, ear 21—38 mm, hindfoot 12—14 mm, forearm 53—63 mm; weight 13-40 g. Dorsal pelage is generally pale brown (hairs are dark gray basally); venter is paler. There is no orange morph. Males lack axillary tufts. Ears are medium in length (44—51% of forearm length). Noseleaf has long subtriangular lancet, with slightly concave sides and rounded tip; connecting process is large and rounded, terminating near tip of sella; sella is covered with longish hairs and is broad and rounded at top, with upper two-thirds being parallel-sided; and horseshoe is medium in width (114—12- 3 mm), covers muzzle, has lateral leaflets, and has deep median emargination. Lower lip has one groove. Wings and uropatagium are brown to dark grayish brown. Baculum is trumpet-shaped, with straight, cylindrical shaft. Skull is robust, with sturdy zygomatic arches (zygomatic width is much wider than mastoid width); nasal swellings are relatively high, being longer than they are broad; frontal depression is shallow to relatively deep; and sagittal crest is comparatively prominent anteriorly. Dental formula is commonly 11/2, C 1/1, P 1/2, M 3/3 (x2) = 28, or rarely 11/2, C 1/1, P 2/2, M 3/3 (x2) = 30,11/2, C 1/1, P 2/3, M 3/3 (x2) = 32, or 11/2, C 1/1, P 1/3, M 3/3 = 30. P2 is very small and completely displaced labially or completely absent, allowing full contact ofC1 and P4, and P3 is usually absent but, if present, is fully displaced labially and lies under cingula of P2 and P4, which are in contact.

Habitat. Various semiarid savanna, mesic woodland savanna, and montane forest habitats, including Acacia (Fabaceae) - Commiphora (Burseraceae) brushland/thicket and mosaics of evergreen brushland and secondary Acacia savanna, at elevations up to 1500 m.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. The Eloquent Horseshoe Bat roosts in caves. There might be more information available in papers that misidentified it as Hildebrandt’s Horseshoe Bat {hildebrandtii ).

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Eloquent Horseshoe Bat has a relatively wide distribution, but littie is known about its ecology. It seems to be most threatened by general habitat loss from agricultural expansion.

Bibliography. ACR (201'8), Cotterill (2013b), Csorba et al. (2003), Koopman (1975), Monadjem, Taylor, Jacobs & Cotterill (2017d), Thorn & Kerbis Peterhans (2009), Taylor et al. (2012).

Figures

On following pages: 4. Lander's Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus landeri); 5. Guinean Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus guineensis); 6. Blasius's Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus blasii); 7. Peters's Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus lobatus); 8. Swinny's Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus swinnyi); 9. Cape Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus capensis); 10. Gorongosa Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus gorongosae); 11. Roberts's Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus rhodesiae); 12. Bushveld Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus simulato/); 13. Dent's Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus denti); 14. Cameroon Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus alticolus); 15. Mehely's Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus mehelyi); 16. Mediterranean Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus euryale); 17. Hildebrandt's Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus hildebrandtii); 18. Mount Mabu Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus mabuensis); 19. Cohen's Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus cohenae); 20. Smithers's Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus smithersi); 21. Mozambican Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus mossambicus); 22. Rüppell's Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus fumigatus); 23. Eloquent Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus Bloquons).

Subspecies and Distribution. A e. eloquens K Andersen, 1905 - S South Sudan , NE & SE DR Congo , Uganda , Rwanda , Kenya , and Tanzania (including Pemba and Unguja Is in Zanzibar Archipelago); possibly also S Ethiopia , extending as far as Malawi and Mozambique . R e. perauritus De Beaux, 1922 — S Somalia .