Rhinolophus fumigatus, Ruppell, 1842

Burgin, Connor, 2019, Rhinolophidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 280-332 : 290-291

22 . Rüppell’s Horseshoe Bat

Rhinolophus fumigatus

French: Rhinolophe de Rüppell / German: Rüppell-Hufeisennase / Spanish: Herradura de Rüppell

Other common names: Abyssinian Horseshoe Bat, Smoky Horseshoe Bat

Taxonomy. Rhinolophus fumigatus Rüppell, 1842,

Shoa , Ethiopia .

Rhinolophus fumigatus is in the fumigatus species group. It is in need of taxonomic revision because the form aethiops might be a distinct species. Rhinolophusfumigatus is most closely related to R mossambicus . Six subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

R f. fumigatus Rüppell, 1842 - NE Africa in Eritrea and N & C Ethiopia.

R f. abae]. A. Allen, 1917 — extreme SW South Sudan, NE DR Congo, W Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi.

R f. aethiops Peters, 1869 - S Africa from Angola, S DR Congo, Zambia, and C Mozambique S to South Africa.

R f. diversus Sanborn, 1939 - W Africa from Senegal and Gambia to SE Guinea.

R f. exsuliL Andersen, 1905 - E Africa in E Sudan, S Ethiopia, E Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, and Tanzania; apparently Malawi.

R f. foxi Thomas, 1913 - W Africa from Burkina Faso to Cameroon, Central African Republic, Gabon, extreme W DR Congo, and NW Angola; probably also in Ivory Coast.

Descriptive notes. Head-body c. 40-74 mm, tail 20-39 mm, ear 19-28 mm, hindfoot 9-15 mm, forearm 47-60 mm; weight 11-24 g. There is no sexual dimorphism. Dorsal pelage is gray to grayish brown (hairs are grayish fawn to pale grayish brown, with darker tips); venter is slightly paler. There is apparently no orange morph. Males lack axillary tufts. Ears are medium in length (40-51% of forearm length). Noseleaf has subtriangular lancet, with slightly concave sides and rounded tip; connecting process is large and rounded off but does not reach tip of sella; sella is broad and rounded at top, covered in longish hairs, slightly concave or almost parallel on sides, and generally broad; and horseshoe has lateral leaflets and distinctly notched median emargination, is medium in width (9-6—11- 5 mm), and almost completely covers muzzle. Lower lip has one groove. Wings and uropatagium are dark gray to dark brown. Skull is robust, with moderately slender zygomatic arches (zygomatic width is much larger than mastoid width); nasal swellings are broader than long; frontal depression is shallow to moderately deep, with pronounced supraorbital ridges; sagittal crest is well developed anteriorly and reduced or absent posteriorly; and interpterygoid groove is distinct and narrows medially. Dental formula is commonly I 1/2, C 1/1, P 2/2, M 3/3 (x2) = 30 or 11/2, C 1/1, P 1/2, M 3/3 (x 2) = 28, or rarely 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 (x2) = 30. P2 is tiny and fully displaced labially or absent, allowing C1 and P4 to touch; P3 is usually absent but occasionally present; and P2 and P4 touch. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 58 and FNa = 60 or 62.

Habitat. Primarily various savanna habitats, such as undifferentiated woodland and Isoberlinia (Fabaceae) woodland in West Africa, Acacia (abaceae)- Commiphora (Burseraceae) brushland/thicket in East Africa, and miombo and mopane woodlands in southern Africa.

Food and Feeding. Rûppell’s Horseshoe Bat is insectivorous and forages by fly-catching and slow hawking at night, possibly also gleaning off the ground and foliage and perch-hunting. One individual was observed catching a moth from a perch at the end of a branch c. 3 m aboveground. Diet consists largely of small to medium-sized beedes and moths and various other insects.

Breeding. Rûppell’s Horseshoe Bats is probably seasonally monoestrous, at least in southern regions. Pregnant females were captured in September, early November, and December in Malawi; lactating females were captured from early November to December. They seem to give birth in wet seasons (November-December) in Malawi and Zimbabwe. Pregnancies in Zimbabwe were reported in September-October; lactating females were captured in November-January. Litter size is one.

Activity patterns. Rûppell’s Horseshoe Bats are nocturnal, foraging throughout the night and spending the day roosting. They enter torpor during the day at ambient temperatures of 21—24° C. Day roosts are primarily associated with caves and rock crevices/ cavities, but they are also have been found in piles of boulders, abandoned mine shafts, hallow baobab trees ( Adansonia , Malvaceae ), and rarely houses and tobacco bams. Rûppell’s Horseshoe Bats tend to pick roost sites that are 24-27°C (mean 25-6°C) and have humidity of55-94% (mean 69%). Call shape is FM/CF/FM, with call frequencies of 53—59 kHz in Malawi, 54 kHz in Mozambique, 55 kHz in South Africa (Kruger National Park), 62-6 kHz in Cameroon, and 45-50 kHz in Uganda (although Ugandan specimens might be misidentified). Call durations are 29-53 milliseconds.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Colonies of Rûppell’s Horseshoe Bats vary widely from single individuals to more than 1000 individuals. Groups of 10—50 individuals are commonly seen in Malawi, and colonies with more than ten individuals are considerably rare in Zimbabwe. Colonies of 25—500 individuals have been found in Namibia, and a colony of more than 1000 individuals was found in a very old baobab in Senegal. When roosting, individuals huddle close together and make contact with one another. Outside of breeding seasons, males and females roost together but seem to segregate into maternity and non-matemity colonies during breeding seasons.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCNed List. There does not seem to be any major threat to Rûppell’s Horseshoe Bat, which has a very wide distribution. They have been recorded sharing roosts with Bushveld Horseshoe Bats ( A simulator ) and Egyptian Slit-faced Bats ( Nycteris thebaicd ).

Bibliography. ACR (2018), Aggundey & Schütter (1984), Churchill et al. (1997), Cotterill & Happold (2013b), Csorba et al. (2003), Grubb et al. (1998), Happold (1987), Hayman et al. (1966), Jacobs et al. (2007), Kangoyé et al. (2015), Koopman (1975), Koopman étal. (1995), Koubinové (2013), Koubinovâ étal. (2010), Lelant & Chenaval (2011), Manga Mongombe (2012), Monadjem, Griffin étal. (2017b), Monadjem, Schoeman étal. (2010), Rautenbach (1986), Rautenbach étal. (1985),Taylor étal. (2012), Yalden étal. (1996).

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. R f. fumigatus Rüppell, 1842 - NE Africa in Eritrea and N & C Ethiopia . R f. abae]. A. Allen, 1917 — extreme SW South Sudan, NE DR Congo , W Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi. R f. aethiops Peters, 1869 - S Africa from Angola , S DR Congo , Zambia , and C Mozambique S to South Africa . R f. diversus Sanborn, 1939 - W Africa from Senegal and Gambia to SE Guinea . R f. exsuliL Andersen, 1905 - E Africa in E Sudan , S Ethiopia , E Uganda , Kenya , Rwanda , and Tanzania ; apparently Malawi . R f. foxi Thomas, 1913 - W Africa from Burkina Faso to Cameroon , Central African Republic , Gabon , extreme W DR Congo , and NW Angola ; probably also in Ivory Coast .