Rhinolophus lobatus, Peters, 1852

Burgin, Connor, 2019, Rhinolophidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 280-332 : 283-284

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.3748525
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3808870
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/885887A2-FFCB-8A2C-F8A7-F335F960D67E
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Rhinolophus lobatus
status

Treatment

7 View On . Peters’s Horseshoe Bat

Rhinolophus lobatus View in CoL

French: Rhinolophe du Zambèze / German: Peters-Hufeisennase / Spanish: Herradura de Peters

Taxonomy. Rhinolophus lobatus Peters, 1852 View in CoL ,

“Africa orientalis, Sena, Tette, 17° Aust.,” Mozambique. Restricted by R. E. Moreau and colleagues in 1946 by stating, “of these two localities [ Sena and Tette], 100 miles [= 161 km] apart, Sena, the lower down the Zambesi [River] , may stand as the type-locality.”

R... lobatus is in the landeri species group. It has generally been included in R landeri , but recent genetic and morphometric data support its specific status. Although exact distributions of R lobatus and R landeri are uncertain, arrangement suggested by P.J. Taylor and colleagues in 2018 is followed here, in which all eastern and southern African populations are assigned to R lobatus and all western and central African populations are assigned to R landeri . The form angplensis from west Angola named by A, F. de Seabra in 1898 is included in AE lobatus here, but it might be a distinct subspecies or species. There is also considerable variation in morphology and echolocation among different populations in Mozambique that might represent additional cryptic species. Monotypic.

Distribution. Only known with certainty from Mozambique (based on recent morphometric studies), but populations from S South Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Congo Basin to N Angola and S to Mozambique and NE South Africa, including Unguja I ( Zanzibar Archipelago) are tentatively included here. View Figure

Descriptive notes. Head-body c. 51-56 mm, tail 21-31 mm, ear 14-20 mm, hindfoot 6-12 mm, forearm 43—50 mm; weight 5—10 g. Description comes primarily from Mozambican specimens of Peters’s Horseshoe Bats, and additional comparisons between them and Lander’s Horseshoe Bat ( A landeri ) are needed. Pelage is dense and soft, being grayish brown dorsally and lighter brown ventrally. Males often have dark reddish brown axillary tufts. Wings and interfemoral membrane are dark grayish brown to blackish brown. Noseleaf has hastate lancet, with bluntly pointed tip, being taller than in Lander’s Horseshoe Bat; connecting process is subtriangular, with tip either sharply or blundy pointed, and is more erect than in Lander’s Horseshoe Bat; sella is naked and narrow, with deeply concave sides and top broad and rounded; horseshoe is narrow at 6—8 mm but covers entire muzzle; there are no lateral leaflets; and median emargination is a deep notch. Lower lip has well-defined medium groove and two very poorly defined lateral grooves. There is also considerable variation between different Mozambique populations (from Pemba, Gorongosa, and Malashane and Chihalatan caves), although they are genetically close to one another. Individuals from Pemba have distinctively robust bacula and noseleaves with evidendy hastate lancets, and individuals from Gorongosa are smaller in external measurements and also have unique noseleaves and bacula. Their noseleaves have small hastate lancets, with bluntly pointed tips, and relatively small and more erect connecting processes, with semi-symmetrical lobes; their bacula are very distinctive, being very short with wide shaft and very small base. There is a chance that this variation was due to examination of subadult individuals without fully developed noseleaves and bacula. Generally, baculum of Peters’s Horseshoe Bat is longer with less bulbous tip than in Lander’s Horseshoe Bat. Skull is medium built; zygomatic width is slighdy greater than mastoid width; rostrum is prognathic (unlike Lander’s Horseshoe Bat); nasal swellings are broad compared with Lander’s Horseshoe Bat; braincase is shortened compared to Lander’s Horseshoe Bat; sagittal crest is low to moderately developed anteriorly; and frontal depression is usually shallow. P2 is positioned in tooth row because of its relatively large size, which results in large space between C 1 and P4. Chromosomal complement has 2 n = 58 and FNa = 60 ( South Africa).

Habitat. Various sparse woodland regions from sea level to elevations of c. 1980 m on Mount Elgon, Kenya, and less than 1200 m in Zimbabwe. In Malawi and other regions of southern Africa, Peters’s Horseshoe Bats largely occur in woodland savannas, generally near riverine woodlands and other wet regions.

Food and Feeding. Peters’s Horseshoe Bat is insectivorous. It is a slow hawker that probably forages close to the ground and might engage in fly-catching and gleaning. In Zimbabwe, remains of c.66 insect species were found under a roost, consisting largely of noctuid moths (92%), butterflies, and several orthopterans.

Breeding. Peters’s Horseshoe Bat seems to be seasonally monoestrous. Copulation probably occurs in dry season, and period of delayed implantation might be apparent. Births probably occur later in wet season. Births have been recorded during peak of wet season (November) in Masalani, Kenya, but throughout much of its southern distribution, Peters’s Horseshoe Bats probably give birth in September-November. Young begin to fly by 4-5 weeks old, and they are weaned at c.2 months old. There is limited evidence that young do not breed until their second year.

Activity patterns. Peters’s Horseshoe Bats are active through parts of the night. They roost in the day in small colonies or alone and can enter torpor during the day to save energy. Roosts are found predominately in caves but also in rock crevices, hollow trees, buildings, and other man-made structures. Call shape is FM/CF/FM; F component is 102-108 kHz in Mozambique, averaging at 105 kHz in Gorongosa and 106-8 kHz in Chihalatan. It seems to be higher, on average, than in Lander’s Horseshoe Bat, being similar to F component reported in southern Africa (107 kHz) and South Africa (110 kHz). In Bungule, Kenya, F component of 110 kHz was reported, although specific identity of Kenyan populations is currendy uncertain.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Peters’s Horseshoe Bat roosts alone or in colonies. Colonies have 20-50 individuals in the DR Congo, often associated with Noack’s Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros ruber) and Rüppell’s Horseshoe Bat ( A fumigatus ). Throughout its distribution in southern Africa, Peters’s Horseshoe Bat has been found in smaller colonies, often with fewer than twelve individuals.

Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The IUCN ed List. Peters’s Horseshoe Bat is widespread and relatively common and does not seem to have any major threats. Nevertheless, because of its recent status as a distinct species, it is in need of additional research to clarify its conservation status.

Bibliography. ACR (2018), Anciaux de Faveaux (1978), Brown & Dunlop (1997), Csorba et al. (2003), Dool, Puechmaille, Foley et al. (2016), enton (1975), Happold, M. (2013 s), Monadjem, Taylor et al. (2010), Moreau et al. (1946), O'Shea &Vaughan (1980), Rautenbach et al. (1993), Seabra (1898), Taylor, Macdonald et al. (2018).