Hipposideros vittatus Peters 1852

Hipposideros vittatus Peters 1852, Naturwiss. Reise Mossambique, Saugeth.: 32.

Type Locality: Mozambique, Cap Delgado group, Ibo Isl.

Vernacular Names: Striped Leaf-nosed Bat.

Synonyms: Hipposideros marungensis Noack 1887; Hipposideros mostellum Thomas 1904; Hipposideros viegasi Monard 1939 .

Distribution: Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania (incl. Pemba, Chumbwe and Zanzibar Isl), Malawi, Mozambique (incl. Ibo Isl), Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Dem. Rep. Congo, Angola, Namibia, South Africa, Guinea-Bissau. May occur throughout much of West Africa in sympatry with gigas, but distribution is presently unclear; it is likely considerably more extensive than given here (J. Fahr, pers. comm.).

Conservation: IUCN 2003 – Not evaluated; not considered in IUCN / SSC Action Plan (2001).

Discussion: commersoni species group. Includes maurngensis (J. Fahr, pers. comm.); also see Hayman and Hill (1971). Formerly included in commersoni, but clearly distinct based on differences in morphology and echolocation calls (J. Fahr and D. Kock, pers. comm.; McWilliam, 1982; Pye, 1972). Reviewed in part by Peterson et al. (1995). The status of viegasi is unclear, but it probably represents vittatus (J. Fahr, pers. comm.).