Rhinolophus luctus Temminck, 1834

Woolly horseshoe bat

FA 66.3–72.8 mm, mass 26.5–49.5 g. Six males and four females were captured in Fujian, Hainan, Hunan and Jiangxi provinces. The call frequency of R. luctus in China (32.6–34.9 kHz) is lower than that in Malaysia (FMAXE 42 kHz), while the forearm length shorter is in Malaysia (63.4 mm — Kingston et al., 2000). Pottie et al. (2005) reported that R. luctus called at 42.6 kHz in Singapore, but these authors did not collect individuals of this species, identifying them from their echolocation calls. Given the geographic variation in call frequency and forearm length, cryptic species may therefore be present in this taxon, although more work is needed to confirm this.

Previous records from China: Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan and Zhejiang (Zhang, 1997; Wang, 2003).

Ecological Notes

This species was seldom encountered and was always found in small groups. All records were from caves.