Hypsignathus monstrosus H. Allen, 1862

Mongombe, Aaron Manga, Fils, Eric Moise Bakwo & Tamesse, Joseph Lebel, 2020, Annotated checklist of bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) of Mount Cameroon, southwestern Cameroon, Zoosystema 42 (24), pp. 483-514 : 492

Hypsignathus monstrosus H. Allen, 1862

Hypsignathus monstrosus H. Allen, 1862: 158.

COMMON NAMES. — English: Hammer-headed Bats. French: Hypsignathe monstrueux.

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — 39 specimens.

Mount Cameroon area • 1 specimen; Mueli ; 4°23’00”N, 9°07’00”E; 600 m; 14.II.1958; Martin Eisentraut leg.; ZFMK 1961.0603 • 1 ♂; Koto-Barombi ; 4°27’57”N, 9°16’01”E; 457 m; 20.I.1958; Martin Eisentraut leg.; SMNS 6632 • 18 specimens; Victoria (Currently Limbe); 4°00’46”N, 9°13’13”E; 136 m; Preuss P & Strunck leg.; ZMB 54204 to 54207, 54600, 54601, 54601b, 54604, 54696, 54698, 67120, 67121, 67123, 67128, 67132, 67133, 67135, 67150 .

Other localities of Cameroon • 10 specimens; Bipindi ; 3°05’00”N, 10°25’00”E; 184 m; Zenker georg August & Sjöstedt Yngve Bror leg.; ZMB 40163, 54410, 67122, 67128 to 67131, 67134, 67157, 6942 • 1 ♂; Bonge ; 4°28’00”N, 12°22’00”E; Sjöstedt Yngve Bror leg.; ZMB 7043 • 1 specimen; Bamundjinda ; 5°36’46”N, 10°17’46”E; Adametz leg.; ZMB 67062 • 5 specimens; Dikume-Balue ; 4°14’42”N, 9°29’36”E; 1100 m; Konietzko leg.; ZMB 57061, 67059, 67059 to 67061 • 2 specimens; Yaounde ; 3°52’00”N, 11°31’00”E; 726 m; Zenker Georg August & Heberer leg.; ZMB 9010, 54697 .

ORIGINAL DATA. — The hammer-headed fruit bat was not captured during our field surveys, but had previously been recorded in the lowland and montane forest of Mount Cameroon by Eisentraut (1963), and by Fedden & MacLeod (1986) who capture one individual in coastal vegetation at Bimbia.

HABITATS AND DISTRIBUTION. — This species is mainly distributed in West and Central Africa, extending marginally to East Africa. This species is an inhabitant of lowland tropical rainforest, particularly gallery forest, swamp forest, mangroves, palm forest, and it has also been recorded in forest patches in savannah areas ( Happold 1987). At Mount Nimba, this species was captured in forested habitats from 500 m up to 1350 m a.s.l. ( Monadjem et al. 2016). It roosts singly or in small groups on exposed branches beneath dense vegetation, at heights of up 30 m in the forest canopy ( Happold 2013b). This species may be threatened by the bushmeat trade.