Fig 1
Fig 2
Fig 3
Fig 4
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Order : CHIROPTERA
Family : Hipposideridae
Species : Hipposideros bicolor
Forearm Length : up to 4.8 cm
Weight : up to 10 grams
The Bicoloured Roundleaf
Bat is a relatively small species of Hipposideros which inhabits
mainly lowland forest in many parts of Southeast Asia.
It makes use of a variety of roosts including caves, tunnels and rock
crevices. The example shown here was found roosting alone in an abandoned
chalet at the edge of lowland forest, and near an oil palm plantation. Some
roosts of this species may contain many individuals. Its diet would comprise
small flying insects.
Hipposideros bicolor is a species complex, now known to comprise a
number of
separate species. Two of these can only easily be separated on the basis of
the frequency of their call - one has a peak frequency of 131 kHz and the
other 142 kHz (now provisionally designated as Hipposideros atrox).
Another species in the group is Hipposideros pomona (which appears to
be more tolerant of disturbed habitats and is less restricted to primary
forest). Reference should be made to Kingston et al (2001) and
Douangboubpha et al (2010).
In photographs, bats of this species complex may be identified by the simple shape of
the noseleaf (which lacks lateral lappets), and by close inspection of the
fur colour. Individual hairs of this species are pale or whitish at the base
and dark at the extremity. The hairs on the back have dark brown ends, and
those on the belly have buff ends (however, some specimens may be bright
orange). The ears are large and rounded.
Bats of the Hipposideros bicolor species complex occur in parts of
Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Sulawesi
and the Philippines.
Figs 1, 3 and 4 : Example from Peninsular
Malaysia found roosting in an abandoned chalet.
Fig 2 : Primary lowland forest near the
location of the bat in figures 1, 3 and 4.
References :
Douangboubpha, B., Bumrungsri, S., Soisook, P., Satasook, C., Thomas, N. M. & Bates, P. J. (2010). A taxonomic review of the
Hipposideros bicolor species complex and H. pomona
(Chiroptera: Hipposideridae) in Thailand. Acta Chiropterologica, 12(2),
415-438.
Francis, C.M. 2019. A Field Guide to the Mammals of South-east Asia. Second
Edition. New Holland. 416 pp.
Kingston, T., Lim B.L., Zubaid, A., 2006. Bats of Krau Wildlife
Reserve. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.
Kingston, T., Lara, M. C., Jones, G., Akbar, Z., Kunz, T. H. & Schneider, C.
J. (2001). Acoustic divergence in two cryptic Hipposideros species: a
role for social selection?. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B:
Biological Sciences, 268(1474), 1381-1386.
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