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Order : CHIROPTERA
Family : Rhinolophidae
Species : Rhinolophus creaghi
Forearm Length : up to
5.1 cm
Weight : up to 13.5 grams
Rhinolophus creaghi
(Creagh's Horseshoe Bat) is a geographically widespread species, however it
appears to be known only from areas of karst limestone where large caves may
support roosts of up to one hundred thousand.
Fur colour of this small bat varies between different subspecies or
populations, ranging from reddish to yellow-brown to grey-brown. The two
examples shown here, from the Niah cave complex in Sarawak, where the
species is described as rare (Phillipps & Phillipps, 2016), are mainly dark
grey.
This species bears a conical tuft of hairs on the posterior part of the
noseleaf (i.e. the upper part of the noseleaf between the eyes); this is an
uncommon feature in rhinolophid bats.
The most recent
IUCN assessment (2018) includes the following locales for this species;
Borneo (particularly Sarawak, Sabah and Sangkulirang, East Kalimantan),
Palawan (Philippines), Madura Island (which lies off the northeast coast of
Java, Indonesia) and Nusa Penida (which lies off Bali, Indonesia).
Figs 1 and 2 : Two examples from the Niah cave
complex, Sarawak, Borneo. These bats were identified as Rhinolophus
creaghi as some stiff, straight hairs can be discerned on the noseleaf
in close-up. Photos thanks to Gloria Seow.
Fig 3 : A distant view of Niah caves, clothed in dense forest.
Fig 4 : Lowland forest along the main trail leading to Niah caves, where
Rhinolophus creaghi is likely to forage.
References : M2, M12
Hall, L. S., Richards, G., & Abdullah, M. T. (2002). The bats of Niah
National Park, Sarawak. Sarawak Museum Journal, 52(78), 255-282.
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