 |
Order : CHIROPTERA
Family : Rhinolophidae
Species : Rhinolophus morio
Forearm Length : up to
6.9 cm
Weight : up to 39 grams
Rhinolophus morio
(Great Woolly Horseshoe Bat, Malaysian Woolly Horseshoe Bat) is one of the largest known species of horseshoe bat.
It
occurs in lowland primary forest and, under the right conditions, in
disturbed secondary forest. It roosts alone or in pairs in tree hollows or
rock shelters.
It was formerly considered a subspecies of Rhinolophus luctus but is
generally now treated as a distinct species after a detailed study (Volleth et al,
2015). It occurs in Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore
and northern Sumatra.
It was first described in 1842 in Singapore. It was last documented in
Singapore in by Pottie et al (2005);
distinctive constant-frequency (CF) echolocation calls of ~42 kHz were
detected at a number of locales.
This species is a perch-hunter; it typically suspends itself from a twig
or small branch whilst waiting for insects, such as moths and beetles, to
fly past upon which it will launch itself to capture its prey. A similar hunting mode is also used by some of its closest
relatives, for example the Trefoil
Horseshoe Bat.
This bat can be identified in the field by its relatively large size in
comparison to other horseshoe bats, and its long, grey-brown to dark grey,
woolly fur (the tips of which are typically pale which gives a frosted
effect). Closer inspection may reveal a complex noseleaf that is dark in
colour, with 'lateral lappets' on each side of the sella (the structure in
the middle of the noseleaf).
Fig 1 : Example perched near a lowland forest
stream on the island of Tioman, Pahang, Peninsular Malaysia; this bat was
probably perch-hunting and waiting for flying insects to come within
range. Photo thanks to Serin Subaraj.
Fig 2 : Close-up of the structures which comprise the noseleaf including,
in the centre, the connecting process and sella, and at the bottom the
distinctive, large horseshoe. Photo thanks to Serin Subaraj.
Fig 3 : Intact, lowland primary forest still exists on Tioman Island
inland from a zone of disturbed, coastal forest; this habitat supports a
great diversity of vertebrates, including around 20 species of bat (Lim et
al, 1999).
References :
Kingston, T., Lim B.L., Zubaid, A., 2006. Bats of Krau Wildlife
Reserve. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.
Lim, B. L., Lim, K. K. P., & Yong, H. S. (1999). The terrestrial mammals
of Pulau Tioman, Peninsular Malaysia, with a catalogue of specimens at the
Raffles Museum, National University of Singapore. Raffles Bulletin of
Zoology, Supplement No. 6, 101-123.
Phillipps Q. & Phillipps K. (2016).
Phillipps’ Field Guide to the Mammals of Borneo and Their Ecology:
Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei, and Kalimantan. Second Edition. John Beaufoy
Publishing. 400 pp.
Pottie, S. A., Lane, D. J. W., Kingston, T., & Lee, B. P. Y-H. (2005). The
microchiropteran bat fauna of Singapore. Acta Chiropterologica, 7(2),
237-247.
Volleth, M., Loidl, J., Mayer, F., Yong, H. S., Müller, S., & Heller, K.
G. (2015). Surprising genetic diversity in Rhinolophus luctus
(Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae) from Peninsular Malaysia: description of a new
species based on genetic and morphological characters. Acta
Chiropterologica, 17(1), 1-20.
|
