Lesser brown horseshoe bat
Species of bat
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The lesser brown horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus stheno) is a species of bat in the family Rhinolophidae. It is found in China,[2] Indonesia (on Java and Sumatra), Malaysia, Myanmar,[3] Thailand, and Vietnam.[1]
| Lesser brown horseshoe bat | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Placentalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Family: | Rhinolophidae |
| Genus: | Rhinolophus |
| Species: | R. stheno |
| Binomial name | |
| Rhinolophus stheno K. Andersen, 1905 | |
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| Lesser brown horseshoe bat range | |
Taxonomy
Rhinolophus stheno was first described by Knud Andersen in 1905, from a specimen collected by H. N. Ridley in Selangor, Malaysia.[4][5] It was included in the megaphyllus group by Andersen, euryotis group of Rhinolophus by Bodgdanowicz in 1992, and then back in the megaphyllus group by Csorba et al. in 2003.[6][7]
A subspecies, Rhinolophus stheno microglobosus, was described in 1998 by Gábor Csorba and Paulina Jenkins, but a 2008 analysis by Soisook et al. described it as a separate species.[8][6]
Description
R. stheno is a medium-sized bat, with a forearm length of about 45 millimetres (1.8 in) and a short tail. The back is grey to reddish-brown in color, while the undersides are a similar color but lighter.[6] It is overall similar in appearance to R. malayanus. R. stheno can be distinguished by greater "inflation of the anterior median compartments of the rostrum", narrower post-orbital constriction, and proportions of the first and second finger bones on the third finger.[6]
R. stheno's habitat includes forests, rubber plantations, and other agricultural zones. It roosts in caves. It has been found at elevations up to 1,700 metres (5,600 ft) above sea level.[1] Pregnancies occur March to May, and lactation May to July.[6]
It is listed as a species of least concern by the IUCN due to its likely large population and wide distribution.[1] It is common in Thailand, and may be less common in other parts of its range.[1]