Hipposideridae
Author
Don E. Wilson
Author
Russell A. Mittermeier
text
2019
2019-10-31
Lynx Edicions
Barcelona
Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats
227
258
book chapter
http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3739808
b7e93c79-44a6-4d9c-8b78-dcb62033fb0d
978-84-16728-19-0
3739808
50.
Schneider’s Leaf-nosed Bat
Hipposideros speoris
French:
Phyllorhine de Schneider
/
German:
Schneider-Rundblattnase
/
Spanish:
Hiposidérido de Schneider
Other common names:
Schneider's Roundleaf Bat
Taxonomy.
Vespertilio speoris Schneider
in
Schreber, 1800
,
Tranquebar
, Madras,
India
.
Hipposideros speoris
belongs to the
speoris
species group. Monotypic.
Distribution.
India
and
Sri Lanka
.
Descriptive notes.
Head—body 46-62 mm, ear 12-19 mm, forearm 45-54 mm. Ears of Schneider’s Leaf-nosed Bat are relatively short. Noseleaf has three supplementary leaflets. Posterior leaf has three vertical septa, which divide posterior leaf into four cells. Males have frontal sac behind posterior leaf, whereas it is a tuft of hairs in females. Pelage varies from gray to bright orangebrown or yellowish-brown. Skull length is 18-20-5 mm, with weak rostral inflation and weak sagittal crest. C1 and j are large. P2 is small and slightly extruded from tooth row. Baculum is very small and simple, with narrow shaft and blunt tip. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 32 and FN = 60.
Habitat.
Dry plains to forested hillsides. Schneider’s Leaf-nosed Bat forages either in dry, flat areas or forested hills up to
1385 m
.
Food and Feeding.
Schneider’s Leaf-nosed Bat feeds in groups of 10-15 individuals on insects near the ground. Diet includes mosquitoes, flies, beetles, and other low-flying insects. After leaving the roost, it has been found to revisit it several times during the night.
Breeding.
In
Maharashtra
, mating was observed from late December to mid-March. Females were found pregnant in May-July, giving birth to a single young from mid-May to midJune. Lactating females were captured until mid-September. However, reproductive cycle can be variable between sites—e.g. breeding season starts in mid-November in Bangalore; females give birth in September and October in
Tamil Nadu
. A single young was carried by its mother until its weight rose to
6 g
. Females reach sexual maturity in 7-5-8 months, but this takes 16-17 months for males. Penis and scrotum of males are enlarged and thickened during the breeding season.
Activity patterns.
Schneider’s Leaf-nosed Bat can be found roosting in small crevices caves, tunnels, temples, and abandoned buildings. Echolocation of individuals from southern
India
is a typical CF/FM type, with a call frequency of the F segment of 131-135 kHz.
Movements, Home range and Social organization.
Schneider’s Leaf-nosed Bats are gregarious. Colony size can be as small as a few individuals to hundreds or even thousands. Males and females cohabit at the roost, and the size of the colonies is constant throughout the year. Roosts of this species were shared with
Fulvus
Leaf-nosed Bats {
H. fulvus
), Indian Rufous Horseshoe Bats {
Rhinolophus rouxii
), and Greater Asian False-Vampires (
Lyroderma
lyrd).
On following pages: 51. Spurred Leaf-nosed Bat (
Hipposideros calcaratus
); 52. awn-colored Leaf-nosed Bat (
Hipposideros galeritus
); 55. Aba Leaf-nosed Bat (
Hipposideros abae
); 56. Benito Leaf-nosed Bat (
Hipposideros beatus
}; 57. Sundevall's Leaf-nosed Bat (
Hipposideros lamottei
); 60. Noack's Leaf-nosed Bat (
Hipposideros ruber
}; 61. Maghreb Leaf-nosed (
Hipposideros
bicoloi}; 64. Short-headed Leaf-nosed Bat (
Hipposideros breviceps
}; 65. Least Leaf-nosed Bat (
Hipposideros cervinus
}; 53. Cox's Leaf-nosed Bat (
Hipposideros coxi
}; 54. Cantor's Leaf-nosed Bat (
Hipposideros
Leaf-nosed Bat (
Hipposideros
caffed: 58. Sooty Leaf-nosed Bat (
Hipposideros fuliginosus
); 59. Lamotte ’s Bat (
Hipposideros tephrus
}; 62. Dusky Leaf-nosed Bat (
Hipposideros
atei]; 63. Bicolored Leaf-nosed Bat
cineraceus
); 66. Large Mindanao Leaf-nosed Bat (
Hipposideros coronatus
}.
Status and Conservation.
Classified as Least Concern on The IUCNRed List, because it has a wide distribution and large colony sizes. Potential threats are hunting, limestone mining, and quarrying.
Bibliography.
Bates & Harrison (1997), Corbet & Hill (1992), Molur, Yapa & Srinivasulu (2008b), Simmons (2005).